Forum of regulators expects to promote involvement of private sector

Development of off-grid renewable energy (OGRE) projects with capacity up to 300 Mw would get a major boost after the Forum of Regulators (FoR) issues guidelines in October. The guidelines would also come in handy for electricity regulatory commissions to determine tariff in such projects. Off-grid renewable energy projects are standalone systems generating electricity from renewable energy sources. They are not connected to the grid. A network, including associated appliances, is used for distributing the electricity.

NEW DELHI, 12 SEPT: Mitigation alone cannot combat climate change and India should focus on adaptation by developing necessary technologies, experts said here.

In an off-grid but interactive system, govt would provide feed-in tariff incentives for entrepreneurs to set up local solar energy systems

Supply issues comprise one part of the energy conundrum I discussed in this column last fortnight. The cost of energy and our ability to pay for it is the other. The matter gets vexed because the rise in price of raw material of all energy sources is accompanied by huge inefficiency in distribution and accounting. But importantly, we remain a poor country, where the cost of energy is a factor in its availability and accessibility for all.

States will now be able to buy renewable energy certificates (RECs) to make up for a portion of their mandatory renewable energy purchases from entrepreneurs who produce power and operate in rural

New Delhi Power minister M Veerappa Moily has called a eeting of chief ministers of states affected by the grid collapse on August 6 to take stock of the situation and prevent recurrence of one of the world’s worst blackouts in recent times. The idea is to impress upon states to ensure grid discipline and prevent overdrawal of power that is being anticipated as the main reason for the collapse of the grid.

“We thought it fit and appropriate to convene a meeting of all the chief ministers and power ministers of all affected eight states and one Union Territory on August 6 afternoon. We do no want to launch any blame game on any states but everyone should realise that one wrong step results in suffering for all,”

The arrival of solar power in meerwada last year has changed the lives of all living in the remote village

Life in the remote village of Meerwada used to grind to a standstill as darkness descended. Workers downed tools, kids strained to see their schoolbooks under the faint glow of aged kerosene lamps and adults struggled to carry out the most basic of household chores. The arrival of solar power last year has changed all that. On a humid evening, fans whirr, children sit cross-legged to study their Hindi and mother-of-seven Sunderbai is delighted people can actually see what they are eating and drinking.

A programme to have 10,000 off-grid solar homes in the State by the end of 2012-13 is expected to take off in a month.

The project, pending clearance with the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, is awaiting approval for release of money from the Central pool, said sources in the Agency for Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Technology (Anert), which would oversee the implementation of the programme. Sources said that the draft proposal for the programme has distributed the heavily subsidised solar homes equally among the districts, though the quota may be rearranged depending on the performance of the districts after the project is launched.

Plant is set to come at Ruchi's Washim unit, will also generate income for the local community

Ruchi Soya Industries Ltd (RSIL), India’s largest edible oil player, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Thermax Ltd, a leading company in energy and environment solutions, to set up a one megawatt fluidised bed biomass gasification plant, laying the foundation for large-scale commercialisation of biomass power in the country. The proposed plant is set to come at Ruchi’s Washim unit in Maharashtra.