au august all pages

8/2/2019 AU August All Pages

1/56

inistry of New andRenewable EnergyGovernment of India

www.mnre.gov.in

Volume 5 Issue 1 August 2011

Renewables inNorth Eastern Region


2/56


3/56

Dear Readers,Unity in diversity has been a motto or India andunderlines the act that the country is indeed a lando the diverse - be it the geography, people, language,

culture the list could go on. And no more is thisdiversity more obvious than in the north easternpart o the country. Tough clubbed together as thenorth eastern region (NER) each o the eight states- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya,Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and ripura - is uniquein its own way.

Te states are blessed with abundant natural resources and havea tremendous potential or the utilisation o renewable energy (RE).Recognising this, the Ministry o New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)has been giving a special ocus to the region as a whole and each stateindividually through a separate budget allocation o about 10 per cent undervarious renewable energy programmes. Te NER is also provided higherrates o central fnancial assistance, normally up to 90 per cent in most o thecases. Dr Farooq Abdullah, Minister o New and Renewable Energy calledupon the power ministers o the north eastern states to maximise the useo RE and to review the implementation o RE polices and programmes inthe NER in a meeting on 2 July 2011 in New Delhi. Te enthusiasm andcommitment expressed by all ministers towards use o renewable energy isquite encouraging.

Te NER is a true rontier - each state shares part o the over 2000 kmborder with Bhutan/China/Myanmar or Bangladesh and is connected tothe rest o India only by a narrow 20 km wide corridor o land. Te remotevillage electrifcation (RVE) programme o MNRE has energised 2392remote villages and hamlets mostly in the border areas. Seven cities namely

Agartala, Kohima, Jorhat, Guwahati, Imphal, Itanagar and Dimapur are alsobeing developed as solar cities. Te Prime Ministers special package o aboutRs 550 crores or illumination/electrifcation o households/villages located inthe international border districts o Arunachal Pradesh through a mix o REtechnologies mainly solar, small hydro and biomass is also being implementedby MNRE.

In this issue, we bring you glimpses o each state rom a renewableperspective. Te potential and implementation in each state may seem small

when compared to the rest o the country; a closer look will help the readersunderstand the reasons and constraints aced by the people in the region.

I invite all readers and those who are concerned about renewable energyto share their views and experiences with us to help us expand the scope and

reach o Akshay Urja, and hope that the readers will enjoy this issue.Happy reading.

ARUN K RIPAHI

Volume 5 Issue 1

August 2011

A bi-monthly newsletter of the Ministry

of New and Renewable Energy,

Government of India

(Published in English and Hindi)

Chie Patron

Dr Farooq Abdullah

Minister for New and Renewable Energy,

New Delhi

Patron

Deepak Gupta

Secretary, MNRE, New Delhi

Editor

Dr Arun K Tripathi,

MNRE, New Delhi

Editorial BoardN P Singh, Chairman

Bibek Bandyopadhyay

Praveen Saxena

B Bhargava

D K Khare

B S Negi

D Majumdar

R K Vimal

Production team

Sulagna Chattopadhyay, N Prasad,

Shubhra Kingdang, D K Das, Anil

Panwar, Nilesh Kumar, IPP Ltd., New

Delhi; N Chatterjee, Hon Consultant;N Ghatak, MNRE, New Delhi

Editorial ofce

Dr Arun K Tripathi,

Editor, Akshay Urja

MNRE, Block No. 14, CGO Complex,

Lodhi Road New Delhi - 110 003

el. +91 11 2436 3035, 2436 0707

Fax +91 11 2436 3035

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: www.mnre.gov.in

Produced by

Iris Publication Pvt. Ltd.

111/9 KG, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg,

Vasant Kunj, New Delhi -110 070

elefax. +91 11 2612 2789, 2689 2275

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: www.geographyandyou.com

Publisher and Printer

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy,

New Delhi

Cover Photo:Collage of variouspictures displaying the renewable energy

applications in North Eastern Region.

Disclaimer: Te views expressed by authorsincluding those of the editor in this newsletter are notnecessarily the views of the MNRE.

Published, printed and edited for and on behalf of the Ministry

of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, from B-14,

CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, by Dr Arun Kumar Tripathi.Printed at Aravali Printers & Publishers (P) Ltd. W-30, Okhla

Industrial Area, Phase II, New Delhi - 110 020, India

Editors DeskFrom the


4/562 August 2011Volume 5Issue 1

Lettersto theEditorWe are a company dealing witha range o solar photovoltaicsystems. Akshay Urja newsletter is

very educative and a great help toorganisations like ours to broadenour awareness on new technologies,renewable energy, latest news in thefeld and much more.

Anurag Srivastava, Engineer,Jay Ushin Limited,Gurgaon, Haryana.

I teach the subject non conventionalenergy sources in our college. Iappreciate the Akshay Urja newsletterbecause it helps me to supplement myteaching. I have ound the newsletterinteresting and inormative and hopethat it will continue to publish aboutthe latest development in variousareas o renewable energy.

Deba Kumar Mahanta,Assistant Professor,

Assam Engineering College,Guwahati, Assam.

I am an architect working or anorganisation providing consultancyor Green Buildings, I would like toreceive a copy o the Green Buildingsspecial issue o Akshay Urja (Volume4: Issue 5).

Chitra Chidambaram,Regional Manager,

ICMQ India, New Delhi.

I would like to congratulate you or

editing a very useul and educativenewsletter, which meets the needso the time. Tis is the frst time Ihave read Akshay Urja and oundthat it incorporates articles rom

eminent authors in the feld andother inormation is also explicitlypresented. I would humbly like to

make a suggestion - please includethe latest achievements o each statein the renewable energy feld in eachissue o the newsletter.

Dr AN Arora, Professor,Kautilya Institute of echnology

and Engineering,Jaipur, Rajasthan

I am very much interested inrenewable energy, particularly solarenergy and wish to become a part othe solar industry. I had a chance toread Akshay Urja recently and oundit interesting and very inormative.

Shivali Pandya Takar,Mumbai, Maharashtra.

We are a company based in Biharand are working in renewable energysector. Akshay Urja newsletter keepsus updated with the latest in the feldo renewable energy.

Anil Mandal,Ripal Energy India Pvt. Ltd.,

Patna, Bihar.

I would like to subscribe to AkshayUrja newsletter to know moreabout the applications o renewableenergy, to develop some researchprogrammes. Our feld is the designand development o circuitry, whichrequires low voltage power sources,

like satellite payloads.Sunil Singh, Sr. echnicalAssistant-A (RF& MW),

Space Applications Centre,Ahmadabad, Gujarat.

v{k; tkZ dk vizSy 2011 dk vadizkIr gqvk] vkidks dksfV&dksfV /kU;oknA*lkSj tkZ* ds ckjs esa vPNh tkudkjh

izkIr gks tkrh gSA laLFkk *lkSj tkZ* dhykyVsu] ,oe~ ;a=ksa dk dk;Z djukpkgrh gSA I;k dEifu;ksa dk irk Hkstusdh ik djsa ftuls lEidZ fd;ktk ldsA

Jherh vatfy jLrksxh] v/;{k]vjfoUn efgyk fodkl Dyc lfefr]

cqnkSu] mkj izns'k

v{k; tkZ vizSy 2011 dk vad izkIr gqvkAbl vad esa gfjr Hkouksa ds fuekZ.k lslacaf/kr fd;k x;k fo'ysk.k cgqr vPNkyxkA vkt ds Xykscy okfex ds [krjs dksns[krs gq, i;kZoj.k dks cpkus ds fy, blrjg dh igy cgqr gh iz'kaluh; gSA blrjg dh igy ls u dsoy i;kZoj.k dklaj{k.k vkSj lao/kZu gksxk cfYd vkus okyhih


5/563August 2011Volume 5Issue 1

Cover Story

10 Renewable Energy in NorthEastern region

Event

14 High eciency solar thermalcooling system was inauguratedat Solar Energy Centre, Gurgaon

15 Workshop Solar Termal Systemsin Imphal

16 Lok Sabha Speaker InauguratesSolar Energy Systems at

Parliament House Complex

RE Feature

17 Arunachal Pradesh: IlluminatingBorder Villages

20 Assam: RE Energising RuralAssam

23 Mizoram: Exploring Windand Hydro

SHL systems have been installed andcommissioned by ripura Renewable EnergyDevelopment Agency at hamlets/villageswhere grid power is not available and is notlikely to reach in the near uture.

Te Sikkim Renewable EnergyDevelopment Agency has been striving tokeep itsel updated and has been puttingtogether all eforts to etch a name or itsel inthe RE sector in the country.

Manipur Renewable Energy DevelopmentAgency has achieved installed capacity o about3 MW till 31 March 2011, through solar PV,small hydel, wind-solar hybrid, biomass, solarthermal etc.

National4-7

Dr Farooq Abdullah calls upon

Power Ministers of North EasternStates to maximise use ofrenewable energy

Secretary MNRE InauguratesAdministrative Block of SSS-NIRE

Solkar makes colleges go green

Gujarat to host Asias largest solarenergy park

IIT-Delhi and Aston setting upgreen plant to run fruit processingunits

Indian Oil seeks Khosla-backedethanol technology with Jindal

City heritage sites tap sunspower, electricity bills dip

Lanco Infra to invest Rs 1,700crore in solar units

Ushdev may seek India wind farmacquisitions to boost capacity

India plans 550 MW ofconcentrated solar power by 2013

Suzlon receives 50.4 MW orderfrom NALCO

India a hotspot for solar venturecapitalists

26 Nagaland: Renewable Energy orthe people

29 Manipur: Flying High withRenewable Energy

32 ripura: Energising throughRenewables

35 Sikkim: Powered by Micro Hydro38 Smart Grids in India42 urning restaurants in Assam

greener

Case Study

44 Fresh Vegetables in the ColdDesert o Ladakh

47 Tech Updates

48 Childrens Corner

49 Book Review

50 Forthcoming Events

51 Web and Book Alert

52 RE Statistics

RE News

August 2011Contents

International8-9

New solar charge for electric cars

Less expensive solar cells based

on rare earth elementsRecord efficiencies for a single

junction solar cell

MITs Artificial Leaf for solarwater splitting moves forward

Ricoh launches 100 per centsustainable eco-board in London

Biofuels from algae, wood chipsare approved for use by passengerairlines


6/56

National

4 August 2011Volume 5Issue 1

Renewable Energy News

Dr Farooq Abdullah callsupon Power Ministerso North Eastern Statesto maximize use orenewable energy

Minister o New andRenewable Energy, DrFarooq Abdullah reviewed

the implementation o renewableenergy polices and programmes inthe North Eastern States at a meetingin New Delhi on 2nd July 2011.Te meeting was attended by theChie Minister o Meghalaya andthe Power Ministers o other NorthEastern States, senior ocials rom theMinistry and the State governments.

It was inormed during the meetingthat out o 4,965 remote villages tobe electried/ illuminated throughrenewable energy systems in theregion, 3,841 villages have alreadybeen provided solar lights. Tere areover 160 small/ micro hydel projectsinstalled in the North Eastern States

with 275 MW aggregate capacity.Apart rom this, over 60,000 solarlanterns, home lighting systems and

street lights have been set up. Teregion has over 1,18,000 biogas plants.Te Ministry is now making a detailedassessment o wind resources in theNorth East. Arunachal Pradesh isimplementing a special project toelectriy/ illuminate all its villagesalong the international border throughsolar and micro hydel projects. Out o1058 target villages under this project,736 villages have already been covered.

Dr Abdullah appreciated thediculties aced by the North EasternStates and assured them all possiblehelp rom the Ministry. Te Statesagreed to take action to strengthenthe renewable energy programme.Power Ministers rom the NorthEastern States requested or 90 percent unding rom the Ministry oNew and Renewable Energy orthe renewable energy projects in

the region. Tey also requested orhelp in preparation o State specicaction plans or renewable energy. Dr

Abdullah agreed to get the resourcemapping or solar, wind and micro/small hydro prepared or these States.Te States in the region have alsobeen advised to put in more eortsor popularisation o renewableenergy or maximising the use othese technologies. Te Ministers andconcerned ocers o North Eastern

States will be given opportunities tovisit showcase projects within andoutside the country.

Power Ministers rom NorthEastern States appreciated theleadership provided by Dr Farooq

Abdullah in promoting renewableenergy in the country especially in theNorth Eastern States and new policiesunder Jawaharlal Nehru NationalSolar Mission.http://pib.nic.in, 2 July 2011

Secretary MNREInauguratesAdministrative Block o

SSS-NIRESardar Swaran Singh NationalInstitute o Renewable Energy (SSS-NIRE), at Wadala Kalan, DistrictKapurthala (Punjab) is an autonomousinstitution o the Ministry o Newand Renewable Energy, Govt. o IndiaIt is spread over a sprawling campuso about 75 acres. Te Institute is

marching towards developing into acentre o excellence in the biomassenergy. Te Institute is to conduct

the-state-o-the-art research, designand development activities in all theareas o biomass energy, bio-uels,synthetic uels and new technologies.Te Governing Council under theChairmanship o Secretary, Ministryo New and Renewable Energy hasbeen directing and monitoring theprogress o the Institute. Te Secretary,


7/56

National

5August 2011Volume 5Issue 1

Shri Deepak Gupta inaugurated theAdministrative Block o the Instituteon 15th July, 2011.

Solkar makes colleges gogreen

In its silver jubilee year Solkar hasinstalled and commissioned 10kW solar power plants at two

colleges in amilnadu. Te plantsinstalled at DG Vaishnav College,Chennai and the PSG College oechnology, Coimbatore are capableo generating 50 units per day and canback up the loads o the lights, ans,computers, printers, ax machines,televisions, EPBX box and all otherregular electrical appliances. Tesystem comes with a data loggerand has helped the colleges savehandsomely on their electricity bills.Solkar plans to install such systems in50 other institutions.www.solkar.in, June 2011

Gujarat to host Asia's

largest solar energy park

Gujarat would house the largestsolar energy park in Asiain two years, with a power

production capacity o 500 MW. Tiswould be set up with an investment oaround Rs 8,000 crore fowing romcompanies such as GMR and Lanco,

which have been assigned generationcapacities under the Gujarat SolarMission. Gujarat had announced a

solar power policy in January 2009,with a target o installing 1,000 MWcapacity by 2012 and 3,000 MW by2014. Te state has already signedpower purchase agreements (PPAs) or934 MW.

Te park, on the lines o anindustrial estate, is being developedby Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd(GCPL), as the sectoral nodal agency,on around 2,000 hectares o wasteland

bordering the Rann o Kutch, in Patandistrict. When commissioned, theproject would provide 800 millionunits o power. In the rst phase, 15solar power generation companies

would produce 176 MW and GujaratEnergy ransmission Corporation

would set up a power pooling station.Te overall project cost in phase I

would be Rs 1287 crore. Tis wouldinclude Rs 351 towards the cost oland and power inrastructure and Rs624 crore or evacuation acilities.

Te Planning Commission hasalready approved a one-time additionalcentral assistance o Rs 210 crore orthe development o the solar park.Te Asian Development Bank has

approved a sot loan o USD 100million or the project. Tis includesdevelopment o a smart grid orevacuation o power.www.business-standard.com,

29 June 2011

IIT-Delhi and Astonsetting up green plant torun ruit processing units

Business and engineeringacademics rom AstonUniversity, UK, and the Indian

Institute o echnology (II), Delhi,are overseeing the construction oa combined heat and power plant(CHP) that will provide heat, steamand electricity to rice mill, ruit and

vegetable processing plants and waterdistillation unit in a remote villagein northern India. Fuelled by crop

waste such as rice husks and prosopiswood, the 300 kW biomass-solarplant is being built as part o a threeyear project. Te combination osolar and biomass power will reduceuel consumption while allowinground-the-clock operation o the mill,processing plants and distillation unit.

Te plant will allow regionalarmers and their amilies to access acheap, renewable and reliable energysource that in-turn can help remotevillages to generate an income andescape rom a cycle o 'uel poverty'.Te research team wants to use thispioneering project to create a blueprintor renewably-powered CHP boilers,capable o being replicated throughoutIndia.www.fnbnews.com, 29 June 2011

Indian Oil seeksKhosla-backed ethanoltechnology with Jindal

Indian Oil Corporation and

Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. (JSP)are in talks to produce ethanol

rom waste gases using a technologybacked by billionaire Vinod Khosla asIndia seeks to boost the use o green

uels amid rising crude prices. Tetwo companies are seeking to build acommercial-scale ethanol plant withtechnology rom Lanzaech, whichuses microbes to convert industrialpollutants such as carbon monoxideinto biouels.

Waste gases rom a Jindal steelplant could be used to produce thegreen uel or blending with IndianOils gasoline pool. India introduced


8/56

National


a national biouel policy in 2008 tocounter the rising costs o oil importsto meet 80 per cent o domestic needs.Te policy requires reners to blendgasoline or a 10 per cent ethanol

content and proposes to raise thatto 20 percent by 2017. A shortage osugar-based ethanol in the countryhas made it dicult or companies tocomply with those regulations.www.bloomberg.com, 29 June 2011

City heritage sites tapsuns power, electricitybills dip

he solar panels at JantarMantar and Sadarjungsomb in New Delhi have

helped slash the electricity bills othese centrally protected monumentsalmost by hal. Te ArchaeologicalSurvey o India (ASI) is nowthinking o expanding the initiativeand installing solar panels at 11other heritage sites in the capital. Tepanels at these two heritage sites wereinstalled around six months ago,

ollowing an initiative o the ASI andthe Ministry o New and RenewableEnergy (MNRE).

Te power bill or Jantar Mantar

has seen a dip o Rs 5,000 per monthi.e. rom monthly Rs 15,000 toRs 10,000. At Sadarjungs omb,

where ASI also has an oce, the billwas reduced rom Rs 34,000 to Rs25,000 per month. Te daytime loadat all heritage sites includes indoorlighting and ans, ventilation, solarphotovoltaic pumps or irrigation,inormation kiosks and supply at the

ticketing counters. Te night loadincludes LED-based foodlights,garden and outdoor lights.www.indianexpress.com, 28 June 2011

Lanco Inra to invest Rs1,700 crore in solar units

Lanco Solar Energy plans toinuse Rs 1700 crore or thesecond phase o Indias rst

integrated solar photovoltaic (PV)manuacturing special economiczone (SEZ) project in Rajnandgaondistrict o Chhattisgarh. Teinvestment will be used to

manuacture polysilicon, ingots,waers, PV cells and modules withcapacities equivalent to 250 MW peryear, said V Saibaba, CEO, LancoSolar Energy.

Te SEZ project, whichcommenced our months ago, isbeing developed in phases to putChhattisgarh in the global map opolysilicon production bases. Terst phase o the project, which

involved an investment o Rs 1340crore, will be ully operational ina couple o months. Moreover, thecompany is also strengthening itsglobal market and plans to buildsolar arms in Germany, France,Italy, the US and the UK whereit is already oering engineering,procurement and construction(EPC) solutions.www.hindustantimes.com, 28 June 2011


9/56

National


Ushdev may seek Indiawind arm acquisitions toboost capacity

he clean-energy unit o UshdevInternational Ltd. may seek toacquire wind arms to boost

its capacity 10-old by 2014. UshdevPower Holdings plans to invest 18billion rupees to add 100 MW o

wind energy capacity annually overthe next three years. By 2018, UshdevPower may seek to build as muchas 1000 MW o renewable energycapacity, which could also includesolar, hydropower and biomassplants. Mumbai-based Ushdev Powercurrently owns 30.5 MW o windarms in six dierent states that

use turbines made by DenmarksVestas Wind Systems A/S, as wellas Germanys Enercon GmbH andKenersys GmbH.www.bloomberg.com, 28 June 2011

India plans 550 MW oconcentrated solar powerby 2013

German technologists and

researchers have developedhigh eciency solartechnologies suitable or countries inthe so-called sun belt, such as India.Solar photo voltaic (PV) technologyhas been used or long to generatepower rom the sun. However, its usehas remained limited because o itslow eciency and other constraints.Now, concentrated solar power (CSP)is emerging as a viable alternative.

One o the biggest benets o CSPis its ability to store thermal heat,

which ensures continuous supply opower even when the sun is downand when it gets cloudy. India, with

plans to install 550 MW o CSP by2013, could emerges a major playerin this area. Te Jawaharlal NehruNational Solar Mission recognisesCSP as a key source o renewablepower. Te Ministry o New andRenewable Energy (MNRE) is settingup a string o demonstration projects.

A 10 MW CSP plant is already underconstruction near Bikaner by ACME,a private company.

According to MNRE, CSPcould be an attractive option or thecountry, given the act that large areaso northwest India all in the highradiation zone. Te costs canbe brought down i concentratingmirrors and receiving tubes aremanuactured locally.http://indiatoday.intoday.in, 1 July 2011

Suzlon receives 50.4 MW

order rom NALCO

Suzlon Energy Limitedannounced a new order romthe National Aluminium

Company Limited (NALCO) to setup, operate and maintain 50.4 MWo wind energy projects in AndhraPradesh. Te order comprises 24units o Suzlons S88 2.1 MW windturbines which will be set-up in the

Gandikota region, Kadapa district,Andhra Pradesh. Tis order marksNALCOs entry into the wind energysector, with the project scheduled orcompletion and commissioning by

January 2012. Te power generatedwill be sold to the state electricitygrid. NALCO plans to register theproject under the clean developmentmechanism (CDM).www.orissadiary.com, 26 June 2011

Target Deal Value ($ mn)

Shalivahana Green Energy 15.5

Kiran Energy Solar Power 30.0

Sunborne Energy echnologies 18.5

Applied Solar echnologies India 7.0

Indosolar 1.2

Soham Renewable Energy 19.3

Azure Power India 10.0

IndIan Solar dealS In the laSt 18 monthS

Source: VcceDGe

India a hotspot or solar

venture capitalists

Solar energy, a growingavourite with venturecapitalists worldwide, has

another avourite now India.Private equity rms putting theirmoney on solar power equipmentcomponents such as modules, cellsand waters are now looking at thecountry, moving away rom advancedmarkets, say industry executives

and analysts. As much as Rs 450crore has fowed into India's solarenergy sector in the past 18 months,according to the estimates by venturecapitalism blog VC circle. In 2011,the sector has received more than Rs200 crore. Te World Bank's privatesector lending arm, the InternationalFinance Corporation (IFC) is alsoeyeing India's solar sector.www.hindustantimes.com, 22 June 2011


10/568 August 2011Volume 5Issue 1

International

New solar charge orelectric cars

M

otorists with electric carswill be able to ll-updirectly rom the sun

when Britain's rst public solar-powered charger opens in Londonin July. Use Te Sun, which ismanaging the eap project inRainham and carrying out theinstallation, says motorists willpay GBP 1 to plug in, and then63 pence an hour. A three-hourcharge will cost a motorist aboutGBP 2.90 and deliver a range oabout 47 miles. A motorist drivinga similar-sized traditional car wouldspend about GBP 5.90 to travel thesame distance. Six cars can parkunderneath each booth at a timeand draw current directly rom thesun, into their cars' batteries. Whenthe sun is not shining, the chargerdraws power rom the NationalGrid. Te acility being installedat the Centre or Engineering andManuacturing Excellence looks likea cross between a uturistic domestic

carport and a giant sun canopy. Tesolar garage contains hundreds ophotosensitive cel ls.

When it is not charging up cars theeap will produce enough electricityto power more than 100 40-wattlight bulbs or 23 laptops. Te cost oinstalling and buying a six-bay eap isabout GBP 55,000 but, it is claimedthat it would cover its cost in 10 years.www.usethesun.co.uk, 24 June 2011.

Less expensive solarcells based on rare earthelements

NUtech Ventures and RareEarth Solar have announced

an exclusive license agreementinvolving technology that replacesthe typical semiconductor materialsnow used in solar cells with rareearth elements. NUtech Ventures isa nonprot organisation that ormspartnerships between University oNebraska researchers and the privatesector. University o Nebraska-Lincolnassistant proessor o chemistry Chin LiBarry Cheung and his then-doctoralstudent Joseph Brewer developedthe patent-pending technology. Rareearth elements are used to make manyhigh-tech goods as they are morereadily available and less expensive thancompeting commercial materials suchas tellurium, indium, and gallium.

Allen Kruse, the co-ounder andCEO o Rare Earth Solar, says Tis isnot a spin o o what currently exists;it truly is a completely new materialsystem. We have been able to reproduce

multiple cells at various sizes and arenow working on the basic engineeringto scale up to a ull size module,essentially getting voltage and current

where we want it, to meet the largestindustry demand. Te company willbe selling a glass-on-glass thin lmphotovoltaic module. Kruse says thatthe companys unique process utilisingrare earth elements and turnkeyequipment will produce panels that

are more durable and cost-eectivethan many thin lm panels currentlyavailable in the market.

www.nutechventures.org, 26 June 2011

Record efciencies or asingle junction solar cell

Alta Devices achieved aneciency o 27.6 per cent latelast year and, more recently,

28.2 per cent with GaAs-based singlejunction solar cells. Te NationalRenewable Energy Laboratory(NREL), USA has veried bothresults. o put the numbers into

perspective, the previous highestdemonstrated eciency was 26.4 percent, and the theoretical maximumsolar cell eciency limit orShockley-Queisser Limit or a single

junction device has been shown to be33.5 per cent.

Up until now it was understoodthat to increase the current rom ourbest solar materials, we had to nd

ways to get the material to absorbmore light, said Alta co-ounderEli Yablonovitch, director o theNSF Centre or Energy EcientElectronics Science and proessorat the University o Caliornia atBerkeley. But, the voltage is adierent story. It was not recognisedthat to maximise the voltage, weneeded the material to generate morephotons inside the solar cell. Counter-intuitively, ecient light emission isthe key or these high eciencies.

Alta has been energised by theDepartment o Energys goal o USD1 per installed watt and the companysays that maximising eciency and,perhaps more importantly, energydensity is essential to optimise theproduction economics o solar PV. Tecompany is developing the processesand capabilities to manuacture GaAssolar cells, and the products theybecome embedded within, at its pilot

manuacturing acility in Sunnyvale,Caliornia.www.ieee-pvsc.org, 23 June 2011



International

MITs Artifcial Leaor solar water splittingmoves orward

An important step towardrealising an inexpensive and

simple articial lea orharnessing sunlight through watersplitting has been accomplishedby two separate research teams atMassachusetts Institute o echnology(MI), USA.

Te teams produced devices thatcombine a standard silicon solar cell

with a catalyst developed three yearsago by proessor Daniel Nocera.Eventually Nocera wants to producea low-cost device or use whereelectricity is unavailable or unreliable.It would consist o a glass containerand a solar cell with catalysts on eachside attached to a divider separatingthe container into two sections.

When exposed to sun, the electriedcatalysts produce bubbles o hydrogenon one side and oxygen on the other,

which could be collected and laterrecombined through a uel cell orother device to generate electricity

when needed.Te next step to producing a usable

articial lea, explains Nocera, willbe to integrate the nal ingredient:an additional catalyst to produce thehydrogen atoms. Te current devicesdissociated hydrogen atoms into thesolution as loose protons and electrons.I a catalyst could produce ullyormed hydrogen molecules (H2), themolecules could be used to generate

electricity or to make uel or vehicles.Nocera encouraged two dierentteams to work on the project sothat each could bring their specialexpertise to addressing the problem.Bringing together silicon solar cells

with the cobalt phosphate (Co-Pi)catalyst material was no trivial matterbecause water splitting by the catalystcreates a very aggressive chemicalenvironment that tends to rapidly

degrade the silicon, destroying thedevice as it operates.

o overcome this, both teamsound ways to protect the siliconsurace while allowing it to receivethe incoming sunlight and to interact

with the catalyst. Both teams hadto add an extra power source to thesystem, because the voltage producedby a single-junction silicon cell isnot high enough to use or poweringthe water-splitting catalyst. In laterversions, two or three silicon solar

cells will be used in series to providethe needed voltage without the needor any extra power source, theresearchers say. Although the twoapproaches to bonding the catalyst

with a silicon cell appear to produceunctioning, stable devices, so arthey have only been tested over a ewdays. Te researchers expect that they

will be stable or long periods, butaccelerated aging tests will need to be

perormed to conrm this.http://web.mit.edu, 10 June 2011

Ricoh launches 100 percent sustainable eco-board in London

Ricoh Europe unveiled Europesrst eco-board; a billboardpowered 100 per cent by

wind and solar power. Te Ricoh

eco-board is the rst o its kind inEurope in having dual natural sourceso power so that it illuminates only

when sucient power is collected.Te European eco-board joins Ricohssolar powered billboard launched inimes Square, New York last year.www.ricoh-europe.com, 28 June 2011

Biouels rom algae, woodchips are approved oruse by passenger airlines

Airlines won the backing o aUS-based technical-standardsgroup to power their planes

with a blend o traditional uel andbiouel rom inedible plants, the Airransport Association (AA) said.Fuel processed rom organic waste ornon-ood materials, such as algae or

wood chips, may comprise as muchas 50 per cent o the total uel burnedto power passenger fights, said

AA spokesperson Steve Lott and aBoeing Co. (BA) ocial. Te decisionto amend jet uel specications toinclude uels rom bio-derived sourcesis a tremendous accomplishment oraviation and the result o tremendouscollaboration across the entireindustry, said Boeing Vice Presidento Environment and Aviation PolicyBilly Glover.www.bloomberg.com, 13 June 2011


12/56

Cover Story


An overview o the various eorts, schemes andprogrammes that are being undertaken/implementedin the eight north eastern states o the country by the

Ministry o New and Renewable Energy.Dr Arun K Tripathi

RenewableeneRgy in the

noRth easteRnRegion

The eight states o Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,Sikkim and ripura together comprise thenorth eastern states o India. Each state has its

own unique geography, people and culture and yet they

are bound together by their distinct location within thecountry. Also, each o the eight states is a border state, thatshares boundaries with another country.

Te north eastern region (NER) as a whole has atremendous potential or harnessing renewable energy

Wind powered streetlights at Youth Hostel,

Namchi, SouthDistrict, Sikkim

Map not to scale


13/56

Cover Story


(RE) - be it solar, wind, geothermal, biogass or smallhydro. Renewable energy systems and devices can play animportant role in meeting power and energy requirementsin remote areas o the region. o realise this potential specialattention is being given to the development o the eight states

in the region through a separate budget allocation undervarious RE programmes. For the year 2010-11 the Ministryo New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has allocated10 per cent o the budgetary support or the deploymento biogas plants, solar thermal systems, solar photovoltaic(PV) systems, remote village electrifcation (RVE), smallhydro projects (SHPs), wind energy systems, village energysecurity projects and energy parks.

Biogas ProgrammeTe National Biogas and Manure ManagementProgramme (NBMMP) is being implemented in theNER through state government departments/statenodal agencies (SNA). Te Khadi and Village IndustriesCommission (KVIC) also implements the programmein Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland,Sikkim and ripura. Te statewise achievements o amilytype biogas plants in the NER up to May 2011 is given inable 1. Te Biogas Development and raining Centreor the NER located at Indian Institute o echnology(II) Guwahati, Assam provides the technical andtraining support or the programme.

Solar PhotovoltaicsDuring 2010-11, Central Electronics Limited a public sectorcompany was sanctioned 27 projects or installation ostand-alone solar PV power projects aggregating to 935 kWpcapacity. Te installations were to be done in Sashastra Seema

Table 1: Family type biogas plants achievements in the northeastern region (NER)

State Estimated Potential(Number o plants)

Cumulative physicalachievements up toMay 2011(Number o plants)

Arunachal Pradesh 7500 3132

Assam 307000 88324

Manipur 38000 2128

Meghalaya 24000 7936

Mizoram 5000 3920

Nagaland 6700 5324

Sikkim 7300 7691

ripura 28000 2882

Total 4,23,500 1,21,337

Bal (SSB) and educational institutions in ArunachalPradesh (11 projects o total 320 kWp capacity), Assam(6 projects o total 500 kWp capacity) and Sikkim (10projects o total 115 kWp capacity). In Manipur, 4 stand-

alone solar PV power projects o 100 kWp capacity weresanctioned or installation at hospitals, the jail and theState raining Academy. While in Meghalaya 3,350 solarhome lights (SHLs) and 171 stand-alone solar PV powerprojects o total 560 kWp capacity were sanctioned orinstallation at various institutions. For installation inhospitals and charitable institutions in Mizoram, 7stand-alone solar PV power projects o totaling 121 kWpcapacity were sanctioned. In Nagaland, 10 stand-alonesolar PV power plants were sanctioned or installation ingovernment institutions. SPS power plants o 168 kWpcapacity were also sanctioned or installation in ripuraat dierent educational institutions.

Solar CitiesSix cities in the NER - Agartala, Guwahati, Jorhat, Imphal,Kohima and Itanagar are being developed as Solar Citiesunder the scheme. Sanctions have been issued and theirmaster plans are under preparation. Solar City Cellshave been created in the municipalities o these cities.Stakeholders committees have also been ormed to ensurepublic participation.

A 10 kW wind-solar hybrid power plant at Parsuram Kund ezu,Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh


14/56

Cover Story


Table 2. Remote village electrifcation (RVE) programme in theNorth Eastern States

State Villagessanctioned

Villagescompleted

Hamletssanctioned

Hamletscompleted

Arunachal

Pradesh

297 297 1 0

Assam 2157 1688 0 0

Manipur 237 191 3 0

Meghalaya 163 97 0 0

Mizoram 20 20 0 0

Nagaland 11 11 0 0

Sikkim 0 0 13 13

ripura 62 60 944 715

otal 2947 2364 961 728

Special Area Demonstration ProjectUnder the Special Area Demonstration Project Scheme,or the north eastern states, the Ministry provides ullsupport up to Rs 1 crore or world heritage sites and RajBhawans; Rs 50 lakhs or state assemblies; Rs 25 lakhs orsecretariats; Rs 1 crore or State Level Energy Parks; 90 percent support up to Rs 10 lakhs or collectorates, nationalparks, zoological gardens and science museums; and 50per cent support up to Rs 25 lakhs or heritage institutionsand religious locations with devotees visit o 10 lakhs ormore annually.

Under the Scheme, the Ministry has so ar supported7 Energy Parks in Arunachal Pradesh, 23 in Assam, 10 inManipur, 8 in Meghalaya, 8 in Mizoram, 7 in Nagaland, 8in Sikkim and 10 in ripura. It has also supported projectsat the Raj Bhawans o Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur,Meghalaya and ripura and the State Assembly o Sikkim.

Remote Village ElectrifcationTe villages in the NER continue to receive special attentionunder the RVE programme as many o these are mostsuitable or electrifcation through stand-alone RE devices.

A number o villages in these states are too remote to beelectrifed through grid extension. A portion o the budgeto the RVE programme is earmarked or these 8 States. Soar, 3092 remote villages and hamlets have been providedRE based systems. Te status o the RVE programme in theNorth East States is given in the able 2.

Te 350 kW mini hydro project at Gelnal Village, Senapati District, Manipur



For urther details, please contact

Dy. Director (OL),

Mr f n dR er

Block 14, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road,

New Delhi 110 003

Tel. +91 11 24362356

or visit this Ministrys

website www.mnre.gov.in

Ministry o New and Renewable

Energy, Government o India, is

operating Prakritik Urja Puraskar

Yojna to encourage original book

writing in Hindi or translation

o books in Hindi in the feld o

New and Renewable Sources o

Energy. Under the scheme, there

is a provision to award a frst prize

o Rs. 50,000/-, a second prize o

Rs. 30,000/- and a third prize o Rs.

20,000/- every year. All authors,

whether Government employees

or Non-Governmental persons, can

participate in the scheme. Entries

are invited or the award or the

calendar year 2010. The last date

o receipt o entries is August 31st,

2011. Entries will be accepted inprescribed proorma only.

Ministry ofNew and

Renewable Energy

PRAKRITIKURJAPURASKAR

YOJNA

Table 3. Small hydro power: State-wise potential andachievement in the North Eastern Region

State Sites(Nos.)

Potential(MW)

Achievement(MW)

ArunachalPradesh 550 1333 78.80

Assam 119 238 27.11

Manipur 114 109 5.45

Meghalaya 101 229 31.03

Mizoram 75 166 36.47

Nagaland 99 188 28.67

Sikkim 91 265 52.11

ripura 13 46 16.01

Small Hydro PowerTe North Eastern States have a good potential to developSHP projects. Among the 8 states, Arunachal Pradesh hasthe highest potential ollowed by Sikkim, Meghalaya andMizoram. MNRE has been giving special emphasis or the

development o SHP projects in the NER and a higherlevel o fnancial support has been provided under SHPschemes. So ar, 164 SHP projects aggregating to 275.65MW have been set up in the north eastern states andanother 45 projects aggregating to 68.06 MW are underimplementation (able 3). Last year, two new projects

were sanctioned in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. TeMinistry is implementing a project on electrifcation/illumination o 1058 border villages in Arunachal Pradeshthrough completion o ongoing and installation o newSHP projects and solar PV systems. ill date, 714 villagesincluding 523 villages rom solar PV HLS and 191 villagesrom small/micro hydel projects have been illuminated/electrifed. A detailed exercise was undertaken to assessthe renovation and modernisation requirement o existingSHP projects in Arunachal Pradesh, based on which, theMinistry has approved the renovation o 15 SHP projectsin the State.

Looking ForwardSincere eorts rom the states and ocussed attention romthe Ministry is assisting the North Eastern Region toslowly but surely make its mark on the renewable energymap o India. Te data showing the deployment o varioussolar applications in the remote villages o the region andexploitation o other RE sources are hallmark o relentlesseort made by the Ministry. b

Te author is Director, Ministry o New and Renewable Energy, NewDelhi. [email protected]


16/5614

Event

August 2011Volume 5Issue 1

Dr Farooq Abdullah, Ministeror New and RenewableEnergy, inaugurated the high

eciency solar thermal cooling systemat the Solar Energy Centre o theMinistry in Gurgaon, Haryana on1 July 2011. Shri Sushil KumarShinde, Minister o Power, was alsopresent on the occasion.

Te new 100 kW solar airconditioning system works at 30per cent higher eciency than thecurrent available systems and hasseveral unique eatures. It is basedon the new triple eect absorption

chilled water, which in turn circulatesthrough the an coil unit installedin the thirteen rooms. Te majorattraction o this system is that thehottest days have the greatest need orcooling and simultaneously, oer themaximum possible solar energy gain.

Te system has been developed injoint collaboration by Solar EnergyCentre with M/s Termax Limited,Pune and is expected to meet thegrowing demand or air conditioningin India in a highly ecient and costeective way through the use o directsolar energy. b

High efciency solarthermal cooling systemwas inaugurated at Solar Energy Centre, Gurgaon

cooling technology. Te systemhas indigenously built mediumtemperature high eciency parabolictroughs or collection o solar energyand eective solar thermal energystorage in the orm o phase changematerials.

Te present system will cater to airconditioning needs o 13 rooms o theSolar Energy Centre. o achieve this,288 sq m o solar collector area hasbeen installed which generates nearly60 kW o 210C pressurised hot

water. Tis heat is used in a vapourabsorption machine to generate 7C


17/5615

Event


On 1 July 2011 a one day

workshop on solar thermalsystems was organised

by Manipur Renewable EnergyDevelopment Agency (MANIREDA)at the conerence hall o Hotel Classic,Imphal. Under a scheme supported bythe Ministry o New and RenewableEnergy (MNRE), MANIREDA willbe supplying solar thermal systemsor solar water heaters to consumersin Manipur at a subsidised rate. Tepurpose o the workshop was toamiliarise the consumers who haveapplied or the said systems as well asthe general public on the working andbenefts o the system in particularand solar technology in general.

In his address the chie guest ShriL Jayentakumar, Minister or Health

and Family Welare congratulatedMANIREDA on doing one o thebest jobs, stressing that, the rightto lie includes the right to power.He also emphasised that this was justthe beginning o the use o renewableenergy in the state.

Te president o the inauguralsession was Shri H Imocha Singh,Commissioner (Science & echnology)cum Member Secretary, MANIREDA.

Present as guests o honour were ShriAnand Narwani, Senior ScientistMNRE, Shri Prem Chand, UnderSecretary, MNRE, Shri DR Das,Director, MNRE (NE Region) andShri RK Nimai, Commissioner (Art &Culture) and Secretary to the Governoro Manipur. As per the Manipuritradition, a shawl was presented to allthe dignitaries as a token o respect andappreciation.

In his welcome cum introductiontalk Shri L Manglem Singh, DirectorMANIREDA highlighted the presentrole o the organisation in promotingalternative means o energy in thestate as well as outlined the utureplans especially with respect to thesolar thermal systems.

In the technical session, Ananth,CEO Nutech Solar Systems Pvt. Ltd.,

Bangalore gave a presentation on theworking, installation, maintenance andbenefts o a solar water heating system.

Te workshop was attended byabout 215 participants and ended

with a lively interaction - with thedelegates on one hand and therepresentatives rom MNRE, ocialso MANIREDA and Mr Ananth onthe other. b

Workshop onSolar Thermal Systems in Imphal


18/5616

Event


The Parliament Housetook a major step towardssustainable energy when

Lok Sabha Speaker Smt MeiraKumar inaugurated a 80 kWp solarphotovoltaic (PV) power plant anda 2000 lt per day solar water heater

system (SWHS) at the ParliamentHouse Complex in New Delhi on9 August 2011. Te Minister o Newand Renewable Energy, Dr Farooq

Abdullah was also present on theoccasion. Te new systems are parto the demonstration o renewableenergy systems at the ParliamentHouse complex under the Special

Area Development Project o theMinistry o New and RenewableEnergy (MNRE).

Te 80 kWp solar PV rootop plantinstalled at a cost o Rs 1,19,75,529

will help in reduction in the use oconventional electricity and dieselpower and reduce dependence onconventional grid power. Te SWHS

will supply 2000 lt per day o hotwater to Parliament House annexecanteen. It is expected to save 6,000kg o LPG per year. 20 solar street

Lok Sabha SpeakerInaugurates Solar Energy Systemsat Parliament House Complex

lighting systems and a 500 kg per daykitchen waste based biogas plant arealso under process o installation aspart o the project.

Speaking on the occasionSmt Meira Kumar expressed herappreciation o the concerted eorts

o the MNRE and the alacrity withwhich Dr Abdullah responded toher remarks made in Parliament on11 December 2009, with respectto the incorporation o solar andother renewable energy systems inthe Parliament House complex.She urther mentioned that theseinitiatives would go a long waynot only in making the ParliamentHouse complex energy ecientbut also in setting examples orother buildings and complexes. Sheurther said that India has a vastpotential or use o solar energy inmeeting the energy needs o thepeople. She appreciated the progressmade under the Jawaharlal NehruNational Solar Mission (JNNSM)and said that the Mission will helpin providing energy access in remoteand inaccessible areas.

Dr Farooq Abdullah thankedthe Speaker or taking the initiativeand providing an opportunityor his ministry to demonstratethe use and benefts o renewableenergy systems at Parliament Housecomplex. He mentioned that the

role o new and renewable energyhas been assuming increasingsignifcance. In view o growingemphasis on the countrys energysecurity and to check global

warming besides meeting energyneeds in an environmentally benignmanner, renewable energy wasbeing promoted. He also inormedthe Speaker that renewable energysystems had been installed in over

50 places o national, historicaland religious importance including21 Raj Bhavans; Dargah AjmerSheri; Shri Mata Vaishno DeviShrine Board; Saif Villa at Dandi;BSF Camp at Indo-Pak Borderat Atari near Amritsar; Goldenemple, Amritsar; Chittorgarh ort,Badrinath and Kedarnath dhams;

Jantar Mantar and Sadarjungomb, New Delhi etc. b


19/56

RE Feature


Te Prime Minister announced a specialpackage or illumination/electricationo villages located in the border districtsthrough a mix o grid connected/

decentralised systems on 31 January 2008.Marki Loya and Timi Muri

Map not to scale

Nagaland

Meghalaya

Sikkim

ArunachalPradesh

MizoramTripura

Manipur

Assam

Arunachal Pradesh

IlluminatingBorder Villages

A 2X15 kW project underComponent-III o thePrime Ministers Package,Arunachal Pradesh


20/56

RE Feature


Arunachal Pradesh is also called the land o therising sun and the land o dawn-lit mountains,it is the largest state amongst the eight northeastern states, with a total area o 83,743 sq

km. It stretches rom the snow capped mountains in the

north to the plains o the Brahmaputra valley in Assam inthe south. A land o lush green orests, deep river valleysand beautiul plateaus, the people o Arunachal Pradesh aresimple, peace-loving and hospitable with a glorious heritageo art, culture and colourul estivals. Te state has a longinternational border with Bhutan in the west (160 km),China in the north (1030 km) and Myanmar in the east(440 km). Nagaland and Assam lie in the south.

Due to the dierent altitudes, the climate varies rom thesouth to the north. While it is hot and humid along theoothills bordering Assam, it is cold along the internationalborder in the north where the mountains are high and lotyand are permanently snowcapped even during summer.Numerous perennial rivers and rivulets originate rom thesemountains.

The State Nodal AgencyTe Arunachal Pradesh Energy Development Agency(APEDA) was created out o the Rural Works Department(RWD) in the year 1996. Its entity till then was an Energy

A beneciary o solar home lighting system (SHLS) in Barau village,Anjaw District, Arunachal Pradesh

Prime Ministers PackageThe Honble Prime Minister o India,

Dr Manmohan Singh on his maiden visit to

the state o Arunachal Pradesh on 31 January

2008 announced a package or illumination/

electrifcation o households/villages located in theinternational border districts o Arunachal Pradesh

through a mix o grid connected/decentralised

mini/micro/small hydro power projects and

through solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The total

package announced was or an amount o Rs 550

crores. To accomplish this announcement, three

departments o the State are involved namely

APEDA, Department. o Hydro Power Development

and Department o Power.

The ollowing work components are assigned to

APEDA under the Package:Component-I: To illuminate 546 border vil lages

through solar home lighting systems (SHLS) at an

estimated cost o Rs 11.03 crores.

Component-II: To electriy 191 villages through

setting up o 67 micro and mini hydel projects

o capacities ranging rom 10 kW to 200 kW at a

sanctioned cost o Rs 43.67 crores.

Component-III: To complete 31 languishing

mirco hydel projects ranging rom 5 kW to 40 kW

(as resource-gap unding) at a cost o

Rs 2.74 crores.

The Department o Hydro Power Development is

engaged in the ollowing works under the same

Package:

1. To complete 42, incomplete on-going projects

with capacity addition o 47.28 MW at an

additional cost o Rs 169.11 crores to beneft 670

villages.

2. To complete 4 projects (2 on-going and 2 new) to

give capacity addition o 17.03 MW to beneft 140

villages at an additional cost o Rs 105.31 lakhs.

3. To complete 14 on-going projects with a capacity

addition o 6.62 MW at an additional cost o Rs

16.73 crores.

4. To complete 36 new projects to provide capacity

addition o 10.62 MW or electrifcation o 419

border villages at a cost o Rs 146.94 crores.

The Department o Power is assigned to

construct connectivity lines rom the hydel projects

constructed by the Department o Hydro

Power Development to evacuate power to the

targeted villages.


21/56

RE Feature


Wing in the RWD. It is now a state government agencyo the Government o Arunachal Pradesh and is registeredunder the Societies Registration Act, 1860. APEDA is theState Nodal Agency (SNA) or all the programmes andschemes connected with renewable and non conventionalenergy sources; all such programmes and schemes sponsoredby the Ministry o New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)are either executed or routed through it.

Implementation of the PMs Packageby APEDAUnder Component-I, a total o 546 border villages, where thehouseholds were less than 30 in number and which had noperennial source o water or construction o hydel projects,

were to be illuminated through SHLS o Model-II with 37W module as per the MNRE specication under the Prime

Ministers Package. Out o 546 targeted villages, 523 villageswere covered by installing SHLS in 5852 households (able1). Te villages so illuminated are extremely remote and theyare approachable by porter tracks only. Some o the villagestake even two to three days walk to reach.

2x15 kW turgo impulse turbine couple to alternator, Norbuling Microhydel station, Arunachal Pradesh

Under Component-II, 191 villages, where there werea perennial source o water and which had more than 30households, were to be electried by setting up o 67 mini andmicro hydel projects o capacity ranging rom 10 kW to 200 kW(able 2). Te works in these projects are going on in ull swingand they are targeted to be completed by March 2012. All thesites are very remote and the construction materials are requiredto be carted manually. In some o the project sites the cartagecost o a bag o cement is more than the cost o the cement.

Table 2. District-wise targets under Component-II of PrimeMinisters Package

Name of district Number of projects Number of villages

awang 10 31

West Kameng 5 25

East Kameng 11 16

Kurung Kumey 11 46

Upper Subansiri 7 16

West Siang 8 24Upper Siang 3 5

Dibang Valley 5 10

Anjaw 6 16

irap 1 2

otal 67 191Table 1. District-wise achievement under Component-I of PrimeMinisters Package

Name of district Number of villagesilluminated

Number ofhouseholds covered

Anjaw 197 1930

Changlang 5 169

Kurung Kumey 79 941

Dibang Valley 52 277

awang 4 38

West Kameng 11 155

West Siang 29 440

Upper Siang 8 112

East Kameng 77 1094

Upper Subansiri 61 696

otal 523 5852

The State Government has engaged

the North East Development Financial

Corporation (NEDFC) for third party

monitoring to evaluate the quality and

quantity of all projects.

Under Component-III, 31 micro hydel projects whichwere languishing over the years since the year 2003-04 dueto want o unds, could be completed with an allocationo Rs 2.74 crore rom the PMs Package and more than 40villages have beneted rom these projects.

Te State Government has engaged the North EastDevelopment Financial Corporation (NEDFC) or thirdparty monitoring o the projects to evaluate and ensurequality and quantity o the work undertaken and also toevaluate the impact the Programme has on the people. b

Te authors are Director and Inormation and Publicity Ofcer,

Arunachal Pradesh Energy Development Agency (APEDA), Itanagar,

Arunachal Pradesh, [email protected]


22/56

RE Feature


Ater using the solar home lights (SHL) systems,there is a sea change within the rural communities -use o kerosene wick lamps has been cut drastically.

Assam is the sentinel o north east India and thegateway to seven north eastern states. Te Stateis surrounded by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradeshin the north, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal

Pradesh in the east and Meghalaya, ripura and Mizoram inthe south. It is endowed with a bounty o serene landscape,

plenty o natural resources and the lush greenery o the teagardens and wild lie sanctuaries. Te mighty Brahmaputraows through the entire length o the state with a numbero tributaries joining it rom the Himalayan range in thenorth. With varying topography, the entire State has plenty olocations that usually remain cut o rom the urban pockets.

AssamRE EnergisingRural Assam

Solar panel o a solar home lighting (SHL) system perched on a bamboo pole outside a house in Lakshipathar village, Golaghat District, Assam.

Dr Satyendra Kumar Choudhury and Mrinal Krishna ChaudhuryMap not to scale

ArunachalPradesh

Nagaland

Meghalaya

Sikkim

Assam

MizoramTripura

Manipur


23/56

RE Feature


Many places in the State which are now inhabited butsparsely populated, lie in the stabilised sandbars calledchars which are ormed in the middle o the river, like atypical island, by the changing course o the river or due tosiltation. Tese locations are very dicult to connect to the

grid as the river and thin population, make it commerciallyunviable.

The State Nodal AgencyTe Assam Energy Development Agency (AEDA) was earliera part o Assam Science, echnology and EnvironmentCouncil (ASEC). ASEC was constituted in 1986-87 asan autonomous council under the Department o Science,echnology and Environment, Government o Assam orimplementation o some o the major programmes in thesectors o science and technology, remote sensing, energy(non conventional and renewable sources) and environment.

AEDA was ormally constituted in July 2002 under theSocieties Registration Act (1860) to act independently as thenodal agency or implementing programmes related to newand renewable sources o energy under the Ministry o Newand Renewable Energy (MNRE) (able 1).

Development of RenewableEnergy in the State

Apart rom implementing dierent renewable energyprogrammes, AEDA is also implementing the remote villageelectrifcation (RVE) programme in the State. Te MNRE

initiative to meet the basic lighting demand o isolatedvillages throughout the NE region has ound immensepopularity particularly in Assam. Ater analysing thedimensions and merits o dierent alternatives o decentralisedpower, the ultimate source, which has been widely accepted bythe rural masses, is the solar photovoltaic (PV) lighting system.

In Assam, a list o 2,139 villages, identifed to be dicultto cater to through the conventional power grid, was preparedby the government agencies. It was suggested that thesevillages be provided with power rom renewable resources

Apart from providing lighting facility to

the rural households the RVE programme

has contributed immensely towards a

sustainable and greener environment.

Solar street light under RVE programme in Lakshipathar village,Golaghat District, Assam.

Community lighting system installed at a temple in Hatukagaonvillage, Karbi Anglong District, Assam

Project/ Programme Installation so far

Solar PV - village electrifcation 771 villages

Solar PV- general programme 3,566 households

Solar hot water systems (SHWS) 15 locations

Micro hydel project 2 locations

Wind monitoring mast 10 locations

Institutional Energy Parks 20 locations

State Level Energy Park 1 locations

Solar Mini Power Plants 5 locations

Table 1. AEDA Implementing Programmes under MNRE


24/56

RE Feature


A school student studying in the light o a SHLS in Lakshipatharvillage, Golaghat District, Assam.

Solar light installed at Hemeribey village, Karbi Anglong District,Assam

Measuring the SuccessEarlier, most villages used kerosene wick lamps as a sourceo lighting. Ater using the SHL systems, there is a seachange within the rural community. Use o kerosene oil hasdrastically come down and the environment inside the houseshas become clean due to reduction o smoke and subsequentblackening o the walls due to the wick lamps.

Computing reduction o kerosene usage by 30,000 ruralhouseholds that have been provided solar lighting acilities by

AEDA, yield startling results. In case there is a reduction o 4lt o kerosene oil per amily per month, or 30,000 amilies,

it totals to 1.2 lakh lt per month and 14.4 lakh lt o kerosenesaving annually. Interpreted in monitory terms this would resultin an annual saving o about Rs. 2.3 crores towards keroseneconsumption. Similarly, one can quantiy the amount o carbonreduction, which has been made using the solar lighting acility.One has to appreciate that apart rom providing lighting acilityto the rural households the RVE programme has contributedimmensely towards a sustainable and greener environment.oday mobile phones have penetrated every nook and corner othe country. Tere is immense scope or solar mobile chargingacility in places where no power is available. In Assam, many

people get their mobile sets charged rom the battery providedalong with the SHL Systems using a small charging device.

EndnoteIn the context o present energy scenario AEDA throughdierent renewable energy schemes and programmes oMNRE is committed to meet the RE requirements anddemands o the State. b

Te authors are Director and Additional Director I/C, Assam EnergyDevelopment Agency (AEDA), Guwahati, Assam,[email protected]

particularly through solar PV lighting acilities to meet thelighting demand o the individual households as well as thecommunity. MNRE extended 90 per cent fnancial supportto take this Programme to the ar corners o the State whereasthe balance amount was met by the individual benefciariesand the State Government. Tree dierent agencies, AEDA

which is the State Nodal Agency (SNA), the RenewableEnergy Wing o the Assam State Electricity Board and theSocial Forestry Division o the State Forest Department havebeen instrumental in the execution o the project.

AEDA is providing solar lighting acilities in 920 villages

covering 19 districts in the State. Ater initial survey o thevillages, the total number o households to be provided

with the acility is identifed and solar home lighting (SHL)systems comprising o a solar PV module o 37 Wp capacity,2 luminaries with 9 W CFL lamps, a 12 V 40 Ah tubular cellbattery and charge controller along with cables and structuresare installed. Tese systems are designed to provide lightingor 4 to 5 hours each night with 3 days autonomy.

Apart rom providing the lighting acility to the ruralhouses, the village is also provided with such acilitiesor lighting o temples, mosques, churches, clubs and the

like. Solar street lights are oten provided at street corners,market places etc. Te common acility is looked ater andmanaged by a village energy committee (VEC) ormed bythe benefciaries o the particular village. wo rural youthamong the village are trained by the equipment suppliersto look ater the day to day maintenance. I the trainedyouth are not able to address a problem, it is reported tothe supplier since the systems are covered under 5 yearscomprehensive maintenance contracts. Having such aacility in a remote unelectrifed household is really a boonto the rural community.


25/56

RE Feature


Map not to scale

ArunachalPradesh

Nagaland

Meghalaya

Mizoram

Sikkim

Tripura

Manipur

Assam

Mizoram has a great potential or wind as alsomicro and small hydro power, however, the exactpotential is waiting to be explored by the experts.

Mizoram nestled in the picturesque and gentlerolling hills in the southern most tip o thenorth eastern region (NER) is a small State

with 22 towns and as many as 817 censusvillages. Presently the State is on course or all rounddevelopment with major thrust on growth in the rural areas.

One o the major hurdles in the development processo the State is the lack o access to electricity in urban as

well as in rural areas. Tis is especially acute in the ruralareas, perpetrating a passive energy crisis, where productive

applications are constrained due to lack o eective accessto energy, even i there could be aordability. Access toaordability is thereore a key element or poverty reductionin rural Mizoram.

The State Nodal AgencyZoram Energy Development Agency (ZEDA) is anautonomous body established by the Government o Mizoram

with its headquarters at Aizawl. ZEDA is registered as a societyunder the Societies Registration (Extension to Mizoram) Act,

Mizoram

ExploringWind and Hydro

Te 25 kWp solar PV power plant at Kulikawn Civil Hospital, Aizawl, Mizoram

David C Zahmuaka and Thantluanga


26/56

RE Feature


ZEDA had submitted proposals to

C-WET, Chennai or eight locations

or Wind Resource Assessment with amast o 50 m height.

1976 (Mizoram Act No. 3 o 1977), having a governing bodyheaded by the Minister o Power o the State. It also has aManaging Committee headed by the Secretary o Powerand Electricity Department, Government o Mizoram. Te

Agency became operational in 1999, exclusively to undertakeall programmes in the eld o non-conventional andrenewable energy (RE) sources. Apart rom this, ZEDA is alsothe Nodal Agency, which interacts with the Ministry o New

and Renewable Energy (MNRE), to implement the centrallyunded and sponsored scheme, in the eld.

ZEDA is ully committed to boost the use o non-

conventional and RE sources through the ollowing steps: intensication o awareness campaigns by undertakingdemonstration programmes all over the state; utilisationo all promotional schemes oered by MNRE; installationand commissioning o solar power plants, wind hybrid powerprojects etc. in the state; publication o brochures, bookletsand pamphlets giving details o various RE schemes anddevices available, or the benet o the public; allocationo unds and holding o popularisation/demonstrationcampaigns or eective implementation o RE programmes;and collaboration with various governmental departmentsand non government organisations or popularisation o REsystems and applications.

Te 25 kWp solar PV power plant at Tutak Nunpui ute (N) camp, Aizwal, Mizoram


27/56

RE Feature


Wind and Hydro PotentialMizoram has a great potential o wind energy; however,the exact potential is yet to be explored by experts. Te

Centre or Wind Energy echnology (C-WE), Chennai,under MNRE was entrusted to conduct a wind resourceassessment including wind mapping throughout thecountry with the cooperation rom the respective StateNodal Agencies (SNAs) and accordingly, ZEDA hasbeen extending all possible help to C-WE in Mizoram.C-Wet had done wind resource assessment at 5 locations- Sakawrhmuituai, Reiek, Hmuiang, Lunglei and Mamte

with a mast o 25 m height. However, the result was oundto be unsatisactory. Again, C-WE selected two locationsi.e. Challh and Ngopa or the assessment with a masto 50 m height which was ound to be adequate. Teycompleted the oundation work or these two locationsin the year 2009 but erection is yet to be done. Earlycompletion o wind monitoring stations at these locationsis earnestly awaited. In addition to the above two locationsZEDA had submitted proposals to C-WE Chennai oreight more locations or wind resource assessment with amast o 50 m height.

Te State is also blessed with a good micro andsmall hydro electricity potential, which needs tobe adequately harnessed. I the hydro potential isachieved, the State will be sel sufcient in electricity

and the SNA, ZEDA is taking every step possible toachieve this.

Development o RE in the StateZEDA ocuses on the promotion o solar thermal and solarphotovoltaic (PV) systems/devices, hybrid projects (solarPV and wind) and rural energy activities, which includedistribution o solar home lighting (SHL) systems in ruraland semi urban areas. Other activities o ZEDA involvepromotion and establishment o non-conventional energyparks, biomass gasiers and installation o power plant atvarious places.

A drat o the RE policy or the state o Mizoram hasalready been ormulated and tentatively approved by the

state government ater incorporating suggestions romthe public. Te policy is called Te Mizoram RenewableEnergy Policy 2003. Te policy designates ZEDA as the

Nodal Agency or all RE activities in the State and urtherdeclares that ZEDA shall acilitate clearances or projectsor producing electricity rom non-conventional and REsources on the lines o the acilitation provided by the Bureauo Industrial Promotion (BIP). Te Agency is authorised totest or quality control o all the devices/equipment relatedto RE and as well as the energy saving devices to be usedand sold in Mizoram.

Light in the Dark with Solar EnergyZEDA had installed our 25 kWp solar PV power plants atvarious charitable homes and hospitals. Another 121 kWpis expected to be completed within this nancial year. Techaritable home, Tutak Nunpui ute (N) is one othe largest in Asia. Although the Power Plant installed inN is only 25 kWp, it is o great help to the beneciaryas they save a lot in their electricity bills annually.

Apart rom the above power plants, ZEDA haddistributed 9073 solar lanterns, 6201 SHL systems and40 solar power packs to the unelectried and rural villagesand NGO homes with the help o the und received romMNRE and the State Government. Aizawl has beendeclared by MNRE as a Solar City. Master plan or the

Solar City scheme had been submitted to the MNRE orapproval. Mizoram has a great potential o solar energy,

which needs to be exploited at a larger scale.

Suggestions or RE implementationAlmost all the power requirements o the State is met romthe central sector, as the generation within Mizoram isnegligible compared to the load requirement o the State.It is thereore necessary to explore and implement alternateenergy projects, e.g. installation o solar power plants atvarious government buildings; provision o solar lanterns tothe villagers; installation o mini grid connected SPV powerplants at various villages; installation o grid connected SPVpower plants in various parts o Mizoram; installation o solarPV street lighting system; and installation o SHL systems. b

Te authors are Director and Junior Engineer, Zoram Energy

Development Agency (ZEDA), Aizwal, Mizoram,

[email protected]

ZEDA had distributed 9073 solar

lanterns, 6201 SHL systems and 40 solar

power packs to the unelectrifed and

rural villages and NGO homes.


28/56

RE Feature


Underlining its commitment to green energy,Nagaland is the rst state in the north

eastern region (NER) to establish a separate

Department o New and Renewable Energy.

Nagaland

RenewableEnergy forthe people

Solar street light installed underthe Remote Village Electrifcationprogramme at Lower Sinjol A

village, Peren District, Nagaland.

T S Angami and Kavito Chishi

Meghalaya

ArunachalPradesh

Sikkim

MizoramTripura

Manipur

Nagaland

Assam

Map not to scale


29/56

RE Feature


Basket making in the solar light in Sailhem village, PerenDistrict, Nagaland.

o create direct and indirect employment opportunitiesespecially in rural and backward areas.

Development of RE in the StateVision: o harness green and clean RE sources orenvironmental benets and to augment energy security.Mission: Having RE projects across the State eitheron grid or o grid mode, will substantiate the totalpower generation and reduce the import o energyrom the grid (able 1). Te Department also mandatesthe conservation o energy by taking necessary energyefciency and energy conservation measures in industrial,commercial and government establishments includingdomestic buildings.

Table 1. Ongoing and planned activities (2011-12) under theDepartment o New and Renewable Energy, Nagaland

Programme Target Remarks

Solar power plant 742 kWp Ongoing

Solar water heatingsystem (SWHS)

3170 sq m Ongoing

Solar City Kohima Master Plan completed

Dimapur Data collectioncompleted

Solar street lights 136 villages DPR submitted

Solar water pumps 12 locations DPR under preparation

Hydro Power 1 MW Ongoing

17 sites Survey ongoing

Biogas amily size 1000 numbers Ongoing

Biomass gasier 2 sites Ongoing

State Energy Park 1 Ongoing

Wind-solar hybrid 20 kW DPR under preparation

Remote villageelectrication (RVE)

38 villages/hamlets

DPR under preparation

Nagaland, the 16th state o the Indian Union, wasestablished on 1 December 1963. It is bound byMyanmar in the east, Arunachal in the north,

Assam in the west and Manipur in the South.Te state has an area o 16,579 sq km o mostly mountainous

terrain except the areas bordering the Assam valley.

The State Nodal AgencyTe Government o Nagaland recognising the importance othe green energy in view o global warming created a separateentity - the Department o New and Renewable Energy on29 July 2009 to acilitate project development in the Statein consonance with the various schemes and programmeso the Ministry o New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).Te Department was created by merging the ofcers andsta o the erstwhile Non Conventional Energy (NCE) Cellunder the Department o Rural Development orming thecore group o the Directorate o New and Renewable Energy.Te Department has also been mandated to take up hydelprojects up to 1 MW. Tereore, the Department o NREhas 2 wings viz. NCE and Hydro Wing.Aims and Objectives o harness the environment riendly renewable energy

sources and to enhance their contribution to the socio-economic development o the State.

o meet and supplement rural energy needs throughsustainable RE projects.

o provide decentralised energy supply to agriculture,

industry, commercial and household sector. o supplement eorts in bridging the gap between

demand and supply o power, with renewable energysources and strengthening the grid system and evacuationarrangements or RE projects.

o support eorts or developing, demonstrating andcommercialising new and emerging technologies inthe RE sector, and to this end, help establish linkages

with national and international institutions or activecollaboration.

o create public awareness and involve users/localcommunity along with capacity building in establishing,operating and managing RE projects.

o establish dedicated renewable energy Special EconomicZones (SEZ) to promote renewable energy projects.

o give necessary support and acilitation to the entrepreneursand investors to successully implement RE projects toproduce more renewable energy without delay and to attractmore investment in State by private developers.

o initiate necessary measures in energy conservation asper the guidelines o Bureau o Energy Efciency (BEE),Ministry o Power, Government o India.


30/56

RE Feature


Intensive survey and data collection was carried out which was coordinated and cross veried with the Department

o Power to ascertain whether these villages/hamlets wereincluded in the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran

Yojana (RGGVY) scheme. Clearances were obtained romthe Department o Power or 8 villages under Peren Districtin the rst phase (able 2). Te Detailed Project Report(DPR) was submitted to MNRE, which was later approvedand sanctioned during 2010-11.Challenges:While carrying out the survey as well as duringthe commissioning o the projects or these villages, poorroad communication was one o the major hurdles or thedepartment ofcers and sta. Head loading o materials hadto be done in some o the villages. Village meetings wereheld and awareness training on RE with special reerenceto SHL systems and solar street lights was imparted to thevillagers. A Village Energy Management Board was setup in all the villages or up keep and maintenance o thesolar systems. Tird Party Monitoring was carried out byNagaland University. b

Te authors are Director and Joint Director, Nagaland

Department o New and Renewable Energy, Kohima, Nagaland,

[email protected]

Implementation: Te Department o New & RenewableEnergy has been making eorts to create conditionsconducive to private/ public/community participation andinvite investors in RE power projects in the State.One o the tasks undertaken by the Department was toidentiy the unelectried villages/hamlets in the State.

A Prayer meeting under the solar light at Khelma village, PerenDistrict, Nagaland.

Happy owners o a solar light in Sailhem village, Peren District,Nagaland.

Name o Village Households Solar home light (SHL) solar street lights

Shailhem 74 74 7

Phaikholum 49 49 5

New Soget 64 64 6

Old Soget 89 89 8

Songngou 44 44 4

Lower Sinjol A 46 46 4

Khelma 119 119 10

Songsang 64 64 6

Total 549 549 50

Table 2. RE implementation in 8 villages in Peren District, Nagaland (2010-2011)

Success Story:People speakKhelma, is one of the vi llages that has

been covered under the RVE programme.Expressing his pleasure and satisfaction at

light being available TS Jem, the village chief

said it was a dream come true and it was like

being in paradise. He said, now with the light,

the children could study and the elders could

work on handicrafts. He was sure that their

economy would improve in the days to come.


31/56

RE Feature


o upgrade Imphal Airport with night landingacility it was decided that solar poweredobstruction lights (SPOLs) would be installed on4 hills surrounding the Imphal valley.

Manipur literally meaning a jewelled landnestles deep within a lush green corner onorth east India. Te total area covered bythe State is 22,327 sq km; it is bounded by

Nagaland in the north, Mizoram in the south, Assam inthe west, and by the international border with Myanmar

in the east.

The State Nodal AgencyManipur Renewable Energy Development Agency

(MANIREDA) was set up by the State Government as anautonomous government institution or implementationo all the renewable energy (RE) schemes/programmes inthe State and designated as the State Nodal Agency on 31March 1999. Te Agency is a registered Society under theSocieties Registration Act 1989.

Although MANIREDA has implemented RE projectsat selected locations purely on the basis o availability oRE resources o the specic site, no resource assessmenton overall potential o RE in the state has been carried out

Manipur

Flying Highwith RenewableEnergy

A solar panel on display at a oating hut in Loktak Lake, ChampuKhangpok, Bishnupur District, Manipur.

RVE programme, Santing village, Churachandpur District,Manipur.

L Manglem Singh

Map not to scale

ArunachalPradesh

Meghalaya

Sikkim

MizoramTripura

Nagaland

Manipur

Assam


32/56

RE Feature


till date. Te matter was discussed as one o the importantpoints in the meeting presided by Dr Farooq Abdullah,Minister or New and Renewable Energy with Ministersand ocials o the north east region (NER) held on 2 July2011 at New Delhi. Te representatives o NER requestedthe Ministry o New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) ora detailed resource assessment o various resources o REin the region on priority basis.

Development of RenewableEnergy in the StateCommendable contributions have been made by

MANIREDA or the promotion o RE in the State. Altogether

installed capacity o about 3 MW has been achieved by theagency till 31 March 2011 through various RE sources suchas solar photovoltaic (PV) (1715 kW including demonstrationprojects), small hydel (435 kW), wind-solar hybrid (140 kWincluding ongoing near completion projects), biomass (600kW), solar thermal (48 kW) etc.

More than 200 remote villages/hamlets in dicult hillyregions were electried through available RE sources and

with active participation o the beneciaries by constitutingvillage energy committees (VECs) in all the beneciaryvillages. Te status o installed capacity and projectedtargets o various RE power/electrication projects in the

State are given in able 1.

Capacity Cumulativeup to31 March 2010

Cumulativeup to31 March 2011

Projectedcumulative up to31 March 2012


Projectedcumulative upto 31 March2014


Wind-solar

hybrid systems

140.00 140.00 160.00 200.00 250.00 300.00

Solar thermal 48.00 48.00 5058.00 12558.00 20058.00 27558.00

Biomass based 600.00 600.00 600.00 600.00 600.00 600.00

Small hydro 35.00 435.00 450.00 650.00 750.00 850.00

Solarphotovoltaic

1514.25 1715.48 2871.94 3871.94 4871.94 5871.94

otal 2337.25 2938.48 9139.94 17879.84 26299.45 35179.94

otal (MW) 2.33 2.93 9.13 17.87 26.29 35.17

able 1. Status o installed capacity and projected targets o various RE power/electrifcation projects in Manipur (in kW).

View o Imphal Valley and the SPOL panels rom the Heibokching hilltop


33/56

RE Feature


Success StoryFlying in the dark with solar powered obstruction lights:In order to upgrade Imphal Airport with night landing acilitylights were to be installed on 4 hills surrounding the Imphalvalley. Since there is no grid lines in these hills it was decidedthat solar powered obstruction lights (SPOLs) would beinstalled. Te Government o Manipur through the ransportDepartment entrusted MANIREDA with the installation osolar power plants at the 4 hilltops (able 2). Expenditure orthe our projects was borne by the State Government.

Name Area/District DirectionNongmaiching Hill op Imphal East

DistrictEast o Airport

Phunal Maring Hill op Imphal EastDistrict

South east oAirport

Heibokching Hill op Imphal WestDistrict

South o Airport

Chingphu Hill op Bishnupur District West o Airport

able 2. Details o the 4 hilltops on which the SPOLs are installed

(Presuming the runway strip at Imphal Airport is in the east-west direction).

Te Heibokching hilltop SPOL

hilltop, which was completed on 14 July 2009.Te challenges: Initially, as there were no approach roads tothese our sites, roads had to be made to take the materialsrequired or the civil work as well as the solar PV modules,batteries, hardware etc. o the project. Even now, the roadsto the Nongmaiching and Phunal Maring sites are dicultand not easily accessible which sometimes hampers theroutine maintenance work.On cloudy days: In the event o complete no sunshine daysduring monsoon/cloudy days, the storage capacity o thetubular plate batteries at the hilltops (@ 600 VA at 96 V persite), is able to supply three to our days system autonomy(capable o supplying power) easily. Te solar plates howeverare capable o charging the batteries with some intensity(though less powerul) even on cloudy/less sunshine days.

All the power plants are working satisactorily since the last2 years.Maintenance: MANIREDA is responsible or 5 yearscomprehensive maintenance contract o the power plant.

Further extension o maintenance period will be consideredwith approval o the State Government.

Te night landing acility has changed the lives o thepeople. Improved connectivity with the rest o the countryhas its own cascading efect and implications or the Stateas a whole. b

Te necessity: Tese hills are located in close surrounding

o the airport. In order to acilitate night landing and alsoto prevent any eventualities during take-of and landing atnight, solar powered obstruction lights are placed at the topo these hills mainly to indicate obstruction o the hills tothe pilots.Te timelines: Approval or installation o the 4 SPOLs

was accorded by the Executive Committee o MANIREDAin October 2008 and work orders were issued in November2008. Completion o installation/handing over o theseSPOLs by MANIREDA to ransport Department was doneby 26 February 2009 or three sites, except Nongmaiching

In the event of complete no sunshine

days during monsoon/cloudy days, the

storage capacity of the tubular plate

batteries is able to supply 3-4 days

system autonomy.

Night landing trial conducted

A trial run or aircrat landing at ulihal Airportduring night was successully conducted today. Asmall aircrat with 10 ocials o the Airport Authorityo India (AAI) on board conducted successul landing

and take-of trials at Imphal airport tonight. Notably,installation o night landing acility at Imphal airport

was one o Chie Minister O Ibobis priority visionsand he was duly supported by Prime Minister DrManmohan Singh. o acilitate night landing at theairport, our Solar Powered Obstructing Lights havebeen installed in diferent directions o the airport.Te Sangai Express, 22 March 2010.

Te author is Director, Manipur Renewable Energy DevelopmentAgency (MANIREDA), Imphal, Manipur, [email protected]


34/56

RE Feature


Te implementation o various schemes involvingrenewable sources like solar, wind and biogas isenergising and empowering the people o the State.

Tripura is strategically situated between the rivervalleys o Myanmar and Bangladesh. Encircledalmost on three sides by Bangladesh, it is linked

with Assam and Mizoram in the north east.ripura is the third smallest state o India and is accessibleto the rest o country through the Cachar district o Assamand Aizawl district o Mizoram in the east.

The State Nodal Agencyripura Renewable Energy Development Agency (REDA)is the State Nodal Agency (SNA) or implementing new andrenewable energy (RE) projects in the State. REDA wasestablished in the year 1998 and the activities o REDA

were extended throughout the State. REDA is dedicatedto promoting new and renewable resources o energy.

Tripura

EnergisingthroughRenewables

Subhash Chowdhury

Solar cooker exhibit at the State Level Energy Education Park at ripura University Complex, Suryamaninagar, West ripura District, ripura.

Map not to scale

ArunachalPradesh

Nagaland

Meghalaya

Sikkim

MizoramTripura

Manipur

Assam


35/56

au august all pages

Documents