Ministry aims to convert to renewable energy resources
"The target of the Power and Energy Ministry is to fulfill 10 percent of the country's energy requirement through non conventional energy resources by 2015," said Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka.
He said that shifting to renewable energy sources is the best option to face the approaching global fossil fuel crisis.
He observed that the extensive use of fossil fuel as the world continues to do today, will lead to numerous environment and energy crises in the near future.
He was addressing the SAARC Training Programme on Energy Management and Energy Auditing organized by the SAARC Energy Centre in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority at the Ceylon Continental Hotel yesterday.
The minister also said that Sri Lanka still largely depends on imported energy resources. He noted that 43 percent of the primary energy resources are imported to the country at present. He said that the ministry's main hope is to gradually convert to renewable energy resources. "As a national policy we are promoting the use of renewable energy resources as much as possible. By 2020, we target to generate 20 percent of the national energy requirement from non conventional energy resources," he said.
The minister noted that moves are under way to introduce energy management regulations to the country shortly. "The energy sector is one key area under the Mahinda Chinthana vision to be developed as an energy hub of the region. As SAARC countries we have the opportunity to corporate with each other for efficient energy management and conservation," he said.
SAARC Energy Centre Technology Transfer Programme Leader Dr Muhammad Pervaz said that 1.7 billion people in South Asia are still denied of the access to electricity.
He added that the centre worked for an action plan for energy conservation and efficiency improvement during the 16th SAARC Summit last year.
Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority Chairman Kithsiri Dissanayake also spoke.
A delegation from SAARC countries and institutional heads under the ministry attended the inauguration of the four day programme.
Source: http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/06/17/news20.asp
Sri Lanka’s energy management differs – Ranawaka
June 16, 2011, 10:14 pmBy Ifham Nizam
Sri Lanka has a different regulatory initiative when it comes to energy management. Regulations on energy management will soon be introduced to the establishments, Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of SAARC Training Programme on Energy Management and Energy Auditing yesterday in Colombo, he said Sri Lanka can extend her cooperation to the countries in the region to get ahead in the area of energy management.
He said he hoped that the programme would support the basic practical understanding on different concepts used in energy management.
The world has been looking for economic development throughout the past and different areas like technology, information management, etc. had attained far reaching goals, he added.
He said for economic development, energy was one of the major resources used and its major source was fossil fuel. "Extensive use of fossil fuel in the way we do right now, has led to energy and environmental crises faced by mankind.
On the one side, there is a rapid depletion of fossil fuel resources. On the other, the burning of fossil fuel results in environmental issues," he added.
Therefore, the focus of the entire world, he said, had been set towards sustainability in the energy sector. Apart from the long-term energy sustainability, it was necessary to have more sustainable solutions for energy in the short-term horizon as well.
In the background the energy situation, it was imperative that all the countries ensured sustainability in the energy sectors, he said.
Sri Lanka, he said, had identified the grave need for it, as the country was largely dependent on imported energy resources.
Ranawaka said that shifting the energy scenario from the fossil fuel base to a renewable energy base was the prime goal in the generation side with targets set at 10 per cent of the power generation using renewable energy by 2015 and 20 per cent of power generation by 2020.
"Nevertheless it is of no lesser importance that we launch demand side management and energy efficiency improvement activities from the user side, he said.
"We have set a target to achieve 10 per cent of the energy consumption in 2010 by 2020. All in all, these are the possible pathways towards sustainable development. As a region, I would say, SAARC countries have the opportunity to collaborate i activities on these lines," he added.
Dr. Muhammed Pervaz, Programme Leader (Technology Transfer), SAARC Energy Centre, M. M. C Ferdinando, Secretary, Ministry of Power & Energy
And Dr. Kithsiri Dissanayake, Chairman, Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority also spoke.
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