The article was really informative and there is a dire need for all of us to support and spread awareness about renewable energy.

I request all of you to show your support to renewable energy, take my survey and get your voice heard.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/renewableenergy

Thanks,
Sidharth

Thanks for sharing you knowledge on the sector. There are a whole lot of people out there who realize the need for alternative energy and its potential to address problems like energy sufficiency, global warming and creating sustainable livelihoods among many others.

I am eager to learn more on this and will write to you on email.

Best regards,

Dharmakirti

thankyou.

As I was reading your article word-by-word and the readers comment, I am greatly acknowledged and feel the voice of intellectuals to the degree of urgency towards enacting renewable policies in India. Sir, your article is yet another eye opening effort for industrial leaders, students, researchers and politician; of course if politician know what the article is all about!
I have also felt deep concern in the comments mentioned by Mr. Ramanathan Menon and articles by Dr. A. Jagadeesh. India is in dark harsh realities with crippling support for its infrastructural need and energy demand further worsen due to the global recession, slow down export growth, rise and fall of real estate, companies chasing for their profits, loss of jobs and services..etc. There are lot of issues and problems of 5000 year old civilization to talk about and we will never get rid of it!

In India,one key concern would be regarding the underdeveloped Institutional reforms in R & D capabilities in every sector. Just an example, if I compare the number of research or patent working in any given institution, in India and their real time value after successful implementation with that of foreign technical institutions, like here in Netherlands, working on industrial financed prototype technologies where chances of success is always high; think dreaming “India superpower” is a even unacceptable metaphor all together! Sir, your point towards strategy for comprehensive educational awareness and dicentralized model are good measures that common government and todays private sector can think off.

Energy is always needed by all, its nature to get consumed in any form makes it valuable commodity in the market. Efforts to generate Renewable Energy source in India is very limited (2-5%) despite its unrecognized potential by utility companies. We need Private Entrepreneurial policy to promote the ideas and work for it. Policy need not be meant as legislated by Government but rather driven by private sector or efforts by me or people sharing the views here. We desperately needs clean technology, carefully draft, evolved and evaluated with ideal market strategy. We know what we suppose to do, but we wont, unless somebody start doing!

We are still neo-liberal and classical in our approaches and believe that market economy has moderate role to play in catering burgeoning sectors of growth and population of India, that’s irony! therefore better solutions and good quality life hard to come by. As far as the private sectors are concerned, they are not insulated from external pressure of US OR EU, thus get recessed with the globalization. Our best friend US, when sneezes whole whole world gets cold!! And I am sure, with the President Obama encouraging sustainable and clean technologies to create jobs and high end services; I wont surprise, Indian corporation start following the same copying the policy and technology pathway!

Thanks for putting up facts. There is enough awareness on renewable energy all over. I would be happy if my article initiates brain storming at consumers, policy makers and research professionals levels.

Do write

Ravi Sopakar
Pune
renewableenergy at in.com

My hearty congratulations to you on a very informative and stimulating article. Pl. pursue the path and lead the movement. To most readers and respondents of the article, I assure that there is no cause for frustration. The simple reason is we depend upon the Government for everything in life! Quite a lot can be done to improve our Energy Supplies and better the present scenario by a cooperative effort with confidence. With a lot of well-meaning people around,let us work out ways of doing it and arriving at solutions to overcome the hurdles. It can be done. I am working on it and shall be delighted to interact in the direction of ENERGY EFFICIENCY.

B.S.Murty
e-mail: bsmurty2008[AT]rediffmail.com

Many thanks for sharing views.

Do inform me ur tel nos and email ids so we can communicate closely.

Regards

Ravi Soparkar
Pune
9325014999
renewableenergy at aol.in

Dr. A. Jagadeesh is a prominent solar energy promoter in India. Like me, he too has many frustrating stories to tell you as to how far the MNRE and the State nodal agencies who are supposed to promote new and renewable energy choices in the country are smart enough IN NOT COOPERATING with anybody who likes to promote the clean energy in the country.

Either the key officials are in a meeting (24X7) or their subordinates will tell you that they have no funds. But visit any of the conferences and seminars in the country, you will see how much is spent on champagne and 5-star buffet and how much food stuff is thrown into the waste bin when thousands of people go hungry without even having a single meal.From where the hell so much of money has come all of a sudden?

The bureaucrats and the elite scientists only talk, eat and merry while individuals like me and Dr.A. Jagadeesh or Mr. Soparkar remain as a frustrated and disappointed lot.

Ramanathan Menon

As a company manufacturing High powered LED Lighting systems ranging up to 1000 w equivalent Lamps and 40 w Tube Lights, currently the only Company in the country, we appreciate your article & simplicity with which you have addressed the on-going issues. Most importantly a guideline addressing to all interesting in Renewable Energy.

Mr Ramanathan, the points you have addressed to large extent are true, but do not hold against all manufacturers.
- Our entire investment model is based on passing complete Govt. subsidies & depreciation to the customer. We cater to Industrial and Commercial clients only. We offer ROI within 2 years on conventional power and 3 years on Solar.
- Large scale advertising can only be possible once companies can assure the quality of the products. Most Indian manufacturers import & sell Chinese products targeting home and retail segment. These products are not completely reliable.

We completely agree to your point of CleanTech companies are fighting a struggling battle with raising finance to scale the business, the least is from PSU Banks and Financial Institutions.

We are Mumbai based company with our office in Andheri (W). Please do pay us a visit. It will be an immense pleasure meeting you gentlemen, Mr. Soparkar and Mr. Ramanathan.

Warm regards

Sidhraj

ps: Please visit our website from more…

Can you send me your proposal about the small waste-to-electricity that you are talking to my email:
moothedathramanathan@gmail.com ? Thanks.

Ramanathan Menon

I appreciate your views and suggestions for power consumers, government and research professionals. Renewable energy have potential to improve economy of our country. Kindly do keep writing on Renewable Energy.

Subroto Bandopadyay
Kolkata, India

Shekhar Joshi
New Delhi India

Why the renewable energy sources are not progressing well in our country? The reasons are:

(1) The manufacturers and service providers are keen to grab the tax payers money through subsidies, large amount of loans with lowest interest rates, free land (later on they sell it to the real estate mafias), not providing any service-after-sales;

(2) The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy never keeps the public informed about the real benefits the public can get by going for renewable energy installations;

(3) The sops and benefits are not passed to the public who have installed renewable energy equipments with their own money or through bank loan (banks give only 70% of the amount on a 5% per annum interest charges spread into 5 years i.e. 60 installments);

(4) There are under cutting and unhealthy competitions among the manufacturers;

(5) The manufacturers don’t spend any amount towards advertisement and publicity outside their states;

(6) Except V-Gaurd, no mfrs. is advertising the renewable energy equipments through the television media;

(7) Wind Energy producers are the biggest scamsters in not only grabbing the land and selling it at premium rates but also enjoy all the perks the government is giving them but it never goes to the common man

(8) The State nodal agencies are eye-sore and they don’t promote the renewable energy at all;

(9) We need an assocition of renewable energy manufacturers and service providers to raise voice in the Parliament;

(10) There should be a uniformed price for solar lantern….if people buy it by paying a low price, the lantern will work only for a short time….and a common man can not afford to buy a solar lantern by paying Rs.3,500/-. Why can’t the government make it a practice to supply solar lanterns at a nominal charge to people in the villages like we get the gas cylinders;

(11) From a line man to the staff in the electricity board or substations earn extra money by fiddling with the power supply. If most of the public begin to use renewable energy sources, the electricity department people will lose their extra income. So, these people try all the tricks to discourage the growth of renewable energy sources in the country;

(12) Another lobby working against the promotion of renewable energy sources in the country, is the electrical items manufacturers….

(13) The Government could not make it strict and statutory to use the solar water heating at homes, hospitals, hotels, educational and technical institutions. They just announce new rules and regulations but fail to implement them.

(14) The carbon credit business encourages people to produce more pollution and earn out of it.

There are too many obstacles…..the recent one is the rock bottom price of the crude oil…..and the international lobby encouraging the use of coal or atoms to produce electricity…

Sun O’ Sun, though you are hot, without you the world will rot!!

Ramanathan Menon

I thank you and appreciate for your comments on my article. Today our country India is facing acute energy shortage, resulting in power shading from 4 to 10 hours every day at different places. We are suffering heavy production losses and unemployment. This is an attempt to accelerate momentum on Renewable Energy.

Political will and available technologies in ‘Renewable Energy’
can help us to

1. Overcome Energy Crisis forever

2. Employment possibility for over 10 million people in India.
(mostly in suburban and rural area)

3. Withstand global economic recession.

4. Resulting rise in overall productivity, making India a prosperous and powerful nation.

I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Regards

Ravi Soparkar
Soparkar House, 36/2 Kondhwa Budruk, Pune, 411048, India
+91 20 26934300, +91 9325014999
renewableenergy@aol.in