Following the atomic energy plant crisis in Japan and ahead of the global conference on wind-power in Chennai, there are fresh demands in the city to promote renewable energy by offering lower interest on loans to stakeholders in the renewable energy industry. The stress this time is as much as on clean energy as safe energy.
Lowering of interest reates would allow fuller tapping of renewable energy sources, stakeholders in the city, who have been seeking more sops for the renewable energy industry, claim.
"We are aware of potential risks in nuclear energy generation. Countries like Germany have postponed commissioning of their nuclear power plants for now. In India, we need lower interest rates to help realise the renewable enery potential," said the founder and Director General of the World Institute of Sustainable Energy (WISE), Pune, G M Pillai. WISE released a wind-power factsheet on Thursday ahead of the two-day global conference on wind-power, set to begin on April 7.
In India, companies were not getting a conducive climate to fully tap renewable energy sources as they should, said Pillai stressing that Pillai China was buying coal blocks heavily. Pillai said this has increased the role renewable energy could play in India and therefore interest on loans for the renewable energy industry should be brought down from 13-15 per cent.
He didn't disclose the difference in cost of nuclear power and renewable power. Instead, he said wind-power was cheaper and cleaner. "Australia and Indonesia are among major coal exporters, but coal prices in Australia are higher than in India. China is already contracting huge coal reserves. That is where wind energy can play a major role."
Chairman and Managing Director, Suzlon Energy, Tulsi R Tanti, said investments in renewable energy, particularly wind, have become important to protect the environment. Mentioning resistance from local community against acquisition of land for wind energy plants, he said the government needs to be more supportive. "Investment in wind energy leads to creation of green jobs," he said.
S R Chaudri, General Manager of the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA), said earlier there was opposition to windmills among people who felt it will bring down rainfall but these issues have been overcome. "Wind energy contributes the major part of renewable energy in Maharashtra," he said.
The statement by WISE said the country's cumulative installed wind capacity is 13 GW as on December 2010, which will reach 64 MW by 2020.
