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Energy Management Centre (EMC) under the Department of Power, Kerala, the first state-level organisation formed to exclusively promote energy conservation, has completed 25 years prompting the Department of Posts to release a Special Cover and a ‘My Stamp’ to mark the occasion.
Sayeed Rashid, Director, Postal Services, released the commemorative instruments in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at his official residence here. Among those present were Saurabh Jain, Secretary, Power; R Harikumar, Director, and Subhash Babu BV, Registrar, EMC; Anjana M, Superintendent of Post Offices; and Sony SN, Marketing Executive.
Significant strides made
Harikumar said Kerala has been able to make significant strides in energy conservation during the past five years. The latest recognition came when it led other states and Union Territories in the first edition of the State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index brought out jointly by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and NITI Aayog.
The state has made savings of 4,100 million units based on conservative estimates during the last five years. Savings accruing in the last year alone amounted to 581 million units. This would mean that the state was able to put on hold investments otherwise required to add 90 MW to its installed capacity. On the other hand, EMC’s efforts with small and micro hydel projects have helped add 20.5 MW to the installed capacity.
Investment required to saving a megawatt in installed capacity through conservation measures amounts to no more than a tenth of that needed for commissioning a new project for adding the same to such capacity. Another major achievement has been that the Kerala State Energy Conservation (Building Code) Rules have come to be included in the Kerala Panchayat Building Rules.
Savings help pare non-Plan spend
There is already a campaign to install energy-saving LED lights, energy efficient fans and air-conditioners in government buildings, hospitals, civil stations and those owned by the local self-government bodies as also LED streetlamps. Maintenance costs with these lamps are negligible which also help cut down non-Plan expenditure.
Tangible gains from commissioning a ‘visible’ solar plant or a wind farm offers a striking contrast with the ‘inconspicuous’ advantage flowing from replacing an inefficient air-conditioner. Savings made in the latter come to light only in the monthly electricity bills, Harikumar said. This is mostly the pattern associated with energy conservation but yields significant gains on an accruing basis.
Some of the ambitious projects being proposed by the EMC include an LED testing laboratory, an e-platform for selecting energy-efficient equipment and building material, marketing of energy-efficient equipment through the Oorja Mitra Centres, and empanelment of building energy efficiency experts, Harikumar said.