EU to harness N-E resources

Guwahati, May 27: Cleantech experts from the European Union today said the resource-rich Northeast could provide a platform for European companies to come up with technical solutions for problems in the region’s energy and water sectors.

“We want to understand the issues in the fields of energy and water in the Northeast and come up with a proper technical solution in collaboration with the agencies in India. I invite players from the Northeast to understand European technologies in the sectors,” P.V. Jensen, director, European Business and Technology Centre, said at an interaction organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) here today.

The EU team, comprising experts from Germany, Spain and Italy, is here as part of the EBTC’s Cleantech Expert Mission to Northeast India, in association with Fraunhofer MOEZ, a leading European organisation for applied research, and the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

Cleantech or clean technology refers to a diverse range of products, services and processes that harness renewable energy sources, reduce use of natural resources and eliminate emissions.

Rajesh Shankar Priya, an expert from Fraunhofer (Germany), said, “The Northeast, with its rich natural resources, provides a new platform for European companies in India. We have talked about joint collaboration modalities with state officials. European companies will enhance ties with its counterparts in the Northeast through EBTC.”

Priya also underlined the need for a storage technology for solar and hydro energy and proper standardisation of renewable energy devices.

Chinmoy Sharma, the managing director of North East Green Tech Pvt. Ltd, talked about solar energy as the solution for villages in the hilly areas. “We have identified 3,000 villages in the Northeast where grid connection is not possible and provided individual home lighting solutions there,” Sharma said.

Tapan Chatterjee, member (technical), Assam Energy Regulatory Commission, outlined the issues concerning the energy sector of the Northeast. “The region has the potential to produce self-sufficient clean energy if properly channelised,” he said.

The experts also dwelt on the significance of run-of-the-river projects and low-capacity hydel units.

“We need to address the implementation issues in terms of selection of partner, proper pricing of technology, identification of funds and pilot demonstration projects,” said Suman Lahiri, regional manager of EBTC, Calcutta.