SMEs in Vatva industrial belt to go green

Under fire for the high pollution levels and energy wastage in the past, the Vatva Industrial Belt is on its way to energy rehabilitation. With support of the Centre for Environment Planning and Technology (CEPT), Nirma University, Dharamsingh Desai University and Centre for Environment Education, the Green Environment Services Co-operative Society (GESCL) plans to take energy conservation to the 680 units in Vatva. The same would be incorporated in an energy management course to be started by CEPT.

In 2005, the Gujarat Pollution Board had admitted that the Common Affluent Treatment Plant (CATP) at Vatva industrial belt does not meet the prescribed norms. Ever since, the cluster with help from various institutes is working on a seven-step methodology for energy assessment which, GESCL claims, has a potential to benefit the small chemical units upto Rs 5,00,000 to Rs 10,00,000 per industry per year.

Further, a diagnostic study by GESCL has revealed there is potential for reducing carbon dioxide emission by over 100,000 tonnes per year by the industrial units.

This has prompted the institutions working with the industrial belt to conduct a preliminary study of potential, barriers and opportunities for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in SMEs.

CDM is an arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol which allows industrialised countries with a greenhouse gas reduction commitment to invest in emission-reducing projects in developing countries and if the proposal is accepted by the CDM executive board and Ministry of Environment and Forests, the SMEs from Vatva could be beneficiaries of revenue from credits sold abroad.

"Using the seven step model which starts with understanding energy cost, comparison, understanding when energy is used, understanding where it is used, matching usage to requirement, maximising efficiencies to optimise energy supply, we have witnessed a 10 per cent conservation and an economic benefit of Rs 20-40 crore per year," said Vipul Shah, Professor, CEPT university.

CEPT has been steadily involved in energy conservation and renewable energy projects in tandem with other organisations in the last few years and has come out with a proposal to introduce a course in energy management after finding enthusiasm for studying energy-related issues among students, said Shah.

The course, ' Post Graduate Programme in Energy Management', will be open to engineering graduates of any discipline and is likely to be introduced next academic year.

"Energy management, especially in the SME sector has seen very few takers.

There is hardly any awareness on energy wastage and the ensuing harm to the environment by small scale industries. The course would be designed to be completely application-oriented which will make it easier for students to step into the sector even as they study," added Shah.

The programme will cover various energy modules, including building energy, industrial and utility energy, renewables, core energy management, analytical skills, energy finance and others.