Saturday September 29, 02:22 AM
Germans offer tech in renewable energy
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By Economy Bureau
West Bengal is trying to attract German technology and investment in the renewable energy and clean coal technology sector, especially in the production of power from coal-bed methane (CBM) or mine gas. A delegation of businessmen and government officials from the German state of North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) was here to link up with local companies via the government in renewable energy technology. Out of the 100,000mw of power produced globally from renewable sources, barring hydroelectricity, Germany accounts for nearly 30 per cent. SP Gon Chaudhuri, director of the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA), said prominent companies like CESC had shown interest in procuring German technology for generating power from methane gas. Other companies like Exide expressed interest for collaboration in the solar energy sector. Apart from government officials, around 60 Indian and eight German companies took part in the deliberations. "There have been healthy interactions between the two sides," said Gon Chaudhuri. Dr Volkhard Riechmann, head of the department of energy, climate protection and mining in the economic affairs and energy ministry of NRW, said: "Funding from Germany would depend upon the extent of cooperation between the two countries. In Vietnam, we have initiated a lot of projects, on a 50:50 partnership basis. We have provided the technology and the infrastructure, and Vietnamese companies have been responsible for maintaining them. The same could be done in West Bengal." The German delegation, headed by Riechmann, also met power minister Mrinal Banerjee. Reportedly, the two sides talked about greater cooperation in exploring the possibility of producing power from CBM, and also agreed on conducting an assessment study in the state, with the participation of German companies and Indian companies like Coal India Ltd. "We are aiming to produce 500mw of power from renewable energy sources in the state by 2015. There has been an investment of Rs 1200 crore by the private sector in this field in the past three years, and in the next five years we would see at least Rs 5,000 crore of additional investment, including in the manufacture of equipment," said Gon Chaudhuri. Gon Chaudhuri said India's power forecast and plans for 2030 would leave a gap of around 1,50,000mw after investments in thermal, hydel and nuclear energy. This would have to be met from renewable energy sources like solar, wind and biomass.
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