The report, entitled ‘Renewables Beyond Electricity’ is a compendium of innovative renewable energy applications beyond electricity generation, including improved biomass cook stoves, solar space heating and cooling systems, solar photovoltaic water pumps, solar pasteurizers, solar desalinators and wind water pumps, among others in operation across India. Energy sources covered by the report include biomass, wind, geothermal and solar.
The report analyses each application with respect to parameters such as technology, cost, market potential and current policy scenarios. The launch of the report was marked by a solar-cooked lunch for guests.
“The potential of renewable energy to transform our lives and ways of living is underestimated and under-appreciated” said Dr Arunabha Ghosh, CEO of CEEW. “By examining its applications beyond simply switching on lights and fans, we can begin to broaden our technological horizons, deepen the foundations of business models offering a range of additional energy services, strengthen the financial ecosystem to support decentralised energy, and most importantly, fuel our imaginations to develop solutions to everyday challenges.”
Mr Ravi Singh, Secretary General & CEO, WWF-India added that the compendium celebrates and encourages innovation while documenting existing applications with the purpose of replicating them on a larger scale. He said that such applications could ensure that renewable energy is accessible for use in even the remotest of areas, benefitting communities and ecosystems.
WWF India believes that ‘Renewable energy as the new normal’ would happen only when applications like these are promoted in our daily lives and that while current policies and activities focus primarily on power generation through renewables, there is a greater need to explore the potential of applications beyond electricity generation.
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