Energetica India Magazine May-June 2021

“India is set to wit- ness the world’s fastest growing cooling demand and consequently, its air conditioning market is primed to rapidly expand in the next five years.” Thus, this World Environment Day, amidst the calls for urgent action to re- vive our damaged ecosystems, energy efficiency presents a viable avenue for the restoration of our environment. Do you think there is a need for some aggressive ‘PPP Model’ for develop- ing more innovative, cheaper and en- ergy-efficient products in the coun - try – a step towards conserving our planet? How can this be achieved? SP Garnaik : Absolutely! Now, more than ever before, we need to make India more sustainable and energy efficient. Public-private partnerships have con - siderable potential in making this vision a reality. Models such as Build – Own – Operate – Transfer (BOOT) and Pay – As – You – Save (PAYS), ESCOs, En - ergy Performance Contracting among others help bring down steep upfront costs and make adoption of energy ef- ficiency cost-effective and affordable. Therefore, what we need now is swift implementation and increased adoption of eco-friendly and energy-efficient al - ternatives and increased collaboration in the sector, to roll out targeted and im- pactful initiatives. PPP Model is not only needed for the implementation of EE projects, but also for Research & De - velopment (R&D), Financing and man - ufacturing of eco-friendly EE products. energetica INDIA- May-June_2021 21 INTERVIEW Kindly share some of the initiatives that EESL has taken to promote sustainability on World Environment Day? SP Garnaik : Commemorating World Environment Day, several new business ventures are being announced, togeth - er with a discussion on sustainability and energy efficiency. We are partnering with TERRE Policy Research, a Public Trust with the view to set up a launch platform for kick-start- ing the actions on carbon neutrality in educational institutions, we have also signed an MoU with ISHRAE for a stra - tegic partnership to implement ener- gy-efficient and clean energy solutions in the HVAC&R industry. With an aim to establish a framework on quality stan - dards of supply chain management, we have signed an MoU with Collaborative Labelling and Appliance Standards Program (CLASP), USA. We are also organising a national con - ference on “Promoting Sustainability through Energy Efficiency in MSMEs” through web conferencing. The eminent speakers from the Ministry of MSME, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, EESL, SME Cluster Associations and others would deliberate on various issues and challenges of Energy Efficiency in the MSME sector. Focused on resetting our relationship with nature, we organised a webinar on ‘Energy Efficiency & Path to Sustainable Development’ in partnership with P4G and the Institute of Sustainable Com - munities (ISC). This webinar, participat - ed by dignitaries from Asian countries, discussed about the present status of EE in different countries and how EESL’s model could be replicated. Additionally, EESL would also be launching a spe - cial edition newsletter on World Environ - ment Day, themed “Nurturing the nature for a sustainable future”. How important is the role of con- sumer awareness on using energy efficient products? Will cost also a matter of concern for such products? SP Garnaik : Consumer awareness is one of the main pillars of success in adopting energy-efficient products. In its journey towards mainstreaming en - ergy efficiency, EESL faced multiple challenges. But it came up with strate - gies that addressed those challenges and created a conducive environment for stakeholder participation. EESL focuses on developing products and business cases that are simple and easy to understand, which has also been demonstrated through the success of UJALA which not just trans - formed the lighting industry but also changed consumer behavior towards energy-efficient lighting in India. With EESL’s energy efficiency pro - grammes, there is no need to invest in or assume any risk for the adoption of energy-efficient products and services. Instead, consumers enjoy the immedi - ate and long-term benefits and advan - tages of energy efficiency interventions. They can also repay EESL for its invest - ment from the energy savings they have accumulated over time, be it a product or a service. EESL’s programmes - Un - nat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA), Street Lighting National Pro - gramme (SLNP) and Building Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP) have trans - formed the market and consumer be - haviour by increasing the adoption of energy-efficient technologies that have benefitted the consumers significantly by reducing electricity bills, while the DISCOMs and ULBs have also availed increased savings. With its Super-Ef - ficient Air Conditioning Programme (SEAC), EESL is enabling residential and institutional consumers to save up to 25% to 40% in energy costs associat - ed with air conditioning with affordable price.