A renewable energy expert has said that small aero-generators running at minimum speeds could be installed along with rooftop solar plants proposed in the State.
Solar power can charge the battery during the day while the wind can take over in night, said A.Mohammed Hussain, director of Chennai-based Centre for Wind Energy Technology.
NATIONAL GRID
He said this while addressing a workshop on ‘Energy and environment – challenges and solutions’ organised here by Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation.
K.M. Chandrasekhar, vice-chairman, State Planning Board, said that the country should have a strong national grid that takes care of assured supplies of power.
The national grid could link varied sources of and enable evacuation of power from surplus to deficit regions, he said.
It was also important to find a right balance between energy and environment as both were closely linked critical areas, Chandrasekhar added.
NOT ENOUGH
Not enough resources were being pumped in to keep Indian cities clean, according to Kala Seetharam Sridhar, head, public policy research, Public Affairs Centre, Bangalore.
She said this while giving an economic perspective to solid waste management in her presentation at the workshop.
The World Bank recommended an expenditure of 0.5 per cent of gross national product for solid waste management but the spending in India was far below, she said.
Open dumping is the least expensive option at an estimated $3 to $10 per tonne, whereas waste to energy incineration costs $40 to $100.
This explains why most Indian cities are resorting to open dumping, Sridhar said.
COMPSTABLE ORGANICS
Kerala had necessary preconditions such as high literacy and high per capita income that are integral for good solid waste management practices.
Compostable organics in some cities surveyed in the State contributed to an average 72 per cent of the total waste, which was much larger than other Indian cities.
She called for better coordination between departments to find a common strategy to deal with the problem. Harnessing information revolution, segregation of waste at source and conversion of organic waste into energy could be other options.
“It is also important to recognise and integrate the role of urban poor such as rag pickers in keeping our cities and towns clean,” she added.