Renewables 2004

Please refer my earlier posted base document "Fusion of Positive Energies" drawing attention to the people's solidarity initiatives in renewable energy and India's critical role in it. Unfortunately, it seems that the Indian RE administrator and govt-controlled establishment of Nodal Agencies, etc are far too inward-looking and a perspective change is very essential.

The programme of Renewables 2004 is pasted below this message for your reference. It is a culmination of a global process of peoples support for RE and for developing countries to apply pressure on the developed world, which has been responsible for the GHG emissions, which has dumped inappropriate solutions at high cost and debt burden on the 3rd world.

I would appreciate the Indian media particularly the EPW taking this seriously and tracking this event, preferably with a issue focus after the ensuing summit and features at regular review intervals.

Beginning with JREC, followed by the CURES Declaration and now at this summit, the agenda will be now to put place a mechanism to assist, monitor and guide the incorporation of clean and effective RE technologies by the developed world for the benefit of the developing one.

India's RE experience has been a lesson to both the developing and developed world. As a proving ground and model in its 30 year old program going back to 1974-75, its present power generation levels at nearly 4000 MW from solar, wind, microhydel and biomass as well as its 2012 projection at 10680. India can play a technical experts' role to the entire developing world and stem the infusion of 'recycled' inefficient products and systems that cost the beneficiary industry dearly besides imposing a large debt burden, in the form of gigantic outdated windmills and hydro-turbines, high-power photovoltaics and inefficient (re-modelled marine) engine-driven generators re-adapted from their earlier dubious avatars.

Indian industry includes about 100 SSI units manufacturing solar-thermal absorber panels, water-heating systems for homes and industry, the hugely popular absorptive solar cookers, solar lanterns, biomass gassifier-generators, micro-hydro-electric generators and small-power windmills. These are over-shadowed by two giants promoted by influential local industrialists through JVs with Macs, in the form of Tata BP the world's largest solar products manufacturer and Suzlon among the top 5 wind-mill manufacturers. The public sector has a residual presence due to the earlier tight protection given to PSUs in photovoltaics.

The former industry has come up through in-house R&D, very limited Nodal Agency backed assistance and marketing, lot of local talent and risk-taker local entrepreneurs. Despite the original and appropriate products, the further assistance required through enhanced R&D facilities, access to more raw materials from overseas where needed and a better marketing infrastructure to upscale their production and cover larger populations, is being choked by our bureaucracy against the large packaged offers of ineffective over-priced equipment with finance. In many cases, these are sanctioned by ministries not related to the MNES. A lot of such situations would be redressed, as the CURES mechanism will require compliance to transparency and accountability norms.

The EPW can play a part here, as can the rest of the Indian media, by covering and highlighting these issues, not necessarily what I have written of them.

Regards
Udit Chaudhuri

MAXIMISE YOUR MILLIWATT
http://microPower.blogspot.com


renewables 2004


June 1 to 4, 2004

The International Conference for Renewable Energies, Bonn 2004 - renewables 2004 - will be held in Bonn, Germany, from June 1 to 4, 2004.

From June 1 to 4, 2004, Germany will host the International Conference for Renewable Energies, as announced by German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2002 in Johannesburg. renewables 2004 will lend further impetus to the dynamic process launched in Johannesburg for the global development of renewable energy. It will also take up and add to the momentum generated by the coalition of like-minded countries for promotion of renewable energy (known as the Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition, JREC).

Currently, conference participants are expected to address the following themes in particular:
Financing (instruments) and market development
Formation of enabling political framework conditions
Capacity building (education, research, networks, cooperation, etc.)
These will be treated in a country-specific context.


Additional information:
contact: International Conference for Renewable Energies, B
e_mail: info@renewables2004.de
internet: http://www.renewables2004.de