As India Inc takes to energy conservation measures, a number of success stories have emerged that could be replicated.
Though the initiatives were started by large companies, taking a stern look at energy consumption has gradually caught on in the SME sector too.
In fact the energy efficiency movement has resulted in an annual energy saving of over ₹3,800 crore. This was achieved through the joint effort of around 260 companies who implemented 8,735 projects.
“This is equivalent to 322 MW per annum,” says Meher Pudumjee, Chairperson at the Energy Efficiency Summit that took place recently in Hyderabad. And to push the envelope even further, CII is engaging various stakeholders to join what it calls the “EnCon movement”.
For this it has hit upon the idea of National Awards for Excellence in Energy Management. Companies which normally take up energy measures and keep them close to their chest have now come forward to share their methods on a common platform so that they can be replicated. “You won't have to re-invest in them,” says KS Venkata Giri, Executive Director of the CII GBC.
Now big players like Tata Motors who have a network of SME suppliers are helping the fledgling firms to improve their processes and reduce costs. SIDBI and Yes Bank have also begun to fund energy efficiency projects.
Under the PAT (perform, achieve and trade) Scheme, 478 companies across eight sectors including steel, thermal power plants, cement, paper and pulp, aluminium have been mandated to reduce power consumption by about 4.5 per cent during a cycle of 2013-2016. More than 60 per cent companies, mostly private sector, have achieved the target.
A new target will be set where companies would have to bring down consumption by 6 to 6.2 per cent during 2017-19. Under this phase another 300 companies will be added.