Schemes to cut consumption of power in Punjab, Haryana
Ruchika M. Khanna
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 14
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is betting big on the energy-deficient states of Punjab and Haryana so as to bring in energy efficiency in the use of electrical appliances. Other than launching its ambitious Bachat Lamp Yojana (wherein free CFLs are given to power consumers) in Punjab, the Bureau also proposes to launch Municipal Demand Side Management in the two states to bring in energy efficiency in the use of street lights.

The two schemes, when implemented, will help bring down the power consumption by almost 30 per cent. Talking to TNS on the sidelines of a conference on Standards and Labelling for air-conditioners, Sandeep Garg, energy economist, BEE, said the Municipal Demand Side Management (MUDSM) project had already been initiated in seven districts each of Punjab and Haryana. “We have now chosen Punjab and Kerala to launch our Bachat Lamp Yojana (BLY). While the scheme has already been implemented in Kerala, in Punjab, the project will be implemented in two phases, and 192 lakh CFLs will be distributed to power consumers,” he said.

The Punjab government has already roped in three investors for implementing the scheme, and a tripartite agreement between the investors, Punjab government and Powercom, is expected to be signed shortly. The three investors will supply the CFLs at Rs 15 each to the consumers, and will recover the remaining cost through selling of carbon credits earned through saving power by replacing electric bulbs with CFLs. In the first phase, 112 lakh CFLs will be distributed in 16 circles, while 80 lakh CFLs will be distributed in seven circles during the second phase of implementation.

Talking about the MUDSM project, Garg said the project was aimed at bringing down the power consumption of street lights by bringing more efficient lighting system and adjusting the intensity of the light at different hours of the night. This is being implemented in Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Kaputhala, Ludhiana, Patiala and Bathinda in Punjab. “In Haryana, this is being implemented in Ambala, Faridabad, Karnal, Fatehabad, Rohtak, Sonepat and Panipat. In most of the cities, we have already completed an audit of the street lights and based on this, a detailed project report will be worked out by Energy Services Companies on how to make them more energy efficient,” he said.

He also said a project to introduce LEDs for street lighting in Ludhiana had been approved. A similar demonstration project was also being introduced on the Madhya Marg in Chandigarh.