Small efforts could make big difference. The digital flow of information has bridged geographical barriers. The lessons learnt in one country could be replicated in energy sector in India. The policy makers in India could take a leaf from Cook Islands to meet the energy requirements of rural communities living in remote locations in India.
Cook Islands’ Prime Minister Henry Puna announced sometime ago that the small Pacific island country would produce 50 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2015 and 100 percent by 2020. The location is far away. The size is small. But the initiative could become a replicable model. The micro generation of power could be an appropriate energy solution for small population with limited demand for energy.
Cook Islands consist of an archipelago of 15 volcanic islands with a land area of 240 sq km and a population of 19,000 people. It depends almost on imported fuels like most other Pacific countries. The policy shift in energy solutions is significant, even though the success so far has been modest. The important point to note is that the country has realised that fossil fuels make little sense when nature has given them abundance of sunshine and wind to meet their energy needs.
The demand for energy is obviously small. Plans are afoot to set up a two-MW solar plant at Aitutaki. It would serve the needs of a population of 2000 people. A two-MW wind power station would be erected at Rarotonga, where Cook’s majority of people live. The plant has received assistance from the Asian Development Bank. What’s interesting, they are not isolated cases. Similar renewable energy initiatives could be seen all over the Pacific.
In Solomon Islands, the electricity for over 300 people living on the island of Santa Ana is supplied by 50 solar home systems. A solar cum bio-fuel hybrid system meets the requirements of Guadalcanal’s only health centre in Aola. A year ago, Nauru introduced household solar lighting. The streetlights at its capital Yaren are powered by solar energy. New Caledonia has shifted to wind power. Solar cookers and LED are becoming increasingly popular at Kiribati.
The scenario at Fiji is equally inspiring. The Fiji government aims to meet 90 per cent of the country’s electricity needs from renewable energy sources by 2012. A wind farm, with 37 turbines, has been erected on the main island of Viti Levu, supplying 10 Mw of electricity through a power grid. In a bid to encourage more such initiatives, Fiji Development Bank has announced a lending programme for individuals and groups. To build a pool of skilled professionals, Fiji National University’s College of Engineering, Science and Technology offers a bachelor’s degree in renewable energy technologies.
India could see private initiatives soon. A Germany-based NRI scientist Amal Mukhopadhyay, chief of Hanseatic India Forum e.V. based in Hamburg, plans to set up three solar-powered health centres in Sunderbans in West Bengal with an estimated cost of 45,000 euros. "In remote villages in India, particularly in Sunderbans, many children, men and women die because of snake-bite and non-availability of anti-snake-venom serum. The solar-powered health centres will help store such life-saving medicines," says Mukhopadhyay. The renewable energy is no longer a fad.
Cook Islands’ Prime Minister Henry Puna announced sometime ago that the small Pacific island country would produce 50 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2015 and 100 percent by 2020. The location is far away. The size is small. But the initiative could become a replicable model. The micro generation of power could be an appropriate energy solution for small population with limited demand for energy.
Cook Islands consist of an archipelago of 15 volcanic islands with a land area of 240 sq km and a population of 19,000 people. It depends almost on imported fuels like most other Pacific countries. The policy shift in energy solutions is significant, even though the success so far has been modest. The important point to note is that the country has realised that fossil fuels make little sense when nature has given them abundance of sunshine and wind to meet their energy needs.
The demand for energy is obviously small. Plans are afoot to set up a two-MW solar plant at Aitutaki. It would serve the needs of a population of 2000 people. A two-MW wind power station would be erected at Rarotonga, where Cook’s majority of people live. The plant has received assistance from the Asian Development Bank. What’s interesting, they are not isolated cases. Similar renewable energy initiatives could be seen all over the Pacific.
In Solomon Islands, the electricity for over 300 people living on the island of Santa Ana is supplied by 50 solar home systems. A solar cum bio-fuel hybrid system meets the requirements of Guadalcanal’s only health centre in Aola. A year ago, Nauru introduced household solar lighting. The streetlights at its capital Yaren are powered by solar energy. New Caledonia has shifted to wind power. Solar cookers and LED are becoming increasingly popular at Kiribati.
The scenario at Fiji is equally inspiring. The Fiji government aims to meet 90 per cent of the country’s electricity needs from renewable energy sources by 2012. A wind farm, with 37 turbines, has been erected on the main island of Viti Levu, supplying 10 Mw of electricity through a power grid. In a bid to encourage more such initiatives, Fiji Development Bank has announced a lending programme for individuals and groups. To build a pool of skilled professionals, Fiji National University’s College of Engineering, Science and Technology offers a bachelor’s degree in renewable energy technologies.
India could see private initiatives soon. A Germany-based NRI scientist Amal Mukhopadhyay, chief of Hanseatic India Forum e.V. based in Hamburg, plans to set up three solar-powered health centres in Sunderbans in West Bengal with an estimated cost of 45,000 euros. "In remote villages in India, particularly in Sunderbans, many children, men and women die because of snake-bite and non-availability of anti-snake-venom serum. The solar-powered health centres will help store such life-saving medicines," says Mukhopadhyay. The renewable energy is no longer a fad.
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