Indian Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah Sunday favoured greater private-public participation in the renewable energy sector for the country to progress on a faster pace.
"The government will have to start thinking on PPP in the bio-gas, bio-mass, solar, wind and tidal wave energy sectors.
If you have to progress faster, you need more power," Abdullah said inaugurating the Remote Village Electrification Programme (RVEP) at Kuttichal village in the district.
He said renewable energy was the only hope for the future.
"Earth is warming up. Snow is melting and one day our rivers will just be trickles. To stop global warming, we have to think about new methods of energy," the Minister said.
Abdullah wanted people to build green homes where less energy is consumed. "The world is waking up to the challenge.
We have to rise to their expectations," he said.
In an apparent reference to proposed Athirappally hydro electric project in Thrissur District, which was denied clearance by the Union Environment Ministry, he said certain important projects in Kerala were getting blocked as the
Ministry was exploring all aspects before taking a decision.
"The way out is to identify the areas where we can go and where we should not. We should put our energy on possible areas," he said.
Abdullah said the state government should involve NGOs while implementing projects related to Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission. The Centre was fully geared to help states in the renewable energy sector. "You walk one step and we will walk
ten steps," he said. Abdullah said with the
implementation of Remote Village Electrification Programme (RVEP), houses in remote villages would
get power through solar panels. In Jammu and Kashmir, the government had ensured that houses in villages bordering Pakistan had at least two lights burning.
In Kerala, 4,204 households in remote areas of five districts would be benefitted by the RVEP in the first phase.
The installations in the capital district had been completed.
He wanted state governments to explore the areas of wind energy and power from tidal waves. In the state with a long coastline, there was great potential for wind energy.
Abdullah also inaugurated the state-level distribution of 1.5 crore CFL lamps under the Bachat Lamp Yojana.