“Make India Energy Efficient”; An initiative by the government

Energy efficiency is a very crucial part of development, especially for a country like India. India is the fourth largest energy consumer in the world.

But, it is not well equipped with energy resources, making efficiency in energy use extremely important.

It not only saves money but also helps the economy grow by creating more employment opportunities. Ecologically, it helps reduce pollution and enhances the quality of life.

We, as a responsible country, have realized the need to do the same.

Governments are now rethinking their respective energy policies and have begun to move to various forms of clean energy, such as renewable and nuclear energy.

An example of a successful energy efficiency program is the Government’s Unnat Jeevan By Affordable LEDs and Appliances for All (UJALA) scheme, implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL).

UJALA, the world’s largest zero-subsidy LED bulb program for domestic consumers is designed to help the country achieve sustainable development.

 What is EESL?

Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) was set up under the Ministry of Power to facilitate the implementation of energy efficiency projects.

EESL is an energy service company (ESCO) that seeks to unlock the energy efficiency market in India, estimated to be at US$12 billion.

It will potentially result in energy savings of up to 20 percent of current consumption. (EESL)

Recent Initiatives :

In a bid to create an energy-efficient India and to combat a cash crunch, the Rajasthan, government has decided to go green.

It has set a goal of achieving an estimated Rs 119 crore annual savings. The plan is to make all existing government buildings energy efficient.

The project requires a total investment of Rs 325 crore which is a huge amount.

As part of the Centre’s initiative to ‘Make India Energy Efficient’, the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), which is a joint venture of Public Sector Undertakings and the Union Power Ministry will implement the project, bearing the capital costs.

 EESL will install around 26,500 energy-efficient air-conditioners, 1.1 million LED lights, and 250,000 ceiling fans resulting in about 120 million unit savings — or around 48 percent reduction from baseline consumption. (The Free Press Journal)

The Public Works Department (PWD), which looks after the day-to-day maintenance of all government buildings, and the EESL will sign an agreement sometime soon to formalize the arrangement.

In the next two-three years, the EESL plans to bring investments of around Rs 1,000 crore covering more than 10,000 government and private buildings.

Similar projects in Maharashtra,  West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and New Delhi have been initiated by the EESL. 4,145 buildings have been identified and work has already been completed in 58 buildings.

Maharashtra’s promising projects are amongst one of the biggest initiatives by the EESL. In the first phase of the project, the plan is to take up buildings in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Amravati, Aurangabad, Nashik, and Kolhapur.

On 24^th October, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) partnered with EESL to reduce the overall energy consumption by 20-25% at its premises and its factories. It is an attempt to bring down carbon emissions.

They have collaborated for replacing LED lights with energy-efficient alternatives across 18 of its manufacturing facilities in India. So far, the installation is done and will save 20 million units of electricity per annum for the company.

EESL will most likely replace over 48,568 conventional street lights with LED lights in Gurugram. It would lead the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) to save approximately 13 million units of electricity annually. (Indian Express)

Furthermore, EESL will also implement the centralized control and monitoring system (CCMS) as a replacement for existing conventional streetlight units besides providing a minimum guarantee of savings of 45 to 55 percent to MCG.

In a span of three years, between 2012 and 2015, India managed to save a whopping Rs 47,185 crore in the form of energy savings. (Economic Times)

Even though India has been doing fairly well in this sector, there is a need to spread this initiative in every single state. As a matter of fact, only when there will be improvements in all the states collectively, we will be able to see an overall positive impact.