The Role of Higher Educational Institutions and Other Training Organizations to Promote Renewable Energy in India

Abstract

India’s demand for energy is growing with the energy gap between demand and supply of about 12–15 %. As a developing country, India has to play an important role in the development and utilization of renewable energy resources (solar, wind, bio-energy, hydro, etc.) for sustainable development. The country has high potential to harvest the renewable energy because of strategic geographic location. Considering the renewable energy potential, India can play a responsible role to take positive steps towards carbon emission and ensuring for its sustainable future by increase its energy share through renewable energy. Currently, the renewable energy accounts 26 GW (12 %) of the total power generation capacity of 212 GW as in 2013. The renewable energy industry has shown a promising growth over the last couple of years compared to non-renewable energy and it is expected to grow at an even higher rate in the Twelfth Five Year Plan period (2012–2017). The country’s vision in renewable energy development aims to achieve 55 GW by 2022, and by 2050 about 50 % of its total energy through renewable sources. An extensive pool of knowledgeable and skilled manpower competent to design, install and maintain renewable energy systems will be required. The MNRE report published in 2012 on “Human Resource Development Strategies for Indian Renewable Energy Sector”, at a moderate growth of 10 % the wind sector would employ about 75,000 people by the year 2020. Similarly, the report estimated that Solar PV on-grid and off grid sector would employ 1,52,000 and 2,25,000 respectively by the year 2022. The estimated numbers are equally large for the other renewable energy technologies like solar thermal, small hydro, biomass, biogas etc. Shortage of skilled and quality trained manpower is considered to be a major challenge in the growth of renewable energy sector. Higher educational institutions (HEIs) and renewable energy organizations have to play a crucial role in human resource development and capacity building to overcome the challenges, and achieve projected renewable energy target in sustainable manner to reduce India’s energy dependency.