Experts advocate shift to alternative energy sources
‘Revamp present grid system suiting the hybrid power system’
Citing the ambitious target of achieving an installed capacity of 1,75,000 MW of renewable energy by 2022 set by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), energy experts called for a robust shift to alternative energy sources while speaking at the inaugural session of 33rd National Convention of Electrical Engineers (NCEE) at the National Institute of Technology – Tiruchi (NITT), on Friday.
A national seminar on ‘Hybrid AC/DC Power Systems for Effective Utilisation of Renewable Energy’, being conducted as part of the convention organised by the Institution of Engineers (India), Tiruchi Local Centre, in association with BHEL, Tiruchi and NITT, has set its focus on bridging the gap between enhancement of load and power generation capabilities through hybrid power system.
Recommendations crystallising after the deliberations by experts representing industry and academia will be forwarded to the Central Government, NITT Director Mini Shaji Thomas said.
Speakers called for revamp of the present grid system suiting the hybrid power system for renewable energy, in the backdrop of the global warming caused by conventional methods of energy generation with fossil sources.
With the infrastructure cost of renewable energy coming down due to advancements in manufacturing, the cost of renewable energy has also come down to less than Rs. 3 per unit, A. Chandrasekar, General Manager, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency said.
There has been a tremendous growth in renewable energy sector in the country in the last three years, Mr. Chandrasekar said, while delivering the inaugural address on behalf of K.S. Popli, Chairman and Managing Director, IREDA.
With most of the present day electronic gadgets working on DC power, power generated through renewables could be easily distributed through local DC power distribution system, S. Akshayakumar, Chairman, Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission, said, adding that hybrid AC/DC power distribution with bidirectional conversion facility would be the order of the day in future.
Mr. Akshayakumar later inaugurated a technical exhibition.
NCEE Convenor S. Dharmalingam, former General Manager, BHEL, Tiruchi, said the concept of hybrid AC/DC power systems reflect a new way of thinking about designing and building sustainable grids.
P. Rajamani, Chairman, Electrical Engineering Division Board, IEI, presided over and presented Eminent Engineer Awards to Popli, Akshayakumar, Dharmalingam, and Mini Shaji Thomas.
Source: thehindu
