Energy Saving News
India Sets Energy Efficiency Targets for Industry
INDIA is to launch an energy efficiency scheme in April 2011 which targets the country’s most energy-intensive companies.
The scheme was announced by the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change and will be titled the “Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme”, announced at the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEE).
The scheme aims to fix specific energy consumption (SEC) targets and Energy Saving Certificates, or ESCerts, will be issued who exceed their energy saving performance goals. The ensuing credits could be sold to those who fail to meet the goals.
Ajay Mathur, director general of the Bureau of Energy efficiency (BEE), the implementing agency, said there are three main issues being discussed — “How do we measure? How do we set targets and how will the trading be done?”.
“There is no magic benchmark that everyone will have to reach. Industries will need to improve their energy efficiency by a certain percentage,” he said.
The scheme covers only energy efficiency targets, and does not include other sources of carbon emissions.
India has committed to 20-25 per cent carbon emission intensity cuts by 2020 on the 2005 levels. This would be done through a series of measures which include bringing in better energy efficiency standards, among others. NMEE is expected to enable about Rs 75,000 crore worth of transactions in energy efficiency. By 2015, it is envisaged that it will help save about 5 per cent of annual energy consumption and nearly 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.
BEE is working with clusters of small and medium industry where it is bringing in engineering consultants to identify what they can do. “So far, 25 clusters have been covered under the scheme,” said Mathur.
“Local consultants will get a business opportunity and so will the equipment vendor,” said Mathur. If this works as planned, a sustainable market would be created, he added. The scheme is expected to be implemented within this year and its replication over the next year.
Wednesday 7th April 2010
