more power than it did in 1957 , the number of consumers has increased by a massive 100-fold .
“ At this rate our power deficit will only widen in the future . If we cannot address the issues of energy availability and pricing urgently , we are heading for an even bigger crisis ,” he said . “ We have projects with total capacities of around 700MW still awaiting environmental clearances . Environment is a genuine concern and we must do all we can to minimize the impact on it , but it is vital that these energy projects get off the ground if we are to sustain development .”
He said solar and wind energy , as well as other nonconventional sources also needed to be explored , but there are limitations to overcome for Kerala in this area in terms of land availability , population density and financial viability .
“ However , if the 84 lakh domestic consumers in Kerala install rooftop solar power units of at least 1-2 kWh each , we can significantly reduce the load on our grids . These are solutions we must consider seriously ,” Shri Aryadan Mohammed added .
At the start of the workshop , Shri . Manu Puri , Principal , Energy and Utilities , Accenture , set the theme for the workshop by listing out the energy options before Kerala including gasfired plants , coal-based stations , hydroelectric power , solar energy , wind power , biofuels , energy from waste and nuclear power .
He said the current overdependence on hydel power which is in turn reliant on seasonal rains can be damaging for Kerala in the future . “ There is a dire need for the state to look at a more diverse mix , particularly sustainable power sources such as solar and biomass ,” he said . “ If Kerala utilizes all the resources available and takes advantage of its geography it can have sustained , uninterrupted electricity year-round and become a power surplus state .”
Shri K S Sreenivas , Secretary ( Industries ) delivered the welcome address . KSIDC Managing Director Shri Tom Jose was among the dignitaries present at the workshop .
In the first session of the workshop , Shri Preman Dinaraj , Director ( Finance ), Nuclear Power Corporation of India , made a presentation on Energy Security from a national and state perspective . He said India needs to have sustained growth of 7-8 % in the coming years which means power generation has to www . metromartdaily . com July 2013 57