looking for viable an alternate of conventional grid based power supply lines, especially in un-served and under served localities of the State, agencies like Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED), Jharkhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (JREDA) and the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation sat with stakeholders in order to strengthen the draft mini-grid policy 2018 for Jharkhand.
The idea which is aimed to localise the entire electricity supply infrastructure starting from power generation to distribution, tariff generation, revenue collection has been rolled out in some pockets of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Although an amicable and acceptable to all model is yet to be found out which attracted attention of the policy makers.
“It may be very challenging for mini grid players to interact with the Government and its power related agencies since they are already overloaded with work. It is basically building a parallel system that needs sizable contributions from all quarters,” said Arvind Prasad, Chairperson of Jharkhand State Electricity Regularity Commission (JSERC) on Thursday.
He went on adding that policy formulation exercise was a positive step in the direction of regulating the mini-grid sector which would offer excellent opportunities for private investment in the realm of rural electrification through renewable energy and lauded the localised system as great means to ensure electricity generation closer to use which can totally transform the rural economy.
The consultation ‘Energising Access in Jharkhand: Empowering through Mini-grids’ was to provide an opportunity to seek inputs from key stakeholders and advocate for the policy framework in this regard in the State. At present around 13 villages mostly in Gumla-lohardaga belt are being provided power through mini grids which source power in sustainable ways from solar, biomass or mini-hydro plants. The smaller grids, experts felt, are a workable solution when main grid is unavailable due to far flung locations, expected to cause transmission and distribution losses on its higher side, i.e. 40 per cent or above.
“The proposed policy would help Jharkhand to realise the vision for ‘energy access to all’, said JREDA Director Niranjan Kumar. He also underlined the role JREDA can play in this direction. “The agency working towards renewable energy in the State is committed to the development of mini-grids. It is important to realise the Government’s target of providing quality electricity supply to rural households. With this policy, we wish to address the issue of rural electrification through a decentralised approach and to help remove all barriers to investment with better regulation of the mini-grid sector, which, in turn, will benefit the people of Jharkhand,” said Niranjan Kumar.
Deepak Gupta of the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation said mini-grids were capable of changing the entire energy landscape by adding an altogether new dimension to how energy is generated and consumed. “However, to make it a reality, we need a regulatory framework to encourage investment in the mini-grid sector in rural areas and also safeguard investments that have already been made,” said he.
Mini-grids are a sustainable way of providing quality power supply to their consumers round the clock, with an additional benefit of quality power supply for local enterprises and commercial activities. Further, they help reduce the state’s carbon emission by facilitating the use of low-carbon energy sources.