Keya Ghosh Director CUTS-Calcutta Resource Centre 23 March, 2013

1. National Conference Sustainable Energy in India - Way Forward for Energy Security Learning & Experiences from DREC Project in West Bengal Keya Ghosh Director CUTS-Calcutta Resource Centre 23 March, 2013

2. Rationale for undertaking the Project • To maintain the growth trajectory, India must meet the increasing demand for energy. • For responsible and sustainable growth---- focus on demand side management (DSM) and renewable energy (RE), is a must. • Currently, there is underutilization of both RE and DSM potential. • Without active and robust participation of Consumers , no DSM or RE initiative can be successful. • Mitigating energy shortages, encouraging energy efficiency at demand end, improving utility revenues or creating markets for RE technology ---all require participation of consumers as an important STAKEHOLDR. • Hence this project………

3. Project Objectives • Overall Objective – Toincrease long-term capacity/awareness of consumer groups to demand for DSM and RE initiatives, and also to understand, document and communicate their specific needs to relevant policy makers. • Specific Objectives • To gauge the level of awareness among various stakeholders on RE and DSM • To understand consumers’ willingness to payfor RE • To understand the various roadblocks to effective implementation of initiatives pertaining to RE and DSM

4. Some Details….. • Criteria for Choosing Districts • Sunderbans (South 24 Parganas) ---- where RE initiatives have been undertaken • East Midnapore & Nadia - Grid Connected and Hence higher relevance of DSM • Cooch Behar - isolated islands and hence higher relevance for RE initiative Territoriesin West Bengal • Namkhana • Gosaba • Patharpratima • Mathurapur • Tamluk • Contai • Duttaphulia • Chapra • CoochBehar • Haldibari

5. Project Activities As per Project Proposal Other Demand Driven Activities • Focused Group Discussions with select stakeholders • Developing a Training Manual for CSOs and Consumers in Bangla • CIMs were made stakeholder specific (household, CSOs, commercial, and agriculture) • 4 Case Studies • Study on Diesel Operators • Dissemination and Dialogue Meeting for CSOs with NABARD and WBREDA • Inception Workshop • Baseline Survey • RG Meeting • State Level Training Workshop • Consumer Interface Meeting CIM)--20 • State Level Advocacy Workshop • ( Critical Analysis of the RE Policy of WB) • Final Consumer Survey

6. Major Findings and Learning from DREC • In West Bengal—need for DSM Policy and regulations • In off-grid generation-----the loose ended regulations made at the local level is insufficient; need for more structured regulations; metering facility should be introduced. • Community participation and ownership---another crucial factor in ensuring sustainability of RE projects

7. Consumers willing to pay extra ( 1-5%) for RET. • Hurdles in greater uptake of RET-- high investment costs; lack of enough knowledge about maintenance; hence the perception that solar or RET is not reliable;and limited after-sale service • CSOs can play a greater role in promoting uptake of RE and DSM. Need for a sustained role of CSOs. • Great scope for promoting RE and DSM in agriculture sector---Solar pump sets and EE pump sets

8. OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT

13. Findings from the Final Consumer Survey Out of the 513 respondents who were interviewed during the baseline survey, a representative sample of 357 respondents were selected for the final consumer survey.

14. Findings Related to Renewable Energy • 72 percent of the respondents considered it wiseto start using renewable technologies given the rate at which electricity tariff is increasing. • They are also ready to pay extra for clean energy if it is reliable. (Figure left) • 86 percent of the grid connected household believe that there is ample scope for using RE in their premises. • 85 percent of the farmers (both grid connected and off-grid, total 55), told that installing solar pump-set could be more rewarding in the long run.

15. Findings Related to Renewable Energy ….(contd.) • K-Plot is a small un-electrified island in the Sunderbans delta. Commercial activities in the island are confined to 2 Rural Hats that the island has. There are a few diesel generator operators who supply electricity to these shops during the evening with an average monthly expenditure ranging between 250 – 1500 for the shops. Discussion with these units revealed that they are interested to shift to RE generated electricity provided an external agency puts up a mini solar grid ensuring reliability and sufficient availability and the shops don’t have to pay much higher than what they are paying at present. A further study by CUTS involving 30 Diesel Generator Operators from the Sunderbans, Midnapur and Nadia revealed that the major hurdles towards shifting to RE/Solar based operations were: • High Initial Investment • Skepticism regarding the reliability of RE/Solar to supply sufficient energy as per • requirement. • Space constraints to set-up plant and also its easy portability • Impending grid connectivity • Lack of consensus amongst businessmen/ associations (ByabshayiSamiti) towards long • term sustainability of the RE/Solar driven systems.

16. Findings Related to Energy Efficiency • 93 percent of the respondents across all stakeholder categories are now aware about star label and its benefits. • 78 percent of the farmers are aware about BEE labelled pumpsetsand 66% felt it is worth investing in EE pumps. • 63 percent of the farmers (grid connected) were found to be aware of ToD tariff system but only 47 percent were actually found taking benefits of the TOD metering system. • A appreciable section of those surveyed said that they have shifted to energy efficient practices like using CFL, star labelled equipment, judiciously using energy, shifting to energy efficient pumps, etc.

17. DREC has set the stage —Need for Concerted and Sustained Efforts • A Cadre of Capacitated CSOs have been created who have expressed interest in doing more work related to RE/DSM. • Agragati, a CSO from Howrah district, has already written a letter to the concerned authority at the Block level seeking funding support from the government to undertake awareness programmes on RE and EE in their locality. • RamkrishnaLokSeva Kendra (RLSK), participated in a discussion on chalking out the annual budget for the Gosaba Block (in South 24 Parganas). • Till now there was no budget allocation for non-conventional energy sources. This year in the meeting of the panchayatsamity, RLSK strongly advocated for allocating financial resources for it and it was principally agreed upon.

18. Representative from a CSO - Cooch Behar Progressive Welfare Society (CBPWS), together with a local puja committee published key messages of the DREC project on the back side of the bill that were given to the community members against subscription for the DurgaPuja.

19. CHALLENGES in the path …..Towards greater uptake of RE • Lack of information among consumers about existing financial schemes for RET, about basic technology related information to ensure optimum functioning of solar equipments; procurement methods, etc.---- so need for sustained efforts by CSOs. • To bring about change in consumer perception that RE technology is unviable and unsustainable. • Strengthen after-sale service and train local youth in repair and maintenance of RET/ EEA. • Link consumers to the right sources. • ENERGY(CLEAN) SOLUTION CENTRES FOR CONSUMERS---could be a way forward. To institutionalise the platform created by DREC so that the efforts continue much beyond the scope of the project. • .

20. Enhance Efficiency of RET. • Regulations for Off-grid generation with community participation/ ownership models • Participatory and concerted approach of all stakeholders towards finding solution , as has been initiated in West Bengal.

21. THANK YOU • ( kg@cuts.org)