The Hindu Business Line : South Asian initiative for energy project proposals

THE Small Grants Programme of the South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy Cooperation and Development (SARI/Energy) will soon launch the third round of request for proposals (RFPs) for projects that encourage regional cooperation in South Asia on issues of mutual concern in the energy sector.

Earlier this year, IT-based energy management systems developed by the Energy Management Centre (EMC), an autonomous body under the Government of Kerala, had been selected under the programme.

The Small Grants Programme is overseen by Winrock International, a US-based non-profit organisation in partnership with Winrock International India, based in New Delhi, and the Institute of International Education (IIE), Washington, under a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Speaking to Business Line here, Dr P. Venkata Ramana, Director, Clean Energy Group, Winrock International, said the Small Grant Programme (SGP) was instituted in May 2003 and originally programmed to run till May of 2005.

But fresh funds have been made available for the programme and it will now run till September 2005. Projects selected under the programme, which are eligible for a grant of up to $20,000 each on an average, run for up to a maximum of one year.

A review session scheduled in New Delhi for September 4 and 5, will study the results of projects selected under the first round. They qualify themselves for being considered by funding agencies for onward propagation and replication by peers.

"SGP is a programme to provide seed money for demonstrating a particular idea, a particular approach or a particular practice. Once demonstrated, you can choose it to publicise it and propagate it, so that it is accepted and replicated by other partners", Dr Ramana said.

The SARI/Energy grants are awarded on a competitive basis to local not-for-profit organisations for implementing initiatives that foster co-operative energy research and outreach in South Asia.

These should be able to address regional trade issues and barriers and/or common critical problems and challenges facing the energy sector in the region. Eligible countries include India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Nepal

The project submitted by EMC aims to develop and create model installations of IT-based energy management systems in the traditional rice milling industries in India and Sri Lanka. Its objective is to reduce energy-related operating costs of these mills and improve productivity through reduced rejections and better quality output. This would ultimately help enhance profitability and viability of traditional small and medium industry sectors in India and Sri Lanka.

To be completed and delivered by March next year, the project seeks to place a premium on achieving the avowed aim of reducing energy consumption, which would directly contribute to reduction in green house gas emissions.

SARI covers a whole range of energy options, including oil and gas and renewable energy. For instance, India has well-developed energy system unlike what is obtained in many of the SAARC countries. Sri Lanka is doing very well in hydro and small hydro. The idea is to learn from each other and share expertise in order to strengthen regional energy systems.