By IANS,
Patna : Electricity-starved Bihar has the potential to develop a microgrid network that functions in clusters and is completely powered by locally available renewable energy resources, says a report “Smart Energy Access” by Greenpeace India.
The report was released here Tuesday by Bihar Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav at the business conclave, “Energy Revolution Bihar – The Renewable Energy Way”.
Samit Aich, executive director, Greenpeace India, said: “Bihar has enormous energy deficit which is a major challenge for the growth of the state. However, it has the potential to become a power-surplus state with a strong focus on development of renewable energy.”
The business conclave brought together industry leaders, policy think-tanks, investors and energy experts from across the country to suggest various ways to bring the state out of the power crisis.
It discussed innovative and implementable models of decentralised renewable energy. It also suggested a strong and enabling regulatory framework to attract investment in the renewable energy sector in the state.
Manish Ram, analyst, renewable energy and co-author of the report, Greenpeace India, said: “Microgrids can offer reliable and cost competitive electricity services, providing a viable alternative to the conventional top down approach of extending grid services.
“The microgrid approach is ‘smart’ because it can facilitate the integration of renewable energy, thereby contributing to national renewable energy uptake. In addition, it can reduce transmission targets due to generation being close to where demand is.”
Greenpeace urged the Bihar government to focus on integrated energy planning based on cluster-based development.
While speaking at the conclave, Ramapati Kumar, Head-Renewable Energy at Greenpeace India advocated for a strong policy based on the state-wide network of decentralised energy plants (standalone and micro-grids), developed with the support of state government agencies in collaboration with private entrepreneurs.
“The government should work towards a strong feeding tariff support mechanism (FTSM) policy to support a large-scale deployment of renewable energy in Bihar,” he said.