INDIACSR News Network
NEW DELHI: The Seminar, ‘Energy: Vision 2030’ was held on 9 December at Gulmohar Hall. This was the 20th seminar in the series by The Oceanic Group & India Habitat Centre (IHC). The deliberations and recommendations of the above Seminar will be published in a Books/ Reports on Energy, Science & Technology jointly with two top institutions, (some more may also join) and presented before the stakeholders and policymakers.
Radiance Media was the Event & Knowledge Partner as its CSR initiative. Khushigram and IIRD supported the event. Rural Connect Magazine, CSR & Competitiveness & India CSR (leading CSR media) were media partners, more will join. Khushigram’s packed nutritious and hygienic fast food litti-chokha-chutney was served to the guests.
The session focused on on: Energy Security, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy – Solar, Wind, Biomass, Geothermal, Biogas, Small Hydro and Mechanical Energy, Coal, Thermal, Hydro, Nuclear Power and Petroleum & Natural Gas. The Speakers were: Deepak Gupta, Former Secretary, Renewable Energy, Dr Ajay Mathur DG, Bureau of Energy Efficiency and Prabhat Kumar, Joint Secretary, Energy Security, Ministry of External Affairs.
Prabhat Kumar, the first such officer in India started the talk. He said that in the recent meeting of International Energy Agency, where he gone, the Energy Outlook presented was that even till 2030 hydrocarbons would dominate and per the current conditions it would still be about 80%. It also said that by 2020 India would replace China in energy demand. “It would be big challenge for us as growth depends on energy and we have to import a lot leading to immense foreign exchange spent. Here, the role of Bureau of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy department becomes very important. We should use these resources well.”
He also spoke of the need to increase our capacity, “Fuel is free once you have the capacity. You can use Solar, Wind and Water resources that can help energy in an eco friendly manner.” He added that there was also a need to learn from the West, where many countries sell more bicycles than car. They have developed good side walk and cycle tracks. Unless we learn, we will be in huge deficits as we saw during the recent economic crisis. Unfortunately, we are doing the reverse. ”
Ajit Kumar, the founder of this series, also Founder, Khushigram (a platform for enterprises, NGOs, governments, and individuals on Sustainable Development), while introducing the Speakers said that this was the best panel possible on energy. He exhorted that there was need to look at the traditional knowledge systems and technologies developed in not so ‘high profile’ institutions also. There are certified products by IITs that have developed in Goshalas, like machines that can draw 20,000 litre water per hour from 100 feet with a pair of oxen attached to it. Similarly, there are ploughs that use about half of the energy for small plots of lands. Biogas can be developed for cooking and with the help of a low cost machine, you can have cooking fuel for half price of LPG cylinder. 800 W energy can be produced from a pair of oxen. Our first Khushigram centre in Delhi starting next month will showcase these products and natural and nutritious food also.”
Dr Ajay Mathur DG, Bureau of Energy Efficiency pointed the early industialise countries like the US and UK that had high Human Development Index (above 0.9) have oil equivalent per capita of 3 ton, whereas countries like Japan and South Korea that developed later should be around 2 ton per capita and may decrease more also as they use more efficient technology. “We are currently at 0.5 ton per capita. By today’s estimates, it is likely to grow six times, but if we can manage it in up to 3-4 times increase it will be quite reasonable. When we were student, it was said that we have sufficient coal for more than 100 years and we are already importing it now. This year we made a record of maximum use of energy on a day. That is why energy and energy cost became a major concern in the recent Delhi elections. The electricity charges are becoming too costly for even people in Delhi.”
He added that people now use energy more efficiently. Dr Mathur pointed that under immense pressure, they had to make Energy labeling mandatory, but due to good branding of the complying companies, there product sold more. “CFL bulbs were promoted, now LED has come. Thought it is still very costly, but it will become reasonable soon as the CFLs were.” He concluded that Energy Service companies (ESCOs) were brought in as organisations did not want to take the risk of changing the systems to more efficient ones on their own. “Now banks are also willing to fund them that will help to achieve over 13% efficiency in the 12th plan.”
Deepak Gupta, the Secretary behind many policy changes has been to the far off sites and in the rural areas also personally to promote Renewable Energy. He lamented that most people still understand power as Grid Power, which is neuther cheap, nor indigenous. “The integrated Energy Policy had predicted the demand of 8-9 gegawatt (1lakh megawatt) power by 2032, which is not possible from the current big sources. We will have to maximize renewables. 50,000 MW wind and 30,000 MW solar is possible. And off course, biomass and small hydros will also add to the energy mix. There is a need to have dedicated plantations for biomass. But unfortunately, all sectors work in their own silos. Solar pumps can reduce hydrocarbons in a huge way. There is a need to have combined power plants with a mix of the traditional and the renewable. Why can’t we have one million street lights on LED? Why can’t we make solar water heater mandatory? Why not rate all new buildings on GRIHA?”
Diwakar Bhagat doing PHD from IIT Delhi on Bamboo technology (he also received a prestigious award on this recently) during the discussion pointed that the energy used while construction should also be taken into account.
The Oceanic Group (TOG) is a non profit society with focus on Environment, Energy, Health, Education and Sustainable Development. The Oceanic Group is taking the awareness and interaction based programmes to schools & colleges and further down to community in the urban and rural areas followed by action to combat Climate Change.
TOG has partnered with the India Habitat Centre for the successful and popular Interactive Seminar Series on Climate Change since 2007 and organised 20 Seminars and one Conference on various aspects of Climate Change, Environment, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and Disaster. The previous seminar was on Human Development: Vision 2030 on 16th October 2013. Our previous seminar was on Human Development: Vision 2030’ on 16th October 2013. Justice Swatanter Kumar, Chairperson, National Green Tribunal was the Chief Guest, Rajendra Singh, Chairman, Tarun Bharat Sangh & Magsaysay Awardee for Community Leadership chaired.
Eminent speakers like Mani Shankar Aiyar, Minister for Panchayati Raj, Youth Affairs and Sports, Govt of India, Nitin Desai, SG, WSSD 2002 & Former Under Secretary General, UN, Suresh Prabhu, MP & former Environment Minister, Sushil Kumar Singh, MP & Member, Parliamentary Committee on Energy and Standing Committee on Petroleum & Natural Gas, Justice Shambhunath Srivastava, Retd HC Judge (now Lokayukta, Chhattisgarh). Dr Prodipto Ghosh, former Environment Secretary, Dr Jayashree Gupta (Ex Addl Secretary, GOI & Ex CMD, Indian Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Ltd), Head of Consumers India &, Human Rights Group (Consultative Status, UN ECOSOC), JK Dadoo, Secretary, Environment, Forest & Wild Life, Govt of NCT of Delhi & Chairperson, DPCC, Surya P Sethi, Principal Adviser (Energy), Planning Commission, Dr Jyoti Parikh, Executive Director, Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe), Shailesh Pathak (Ex IAS), MD, PE Indian Infrastructure, HS Kingra, Jt Secretary & Special Officer (CWG), Sports Authority of India, Dr Bhaskar Chatterjee (Ex IAS), DG & CEO, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Desh Deepak Verma, Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Niten Chandra, Joint Secretary, Department of Rural Development, Govt of India, Dr Jayashree Gupta (Ex Addl Secretary, GOI & Ex CMD, Indian Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Ltd), Head of Consumers India &, Human Rights Group. Deepak Mukharji, Head, Corp. Affairs, Shell India, Bijendra Pd Yadav, Minister for Energy, Government of Bihar, Prof Anil K Bhowmick, Director, IIT Patna, Prof Ashok K Ghosh, Head, Dept, Water & Environment, AN College, Prasoon Kumar, Vice President, IFCI Ltd, Sheonarayan Beria, Owner, Nagarmal Businesses and Secretary, Ara Goshala, AM Prasad, President, NHRD, Patna and Dr Asmi Raza, Professor of Economics, University of Delhi have been associated with the above Seminar Series.
