The Government of India has recently launched the JNNSM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission). It is a major initiative of the central and state governments to promote ecologically sustainable growth, while addressing India's energy security challenge. It will also constitute a major contribution by the country to the global effort to meet the challenges of climate change.
The majority of the RE (renewable energy) development efforts are directed towards power production. All the governments give high priority to electricity generation through RE sources, rather than to using them for meeting fuel requirements. Even common people have developed a great attraction towards renewable power, rather than fossil fuels.
Passive solar heating of houses is a clean technology which was made mandatory in the government/semi-government sector in 1994 in the Western Himalaya state of Himachal Pradesh. HP is the first state in India to take such a policy decision for promoting energy efficiency in buildings. A Solar House Action Plan was formulated and is being implemented effectively in the state.
ARTI (Appropriate Rural Technology Institute) developed a compact biogas system, which uses feedstock in the form of sugar, protein, fat or cellulose. It produces 1 kg biogas per kg of feedstock taking only about 24 hours to complete the reaction.
The MNRE had sanctioned the Saradi test project in January 2006. The project has been implemented by UBB (Uttarakhand Biofuel Board), Dehradun and coordinated and monitored by UREDA (Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency), Dehradun.
Biomass has been one of the main energy sources for mankind ever since the dawn of civilization although its importance dwindled after the expansion in use of oil and coal in the late 19th century. There has been a resurgence of interest in the recent years in biomass energy in many countries considering the benefits it offers.
Aryavart Grameen Bank operates in six districts of Uttar Pradesh. AGP decided to install PV systems at five of its branches to provide back up power during mains power cuts. The PV modules generate DC electricity in sunlight, which is stored in rechargeable lead-acid batteries.
Recent technological developments in biomass have made it possible to deploy various biomass-based systems for meeting total energy requirements of villages in an efficient, reliable, and cost-effective manner. Modern biomass technologies offer considerable effi ciency gains over traditional biomass use.
