A two day national level training programme on 'Renewable Energy for Media Persons' was organised by WISE from 23 to 24 March 2005, at Hotel Le Meridien, Pune. For the first time ever, this kind of a programme was held in the country. The main objective was to expose the media to the right kind of information on renewable energy technologies, policy related issues, etc. As information providers, the media would require to play a pivotal role in disseminating up-to-date and factually correct scientific information to the people in a manner that would, besides generating awareness, create an environment for the transition to a renewable energy economy. Recognising the importance of such a positive initiative, the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES), New Delhi, came forward to sponsor the training programme. About 40 journalists and news persons from all over the country took part in the two day event.

The training programme was inaugurated by Padma Vibhushan Dr. Mohan Dharia, President, Vanarai. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Dharia said that besides food and water security, the major priority for the country today was energy security. Dr. Dharia urged for a transition to a renewable energy economy. The founder Director General of WISE, Mr. G.M. Pillai, in his welcome address, said that there was a need for 'across the table' interaction with the media for providing the right kind of information to them on renewable energy, and hence the programme. He said that he intends to offer such training to at least 300 media persons from all over the country with the support of the MNES and this training programme is the first step in that direction. The Director General of MEDA, Mr. Anil Diggikar who was the Chairperson at the inaugural function congratulated WISE in its efforts to promote renewable energy. The eminent speakers at the programme included Dr. Pramod Deo, Chairman, Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC), Mr. Praful Bidwai, eminent journalist, Dr. K. Vijay Mohanan, Senior Scientist, National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune, Dr Ajay Mathur, President, SenergyGlobal, New Delhi, etc. The presentations focused on the basics of renewable energy technologies, the need for energy conservation and the vital role of renewable energy in leading the country towards a sustainable future. A field visit to Suzlon Energy's wind farm in Supa, Ahmednagar was also organised, which proved to be an excellent learning experience for the participants, helping them gain first-hand knowledge on the working of the wind turbines.

The training programme ended with the valedictory function chaired by Dr. Pramod Deo, while the valedictory address was made by Mr. Praful Bidwai. Mr D S Malik, Director (Information & Public Awareness), MNES, while addressing the audience during the valedictory function, expressed his satisfaction at the succinct coverage of the entire gamut of topics on renewable energy in just two days. He urged WISE to conduct more such programmes in different parts of the country so as to reach a wider audience. The participants too expressed similar views.

As part of the ongoing national campaign to generate awareness and expose the media to the right kind of information on renewable energy, two training programmes were organised by WISE at Bangalore and Jaipur, following the first which was held in March 2005 at Pune. The entire campaign comprising around 10 programmes to be conducted all over the country, is sponsored by the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES), Government of India.

The second training programme, held at Bangalore from 7-8 October 2005 at the Nahar's Heritage Hotel, was inaugurated by A M Gokhale, Secretary, MNES. In his inaugural speech, Mr. Gokhale emphasised on the need for switching over to alternate sources of energy, as fossil fuels are predicted to come to an end by 2050! He also felt that downscaling renewable energy projects would raise efficiency and shorten the gestation time for projects. K P Pande, Chairman, Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) who chaired the inaugural ceremony, said that better technology needs to be developed to make non-conventional energy affordable. He urged the participants to present the sector in a more positive way and hoped that the training programme would help in this endeavour. Other dignitaries present at the inauguration were D S Malik, Director, I&PA, MNES, G M Pillai, Director General, WISE, and R V Kharul, Fellow WISE.

The eminent speakers at the programme included Ajit Gupta, Adviser, MNES, New Delhi, A S Karanth, CEO, B F Utilities, Pune, and N Rajalakshmi, Senior Scientist, Centre for Fuel Cell Technology, Chennai, etc. The topics dealt with included potential and prospects of grid-connected renewables, hydrogen energy economy, clean development mechanism, power sector reforms and renewables, etc. A field visit to Tata BP Solar, a leading solar equipment manufacturer was organised. The demonstration of Reva, the car that runs on rechargeable solar batteries, was greatly appreciated. At the valedictory session, N P Singh, Adviser, MNES, expressed his appreciation of the high quality of content and presentations.

The third training programme was held at Jaipur, from 25-26 November 2005, at the Rajasthan State Institute of Public Administration (HCM RIPA). The Chief Guest at the inaugural function was Rajeeva Swarup, CMD, Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation (RREC). In his presentation, Mr Swarup gave details of the overall scenario of renewable energy development in the country, laying special emphasis on Rajasthan's position in the wind energy sector. He opined that besides wind energy, biomass energy should be given high prominence because of its easy availability, high plant load factor and assured round-the-year energy output. The speakers included experts from the renewable energy sector such as, K P Sukumaran, Adviser, Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, New Delhi,  S P Gon Chaudhari, Director, West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency, Kolkata, Deepak Gadhia, Gadhia Solar Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd, Valsad, Gujarat, etc. The valedictory session was chaired by D S Malik, Director, I&PA, MNES. Feedback received from both the programmes was extremely positive, with participants appreciating WISE's efforts in designing such a training programme and highlighting the importance of the media in leading the country towards a new energy economy.

From the beginning, it was evident that the series of programmes on renewable energy for media persons has now gathered enough momentum. The wide coverage accorded to the earlier programme at Jaipur by many participating journalists and the collaboration with WBREDA, the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency, Kolkata, had a marked impact on the programme, particularly in the enthusiastic response from participants who turned up in large numbers.  

The proceedings began amidst the Energy Education Park's well-equipped auditorium, which was surrounded by a number of exhibits and working models that illustrated the principles behind a number of renewable energy devices. Sunil Mitra, Principal Secretary, Department of Power and Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Govt of West Bengal, inaugurated the workshop and delivered a keynote address that summed up the state's energy future.  

As is customary, the Course Director, Rajendra Kharul of WISE, began by introducing the participants to the varied units of measurement used in connection with generation and consumption of power by means of different sources and devices. Dr A K Singhal of the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, put the abstract concepts of renewable energy into concrete terms by means of a very well-illustrated presentation. He showed how renewable energy is harnessed to meet the energy needs in urban, commercial, and industrial sectors

Debdut Ghoshthakur, Chief Reporter, Anandabazar Patrika, Kolkata, appealed to his fellow journalists to make special efforts to keep readers well-informed about renewable energy. His account of his own experience in covering the news must have been inspiring, going by the coverage accorded to the programme and to renewable energy subsequently. Mr Majumdar, Managing Director, IREDA, explained to the participants how government policy plays a pivotal role in the development of renewable energy. His talk, full of relevant examples, provided many insights, including the apparent willingness of people to pay a substantially higher price for convenience – the unit price of electricity supplied by means of a battery in a wristwatch, for instance – as well as reliability and quality.

S P Gon Chaudhuri, Director, WBREDA, explained the concept of mini-grids powered by renewable sources of energy, and described how the technology has transformed the lives of people in the Sunderbans in West Bengal.

As before, different speakers, all of them speaking from first-hand experience, acquainted the participants with the rich potential of renewable sources of energy as well their limitations in a series of interactive sessions. From the feedback received from participants and faculty, it was clear that the series of training programmes for the media serves a useful purpose, and WISE hopes to continue it by holding similar programmes in Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Guwahati, and Thiruvananthapuram in the months ahead.  

The series has been sponsored by the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, New Delhi.

The World Institute of Sustainable Energy (WISE) organised a one-day seminar on 'A Renewable Energy Law for India', at The Imperial, New Delhi, on 25 August 2005. Supported by the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES), Government of India, the seminar was organised in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre.  

WISE sought the help of the National Law School of India University in Bangalore, particularly of CEERA, the law school's Centre for Environmental Law, Education, Research and Advocacy, to prepare the Draft Renewable Energy Law for India. It is in the process of pursuing the Draft Law to its logical conclusion viz. adoption by the Indian Parliament.

The seminar was inaugurated by Mr Vilas Muttemwar, Hon'ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Govt. of India. Other important dignitaries who graced the inauguration ceremony were, Mr A.M. Gokhale, Secretary, Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES), Govt. of India; Justice Kuldip Singh, former Judge of the Supreme Court of India and Chairman, Delimitation Commission of India, New Delhi; Justice Ashok A Desai, former Chief Justice of Uttaranchal High Cour; Mr Ramesh Kymal, Managing Director, NEG-Micon (I) Pvt Ltd, and Chairman, Renewable Energy Council, CII-Godrej GBC; and Mr G M Pillai, founder Director General, WISE. Mr Muttemwar said it was imperative that an exclusive Act was put in place for the growth and development of the renewable energy sector and appreciated the initiative taken by WISE. Speaking on the occasion, Mr A M Gokhale said that there was need to downscale projects as this raised efficiency and shortened the gestation time for projects.

In his address, Justice Kuldip Singh said renewable energy needed to be promoted to meet India's rural energy needs as it was sustainable and pollution free. "The draft Renewable Energy Act needs to address all stakeholders in the power sector rather than just the government," he added. Justice Ashok A Desai, in his keynote address, opined that while developing renewable energy sources, it was necessary to evaluate and address risks. In order to propagate the use of renewable energy, it was necessary to develop the minds of the people. While addressing the distinguished gathering, Mr Ramesh Kymal called for a paradigm shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, to achieve a share of 20 per cent to 25 per cent of energy from renewables, by 2030. For this, it was imperative to enact the Renewable Energy legislation in India, he opined. In his welcome address, Mr G M Pillai said that the draft Renewable Energy Law for India charted a road map for energy independence. "It had been distilled from the experiences of other countries, especially Germany, Czech Republic, and China. It goes beyond just electricity, adopting a market-based approach rather than a subsidy-based model, to encourage the growth of renewable energy in India," he said.

The outcome of the seminar was the constitution of a special working group which would work towards refining the draft law, based on the suggestions of the speakers at the seminar, other individuals and organisations. The working group will also devise a strategy for advocacy of the legislation for its subsequent adoption by the parliament.

WISE recently conducted an induction training programme for wind power professionals, from 17-26 October 2005, at its office premise.  The first of its kind, the programme offered custom design training to new and in-service managerial staff from the Indian wind industry, with the objective of promoting the growth and development of the wind power sector in the country. About 25 participants from NEG Micon (I) Pvt. Ltd., and Uttaranchal Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA) took part in the ten day training programme. Conducted by renowned faculty and industry experts, the programme  elicited a positive response from the participants, who were highly appreciative of the content and presentation of the programme. The field trip organised by WISE to Asia's biggest wind farm at Vankusawade in Satara district of Maharashtra, proved to be a good learning experience for the participants.