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.
