Who knew that waste could be turned into gold?

Its 1.2 billion population and 6.5% GDP growth in 2011 are pushing India towards a drastic shift in its urban and industrial waste policy. The country is plagued with nearly 55 million of tons of municipal solid waste and 38 billion liters of sewage. Greater consumption and rising incomes in India are increasing pressure on the environment. The authorities will have to address waste to energy initiative. Waste to energy technologies can treat and process waste, turn it into renewable energy resources, clear the landfill and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. India’s potential for waste to energy initiatives is greater now that the Indian Government is promoting the technologies.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) admits that there is a potential of about 1,700MW from urban waste and 1,300MW from industrial waste. Waste to energy process recovers energy from a fraction of waste, thus clearing the way for the development of a new kind of renewable energy. The potential lies in the great amount of waste available in India and the incentive measures that should be implemented in this field. Waste to energy technology can use thermal conversion, thermo-chemical conversion, biochemical conversion, or electrochemical conversion. This potential combined with highly volatile fuel prices is enough reason for India to take a close look at the energy technology option. It should also be a profitable business as soon as the government provides incentives, such as capital subsidies and feed-in tariffs. Above all, waste to energy could be a key to further energy independence. Yet, according to MNRE, only 24MW have been exploited so far and less than 2% of total potential has been achieved.

Waste to energy technology is a nascent process, requiring several readjustments. One, the new technologies and their equipment have to be imported, putting a greater strain on general costs. State governments do not seem to have really considered this opportunity since no policy guidelines have emerged yet. Indian waste could turn into gold, as it could become one of the new alternatives to energy dependency and provide India with sustainable resources. The next step could be further cooperation with the waste management sector with a view to expanding to other Asian countries.

World’s first action oriented renewable energy meet

Green energies and sustainable development are bustling growth industries in India. However, as with any quickly developing economic sector, keeping track of the major actors, upcoming startups and thriving wellsprings of tomorrow’s breakthrough ideas can be hard. Thankfully, there are landmark events such as the Reaction meeting which recently took place at the Chennai Trade Centre.

The event took place on July 26th and 27th and is already hailed by many as one of this year’s highpoint for renewable energies. Reaction 2012 has been organized by Energy Alternatives India (EAI) whose knowledge of the Indian renewable energy industry and expertise in clean technology is widely acknowledged. Self-titled “The World’s First Action Oriented Renewable Energy Meet”. The event had been conceived with a large public in mind, targeting professionals, academics, entrepreneurs, corporate actors or financial investors.

Impressively, the event was structured in a way that could prove satisfying to all those different attendees. More than a hundred experts gave presentations and held discussions on a wide range of topics, from biomass, to solar and renewable energies, as well as seminars on regulatory and incentive frameworks. To the satisfaction of many a long list of new topics and emerging ideas were covered in a professional way, bringing a high level of quality and knowledge to the discussions. The event had scheduled tightly meshed talks and presentations with networking opportunities. At a time when efficient and reliable energy production is more relevant than ever renewable energies have a definite window of opportunity to blossom. And the Reaction meeting is definitely at the center of it all.

An unexpected treasure blowing in the wind

Some good news seems miraculous. A recent assessment by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory reports that India has wind resources that are 20 to 30 times greater than the Indian government estimate of 102 gigawatts (GW). According to the study, the country’s wind potential could range from 2,006 to 3,121 GW, depending on turbine size.

The great news is that wind is one of the most cost-effective and mature renewable energy sources commercially available in India. According to Berkeley National Laboratory experts, the cost of wind power is now comparable to the cost of imported coal and natural gas-based plants. In other words, wind could become a significant portion of the country’s future energy portfolio.

However, a shadow looms over the good news. Although India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Berkeley Lab to collaborate on wind energy research, the government recently repealed key wind power tax breaks, which may seriously jeopardize future investments in the sector. With the tax change, wind development will only be allowed to claim accelerated depreciation of 15% of the cost of equipment, down from 80%. Government estimates show that the tax break prompted the setup of more than 70% of wind facilities in India during the year that ended on March 31.

If you are interested in the future of wind energy in India, please share your own thoughts and stories!