Amritsar: Oct 15 - The Times of India

While India has entered into an agreement for generating nuclear energy with the US to meet its unending demand, Punjab government has also started exploring possibilities of alternate source of energy to meet the domestic need and lessen the dependence for power on other states.

SS Sekhon, former director , Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) said at the international level thrust was on the non- conventional sources of producing energy . Similarly, wind power projects were being installed in India too. He said the state government had a target of meeting 10% energy requirement from the non-conventional sources, adding, the farmers whose land would be used in erecting wind turbines would be doubly benefited.

"They would be able to rent out their fields as well as they could grow crops," he asserted.

While talking to TOI, Bikram Singh Majithia, science technology and non-renewable energy minister, informed , Wind Parks could dot the arena of state following the completion of resource assessment study being carried out by Suzlon and Enecron companies for developing wind power projects in the state by the end of this year.

He said an MoU with Suzlon Gujrat Wind Park Limited was signed for the installation and commissioning of two wind power projects of 50 MW each in the Mukatsar and Hoshiarpur regions.

The state had also signed an agreement with Germany-based company Enecron for developing of wind power projects in the state.

"These companies were carrying out wind mapping to assess and exploit the available potential," said Majithia , adding, "There was possibility of sufficient wind power potential especially at the higher heights in the state which could be harnessed with the improvement in low speed wind power technology.

Majithia said the state government was seriously considering alternate source of generating power and was encouraging in setting up of projects for power generation from biomass, agro residue and waste.

PEDA director Balour Singh said, nearly 22.65 million tonnes of agro residues and agro industrial waste was produced annually.

"It is mostly underutilized or wasted, though it holds promising potential for generating decentralized power of more than 1,500 MW of electricity."

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