March 31 2016, 15.03 PM IST || Pocket News Alert
Photo Caption:
Dr. Anil Misra, National Project Manager, UNIDO; Dr. R P Goswami, Director – CST, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India; Ms. Vidya Rani, AGM, Karnataka Renewable Energy Ltd (KREDL) and Mr. G K Moinuddin, Director & State Head, CII Karnataka at the Workshop on Concentrating Solar Thermal Technologies for Industries
Bangalore 31 March 2016… In an effort to promote Concentrating Solar Thermal (CST) Technologies beneficial to various industrial sectors. Global Environment Facility and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (GEF-UNIDO) in partnership with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) have launched a project ‘Promoting business models for increasing penetrations and scaling up of solar energy’. Under this project, an industrial site visit and a workshop was organised in Bangalore. Wider participation and support from industry was ensured through close cooperation with the State Nodal Agency Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd. (KREDL) and Confederation of India Industry (CII).
The industrial site visit to the Bosch facility and the State Bank of India showcased the Unisun Scheffler Dish CST technology used for cooking purposes. The workshop focusing on promotion of “CST technologies for industries” provided a platform to a large number of senior industrial representatives in and around Karnataka to have open discussions with the consumers and manufacturers of CST systems.
Dr. Anil Misra, National Project Manager, UNIDO in his welcome address demystified the barriers associated with their adoption, and also shared details on the most suitable solar thermal technologies namely, Parabolic Troughs, Dish Collectors and Linear Fresnel systems. He also shared several international project examples showcasing substantial energy savings through CST systems to replace conventional fuel sources. UNIDO has partnered with IREDA to develop a financial package bundling the subsidy from MNRE and loan funds from IREDA at reduced interest rate using the funds of the project.
Dr. R P Goswami, Director – CST, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, in his highly engaging address mentioned that theiIndustry sector being the highest energy consuming sector should be adopting CST technology rapidly. He also stated that this CST series of workshops aim to fasten the speed of industrial adoption and that industries should take advantage of availing time-bound government subsidies available for the duration of next 4-5 years. Very recently, the Jammu & Kashmir Renewable Energy Development Authority submitted a pipeline of over 30 projects which were granted Government subsidies.. He also took the opportunity of sharing with the audience that the Government of India has announced a ‘CST Excellence Awards 2016’ for the entire value chain in the CST segment. The awards ceremony will be conducted in the 3rd week of April 2016 in New Delhi.
Mr. G K Moinuddin, Director & State Head, CII Karnataka in his remarks appealed to the industrial sector tocome forward to implement solar technologies in their factories because usage of Solar Energy in industries is a sustainable and cost effective method”. He further shared that application of Solar Energy will also help us in countering Global warming. On behalf of CII and its members, he mentioned that CII will gladly participate in promoting as well as implementing projects in this area.
Ms. Vidya Rani, AGM, Karnataka Renewable Energy Ltd (KREDL), observed that Solar Thermal technology promotion reaching industrial nooks in Karnataka definitely indicates that the impetus in this area is gaining ground. She suggested that KREDL along with UNIDO and CII a working group could be formed in order to do further outreach and promote CST technologies in the state. According to her, Karnataka being a leading state with one of the largest number of CST installations in the country and as a key outcome of the workshop KREDL will be building a pipeline of 50 projects with the help of UNIDO and CII.
The workshop also saw best practises and experiences being shared by Unisun Solar Technologies, Clique Solar, Oorja Energy Engineering Services, Leverage Net Solutions and SKF Technologies (I) who have installed and adopted CST systems in their facilities as well as in other organisations. Overall the response towards this workshop was truly encouraging with participation of over 100 participants. It only goes to show that Karnataka is well on its way to leading by example in the area of CST technologies.
