The Government of Kerala will hold a 3-day conference on renewable energy with an objective to “sketching the road ahead for the renewable energy sector in the state".

The ‘Save Power Show’ conference-cum-exhibition event, to be be held in Kochi between March 2 and 4, is the “first-of-its-kind knowledge sharing platform" in Kerala. The event is being organised by AOJ Media.

Announcing this in Chennai on Tuesday at a gathering of solar power developers, the Director of the Agency For Non-conventional Energy And Rural Technology, ANERT, M. Jayaraju, noted that the conference was very timely for two major reasons. First, the State is in the grip of an energy crisis, with the peak power deficit having gone beyond 1,600 MW and the state electricity utility bleeding on account of having to purchase high cost power from the market to supply to consumers. Second, the state has just unveiled an ambitious "10,000 rooftop solar plant" programme and is working towards following it up with another 25,000 rooftop programme. ANERT also has a few other renewable energy programmes on the drawing board.

‘Save Power Show’ will be a good platform to discuss these and will mainly address questions such as "how to avert the looming power crisis" and "how the renewable energy sector is shaping up in the state".

The event is being organised by AOJ Media.

Madhavan Nampoothiri, Director, RESolve Energy Consultants, who are the knowledge partners for the meeting, observed that the people of Kerala were affluent, thanks partly to the remittances from the Keralite diaspora around the world. As such it would not be an issue for them to spend on rooftop solar plants, for the reward of uninterrupted electricity supply.

It was also pointed out at the meeting that the Government of Kerala has hiked the tariffs for high-level consumption—for consumption more than 300 units, the tariff is Rs 15 a unit. Against this, rooftop solar plants make eminent economic sense.

ramesh.m@thehindu.co.in