The
7th training programme on renewable energy for media persons was
held in Guwahati on 3 – 4 November 2006 at the North-Eastern Regional
Centre of the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD).
The press in north-eastern India was well represented and they
filed enthusiastic stories which appeared in all major local dailies,
including The Assam Tribune and The Sentinel, as well as mainstream
national dailies.
The
programme was inaugurated by V Subramanian, Secretary, Ministry
of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, who made a sincere
appeal to the press to highlight achievements and draw attention
to shortcomings as far as the renewable energy programme in the
country is concerned. Mr. Subramanian, in what was probably the
first public event to be held after the ministry's change of name
from, the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES),
to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), explained
that the rationale behind the change is to first, remove the negative
connotation associated with the prefix 'non' and, second, to emphasise
the organisation's focus on energy and not simply sources. The
ministry focuses on energy and not merely electricity, and the
Secretary hoped that by the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan, the
contribution of renewable energy will amount to 12,000 to 13,000
MW, although its relative share may drop because of much greater
contributions from such conventional forms of energy as coal.
Concluding on a philosophical note, Mr Subramanian said that it
should be a matter of pride to generate energy from renewable
sources – its value is far greater than its price.
A
number of speakers, all of whom had made substantial contributions
to promoting renewable energy in the north-east, shared their
insights with the participants. Anuj Goswami, 7TH MEDIA TRAINING
PROGRAMME: THE SERIES CONTINUES Deputy Director (Engineering),
Assam Electricity Regulatory Commission, elaborated how different
sources of renewable energy relate to actually improving the power
scene in the North-East. Nandita Hazarika, Executive Director,
EcoSystems-India, shared valuable insights she had gained from
years of first-hand experience in the field, and emphasised that
the capacity of any renewable energy device should be carefully
matched to the site's potential. P C Sarma, Secretary, North-Eastern
Renewable Energy Development Initiative, spoke on solar energy,
explaining solar and thermal applications of energy. A trio from
the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, talked about their
respective areas of expertise: Dr Arup Kumar Sarma summed up the
pros and cons of small and large dams; Dr V S Moholkar made a
strong case for biomass and Dr A K Das showed how pedal power
– perhaps the most basic form of renewable energy – coupled with
design expertise and commitment can transform the lives of the
poor.
The
second day began with a field trip: the participants not only
attended the function organised by the Assam Energy Development
Agency to dedicate the state energy park to the nation but also
saw for themselves many renewable energy devices in action. Back
at NIRD, its Director, Dr N Upadhyay, challenged the conventional
wisdom that media persons should confine themselves to reporting,
and appealed them to be crusaders for renewable energy, particularly
for villages. His talk served as a fitting introduction to what
came next: an admirable blend of technical information and impassioned
appeal by S P Gon Chaudhuri, Director, West Bengal Renewable Energy
Development Agency, that not only contributed to increased understanding
among the participants of the potential of renewable energy but
also made them aware of its key role in economic development of
rural India. K C Dhimole, Executive Director, Arunachal Pradesh
Rural Roads Development Agency, recounted his long and illustrious
career in renewable energy and chose to brief the participants
about the potential of wind in north-eastern India.
The
event generated a great deal of enthusiasm, and the participants
as well as the faculty warmly thanked MNRE and WISE for the initiative
in organising such a programme in the North-East, the potential
of which, everybody felt, is often ignored.
