Srinivasan Padmanaban, Deputy Director & Sr. Energy Advisor, Office of Environment, Energy & Enterprise, United States Agency for International Development, New Delhi, India
The Green Business Center (GBC):The Green Business Center is a joint initiative of the state government of Andhra Pradesh, the Confederation of Indian Industry, and USAID ? an unique model of public-private partnership. It is considered today as a leading center of excellence for energy, environment and climate change activities in India. The GBC promotes ?green? concepts leading to higher efficiency, equitable growth and sustainable development. The services that GBC provides, briefly are:1. World-class energy efficiency: Facilitating Indian industry to achieve the lowest Specific Energy Consumption globally, by implementing world-class practices and technologies. 2. Green audits: Advancing utilization of resources (raw materials, consumables, water, energy, etc.) at every stage of manufacture.3. Technology center: Showcasing and demonstarting innovative technologies including development of business strategies and financial plans for sustainable businesses.4. Information center: National information hub on green concepts and technologies5. Green Building rating: Promoting the construction of ?green buildings? and awarding recognition through the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating The Water-Energy Nexus Activity (WENEXA):WENEXA is a bilateral program that advances co-management of energy and water in agriculture, municipalities and industry through enhanced power distribution, end-use efficiency and sound water management practices. Its key components include:- national and state policy dialogue to advance energy efficiency and water management- innovative market based models that combine efficient power distribution, ground water pumping and water use efficiency including waster water recycling and reuse- planning, designing and implementing energy and water use efficiency progarms and demand-side management.
The GBC and WENEXA are two innovative examples of developing business and market transformation strategies that advance efficiency in the use of energy resources through an integated program that combines public policy with markets in India.
The Green Business Center:a. The introduction of ?green audits? in Indian industry and in the concept of benchmarking energy consumption in Indian industry (cement, aluminium, paper, refineries, sugar, textiles, chemical process, etc.) relative to global norms.b. In providing access, in a manner not achieved in the past in India, to latest information and trends on green concepts and technologies, and,c. Introduction of the concept of green building rating for the first time in India. This has resulted in a span of 3-4 years of over 40 building in the country being certified and three commercial buildings in India (out of about 10 world-wide) achieving the platinum rating ? the highest global rating awarded by the US Green Building Council.WENEXAa. Demonstrating for the first time in India an integrated co-management pilot project of electricity supply, power delivery and water management.b. Pilot demonstration of India?s first large-scale water recycling and reuse project in a city municipality.
The number of people who benefit the project?s idea and innovation are very large and would include:a. Farmers in drought prone areas of India where the ground-water levels have dropped and the quality of power supply is poor. These include the states of Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. Conservative estimate of people that could benefit: 125 millionb. People industry who will benefit clean energy technologies and efficient practices. Direct and indirect benefits: Over 3000 corporate companies in the organized, SME and unorganized sector. Total population impacted: 2-5 million.
Individuals will benefit through enhanced access to information on clean energy, efficient products and services; the society will benefit through the adoption of clean energy strategies that reduce the environment impact of inefficient usage; the economy will benefit through the development of markets and services for clean energy technologies and the environment will benefit through the expanded use of energy efficient, alternative clean energy technologies.
The project(s) have very important ecological, social and economic advantages. By promoting clean energy technology development, the GBC project will impact favorably energy and water use of Indian industry. This will considerably ease the pressure on energy supply and on ground water depletion that are being witnessed all over the country. The WENEXA project will directly impact the livelihoods of Indian farmers by improving their ability to cope with water/energy shortages. The GBC and WENEXA project will enable rapid clean energy market and business transformation that will favorably impact the Indian economy.
The GBC project has a leveraging in excess of 12:1. The resources provided by USAID towards technical assistance was leveraged by contributions by the AP state governmnet (Land), private sector (buildings and in-kind staff support). The CII has provided staff support of over 40 full-time professionals. The WENEXA project has a leveraging of over 25:1. The technical assistance and training support by USAID is being leveraged by state governments (electricity distribution upgrades, pumpset rectification/replacement), farmers (water efficiency), municipalities (Secondary water treatment and water conveyance) and utilities (O&M services).
