Let decentralised renewable energy be the solution to the Northeast’s energy woes

The National Seminar on Promotion of Clean Energy Access in Northeast India held in Shillong on June 23, 2023, focused on enhancing energy access through clean energy sources. 

The event was organised by Delhi-based think tankCentre for Science and Environment (CSE), with support from Association of Renewable Energy Agencies of States under the aegis of Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). It was hosted by Meghalaya New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (MNREDA). The seminar was attended by several dignitaries including the Minister of Power, Government of Meghalaya. The event saw a great level of participation from stakeholders across the region. 

Northeast India strongly relies upon hydroelectricity for most of its power needs. However, rainfall has reduced due to climate change and hence reservoir levels have been consistently going down over the years. The region has been facing relatively longer power outages as the generation has come down. 

The Northeast is looking for alternate sources of power. The region presents ample opportunity for Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE) as it is home to abundant availability of biomass such as bamboo, banana and pineapple plantations, alongwith significant potential for solar PV and small and micro hydro systems. 

The Northeast has a significant installed capacity of small hydro systems which is about seven per cent of the total installed capacity for small hydro in India.

Although small and micro hydro intervention are things of the past, there is an opportunity to restructure and upgrade existing systems of this kind. Resource mapping also needs to be redone with the help of more advanced technologies like drones, remote sensing and geographical information systems as compared to the mapping techniques used in the past.

The North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) and Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati  presented their work on technology development during the event. Customised Energy Solutions (CES) presented its work on fostering micro entrepreneurial activities in the region. 

State Nodal Agencies (SNAs) of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland showcased innovative interventions in their respective states along with the challenges faced by them in implementing and scaling up programs designed and conceptualised by MNRE for the region. MNRE has been instrumental in supporting SNAs by motivating them to look for avenues in DRE and offering support to them with existing institutional strength.

It will not be incorrect to say that SNAs, being the nodal organisations to drive DRE and energy access work in the states, need to be pushed by enhancing their skills with adequate training and capacity building activities. 

A concerted effort from all relevant stakeholders, with the right approach and coordination, can yield results beyond expectations. This was made evident in the case of Tripura which has been doing exemplary work in reaching rural areas with effective energy access solutions. 

As next steps, CSE proposes to form a Regional Steering Committee to provide guidance and direction to energy access development in the region. The committee will be formed and announced by CSE shortly, with participation from all stakeholders. 

This cannot be a one-off activity. More of such discussions need to happen as is evidently clear by media coverage the seminar garnered. The people of the Northeast have shown immense aspiration for energy-based interventions to keep pace with the developments happening around the world. But they have been provided with limited options to realise and follow those aspirations. 

The need of the hour is to look at DRE as a mainstream power system in parallel with the grid in the Northeast region. This requires several challenges to be addressed pertaining to the high cost of DRE power, limited understanding of the potential in the region, and low awareness about policies and institutional capacities. There also needs to be clear intent to implement. 

There is no dearth of schemes and programmes that can be implemented for the betterment of the region, as pointed out by MNRE as well. What is stopping these schemes and programmes from seeing the light of the day and scaling up in the region needs to be understood objectively. 

The event, as was agreed by many, was an eye opener and has provided participants, various stakeholders, and people of the Northeast with many questions and concerns to ponder.

With a dismal electricity footprint per capita in the region which stands at less than 500 units annually and 7 out of 10 bottom states exhibiting severe energy deprivation being from the Northeast, let DRE be the leading solution to some of those questions and concerns.

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