DELHI’S ENERGY CONSERVATION PLAN
New Delhi, 30 October 2006
NEW DELHI, October (INFA): Delhi Government,
which is presently facing a serious power crunch, has issued
two notifications in a effort to save power---making Compact Fluorescent Lamps
(CFLs) and solar water heating system compulsory in commercial buildings.
The Government will also provide special incentives in
residential areas for using CFL bulbs and conduct awareness
and education programmes in housing societies on renewable energy.
Replacing one ordinary bulb with one CFL results in an
annual savings of Rs.283 and the cost of the bulb can be recovered in three to
four months. If all the consumers in Delhi replace 50 per cent
of their bulbs with CFLs, it will result in saving 51 MW, or Rs.9.61 crore per
year.
The recent decision by the Government to commission waste-to-energy projects would also go a long
way in easing the power crisis. These
projects to be set up in eight different locations would derive energy from
municipal waste. The projects: solid waste (MSW) and 700 million gallons per
day (MGD) of sewage to produce 90 MW or power.
The Delhi Jal Board (DJB), the Delhi Development Authority
(DDA), and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) would provide land on lease
for 25years to these projects.
Meanwhile, the Central Government is going ahead with its
plans to make the country self-sufficient in energy. Though major bilateral agreements pertaining
to this sector are related to fossil
fuels, environment-friendly fuels have also begun to gain prominence.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent visit to Brazil, which
resulted in the decision to set up a Joint Committee on Biofuels, is a pointer
to this fact. This initiative proposed by President Luiz Luala da Silva of Brazil, would see private and public sector
Indian companies exploring ethanol production opportunities in Brazil---the
world’s largest sugarcane producer and leading gasohol (blend of ethanol and
gas/petrol) user--- to meet the anticipated growth of ethanol for industrial
and transportation use in the country.
Blending ethanol with gasoline/petrol is also expected to
bring down India’s
massive crude import bill.
The move would allow Indian companies to own Brazilian
sugarcane fields, which are rain-fed and require little irrigation. Besides,
the sugarcane farms are highly mechanized and have integrated sugar mills.
The initiative is seen as a welcome move by Indian oil
companies which are finding it difficult to source ethanol due to inadequate
domestic availability and varying prices. At present, 5 per cent ethanol
blending is mandatory in nine Indian states and four union territories.
The country needs an assured
supply of ethanol if it has to go ahead with plans to make its usage mandatory
for all States and also increase the blending rate to 10 per cent.
|