Rising to Corporate Renewable Responsibility
India’s renewable energy sector has been ranked third in the Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) with US and China at first and second place respectively. The so-called emerging markets now represent half the countries in the 40-strong index, including four African markets featuring in the top 30. Only a decade ago, China and India were attractive enough to compete with more developed markets for investment, EY said in a report. India’s position is credited to the strong focus of the government on renewable energy as well as timely implementation of renewable energy projects.
The report also suggests that with the growing number of jurisdictions contracting utility-scale renewable energy through competitive auction processes, renewable energy is increasingly proving its mettle against conventional energy generation. Businesses can make a positive intervention in the society by adding renewable energy projects to their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. There can be a reduction in carbon and water footprints, and an increase in the use of renewable power and energy-efficient projects.
Case Study: Heading a few miles ahead of Barmer district in Rajasthan, into the hinterland of India’s border villages where most ways of working still follow an ancient rhythm. Meghwallon Ki Dhani, a village, has not seen electricity since India’s independence. Cairn India Limited (CIL) decided to install a micro-grid powered by solar energy. A micro-grid provides the benefit of being able to pool the total availability of power due to a central storage facility, hence each household can avail more power. The village now has its households powered by the 27 kW micro-grid solar power plant. Cairn India is aiming to empower communities and change lives by adding renewable energy projects to its CSR activities.
“The basic objective of these projects is to promote green and clean energy and provide electricity to the villagers. They otherwise have no access to electricity and are forced to live in dark. Regular and reliable provision of electricity has the potential to be a game-changer with respect to the standard of life of the villagers. The objective of these projects is motivation in itself.” says Mayank Ashar, CEO and MD, Cairn India. To empower the community and make it self-sustainable, the ownership of the solar facility has been transferred to the gram panchayat to manage its operations through the Village Electricity Committee (VEC). The project also helps foster local entrepreneurship as a local person has been trained to operate the plant and be responsible for collections/any profit. Thereof, the benefits of which are accrued back to maintaining and operating the facility.
Our Responsibility In India, widely scattered villages and hamlets have their own characteristically peculiar problems. While bigger solar plants can take care of the needs in organized colonies or clusters, it is the far flung areas, not covered by the conventional grid, which need special attention. Decentralized electricity generation using renewable sources can become new frontiers for CSR and sustainability. Projects should also involve community participation to ensure ownership and sustainability. India is blessed with a variety of renewable energy sources. Contributions to the national and state exchequers are transforming the socio-economic landscape. The intervention of renewable energy technology in CSR will lead to positive impact on society, the environment and our climate.
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The CSR Journal Team
