Regional Dailies

Manipal: Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) Chief General Manager A.A. Khatana said on Monday that impetus should be given to renewable energy sources to meet the power requirements of the country.

He was inaugurating a workshop on financing energy efficiency projects here.

Mr. Khatana said the installed power generating capacity in the country as on March 31 was 1.20 lakh MW. Of this, the share of thermal power was 81,000 MW, hydel power 30,000 MW, nuclear power 30,000 MW and renewable power 6,000 MW. Energy efficiency provided tremendous benefits as it reduced energy bills, increased competitiveness and productivity, improved quality and augmented profits. It eases import burden and helps conserve limited resources.

From 1901 to 1950, there was a shift from coal to oil as a source of energy and from 1951 to 2000 the shift was from oil to natural gas. It is forecast that from 2001 to 2050, the focus will be on natural gas and renewable energy, while from 2051 to 2100, the emphasis will be on sustainable energy.

The immediate energy strategy should focus on rationalising efficiency in generation, on reduction in distribution losses and on promoting energy standards. The long-term energy strategy should focus on better utilisation of resources.