It was recently announced that as part of promoting non-conventional energy sources, residences of Tamil Nadu Ministers and members of the State Assembly will soon get solar water heaters.
In a recent debate on the demands for grants for the Energy Department, officials stated that the Government has sanctioned Rs. 2 crore (USD 467,290) for that purpose. It was also announced that Tamil Nadu was likely to get foreign investments to the tune of Rs.160,000 crore (USD 37 Billion) if the Centre allows the setting up of power projects in the State. Over 25 companies from abroad have submitted proposals to generate 40,000 MW of power in Tamil Nadu, which would help the State Electricity Board to receive an additional revenue of Rs.3,000 crore (USD 696 million) per annum in lieu of "feeding charges" from those Companies.
It was further announced that there would be no power cuts in Tamil Nadu this summer. In a bid to make the State fully energised, it has also been proposed that power connections should be provided to 80 villages located in hilly areas of the State which hithertofore had no power supply. Non-conventional energy sources would be used to provide power connections in such villages.
Other than the free solar water heaters for the politicians and non-conventional energy sources for the 80 villages, it is difficult to understand just how prominent non-conventional energy sources will be in the electricity power plans of this State. If there is one thing this State has a surfeit of, its SUNSHINE:
In this respect its quite extraordinary that solar and non-conventional power sources do not, thus far, play any sort of significant role in this District. Several ashrams and private homes have solar photovoltaic panels and solar powered water heaters but other than that there is a glaring deficiency in promoting solar and non-conventional energy systems in this District.
We at least have a environment-friendly battery operated motorcyle dealership (e-bikes) in Tiruvannamalai and other than that one needs to go to Pondicherry or Chennai to purchase alternative and non conventional energy systems.
