Maharashtra Renewable Energy policy to shift focus from fossil fuel to Hydrogen energy and use of green and clean energy

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Mumbai: Given the rising fuel costs, increase in import duties of petroleum products and rising environmental pollution, Government of Maharashtra is shifting its focus of electricity generation from conventional fossil fuel to Hydrogen energy. This was stated by Minister for Energy Dr. Nitin Raut Energy at the Alternative Fuel Conclave at Pune on Monday.

The Energy Minister further disclosed that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is redrafting its Renewable Energy Policy 2020 providing requisite support in the form of concessions in Electricity Duty and other facilities so that Maharashtra once again tops the country in the use of green and clean energy.

The future of mobility is shared, connected and electric. State government intends to ramp up charging points for Electric Vehicles (EVs). Maharashtra has been a leader in many areas and it will sincerely try to embrace the new source of energy such as Solar, Wind, Hydro, Bagasse and other sources, he added.

At present the population of Maharashtra is at 112 million in which the population of two wheelers is more than 26 million and day by day this number is rising.  Also, the population of four wheelers is quite significant at 60 Lakhs.

From the above statistics, one can guess the quantity of fossil fuel being used per day. It is estimated that the daily requirement of fuel in India is about 40-45 Lakhs of barrels and we are solely dependent on imports, also precious foreign exchange is mostly wasted in importing the fuel. 

The extensive use of two and four wheelers has led to an increase in pollution. Due to this it has adversely impacted the environment giving rise to so many known and unknown health hazards.

Raut further stated, there are few measures through which the impact of pollution could be reduced substantially if efficient public transport is provided. But unfortunately barring a few cities the number of vehicles plying on the roads is not reducing. In the absence of efficient and effective public transport, the avoidance of the use of vehicles is inevitable and this will aggravate the environmental issues further.

Under such circumstances, it has become imperative for everyone to find a replacement for the conventional fuels which would provide a definite alternative besides being eco-friendly, he added.  

The recent hike in the fuel prices has led to family budgets collapsing. The exponential hike in prices of fuel on a daily basis is beyond anybody’s understanding and has adversely impacted every aspect of life. Even the resources of fuel are depleting at faster rates and it is feared that one day every wheel will come to a grinding halt. Costly fuel and grave environment issues have forced the global community to think of alternate fuel.

Recently the Government of Maharashtra has formulated its Renewable Energy Policy 2020 in which a target of 17,360 MW RE power has been fixed. But as of now the response is not encouraging due to lack of incentives and therefore RE Policy 2020 is under amendment.

The government is considering providing requisite support in the form of concession in Electricity Duty and other facilities to the investors so that the State of Maharashtra would top in the country in enhancing the use of green and clean energy. This target would be completed by 2025 by reducing carbon footprints. The Telangana State, Andhra Pradesh have realized to enhance the use of RE power on a large scale. To enable this, both the states have made adequate budgetary provision.

The future of mobility is Shared, Connected and Electric. Due to increased urbanization in the country the issue of mobility, transportation have become a great challenge. To address such issues, a cost effective and eco-friendly solution is the need of the hour, added Raut. India has the history of shared commute and public transport with many of these becoming iconic for example Kolkata and Mumbai local train systems.

The government is shifting its focus of generation of electricity from conventional fuel to Hydrogen Energy. Maharashtra state intends to be the pioneer in the use of Hydrogen Energy.

In order to mitigate the impact of pollution the Energy department is using washing coal to reduce fly ash content. Although hydro sites are very few in Maharashtra State, we are trying to exploit them for the generation of green energy. We are using the latest technology being used in emission control.

In order to facilitate the increased use of green energy in the transport sector, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company is proactively taking initiative to establish EV charging stations. Even as a part of asset monetization, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company, Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company and Maharashtra State Power Generation 

The Electricity utility companies have decided to form Joint Ventures with Petrol companies to set up EV charging stations in the premises of petrol pumps. If this model is succeeded, then the next step would be to increase the number of charging stations in the schools and Colleges premises, so that students would have easy access for charging.

While taking initiatives, care has been taken to keep the electricity charges quite reasonable that is Rs. 5.50 per unit in day time use. However, during night from 10.00 pm to 6 am the rate will be Rs 4.50 per unit. This shows our sincere commitment to reduce the carbon footprints.

In the coming days the government intends to provide 60 in Navi Mumbai, 25 in Nashik, 34 Nagpur, 25 in Thane charging stations that would be made available for the services of the vehicle owners. In order to facilitate more response to this mission from the stakeholders, MSEDCL has developed an app called “Powerup EV”.

Maharashtra has been a leader in many areas and it will sincerely try to embrace the new source of energy such as Solar, Wind, Hydro, Bagasse and other renewable energy sources. The state would definitely play its role proactively and will explore the possibilities of use of alternate but eco-friendly fuel and will help to save our planet for our future generation, further added Raut.