New and renewable energy including solar power may find place as a separate branch of engineering in B.Tech and M.Tech courses in colleges and universities in Uttar Pradesh to produce skilled work force that the state will require in the coming years.
The Department of Alternative Energy is gearing up to write to the Department of Technical Education in this regard very soon. “We are going to ask the Department of Technical Education to open new and renewable energy as a separate paper in B. Tech and a separate specialized branch in M.Tech in all engineering college and universities in the state,” Secretary (Alternative Energy), Sudhir Srivastav told the Hindustan Times. He said there ware big plans to promote solar energy in the state alongwith rest of the country to fight climate change.
The recommendation for introduction of clean new and renewable energy as independent branches of engineering was made by the Solar Energy Mission Core Group’s first meeting here last week Appointed by Chief Secretary, Atul Kumar Gupta on March 23, the eight-member Core Group headed by secretary (Alternative Energy) comprises as members secretary (energy), chairman, Institute of Management and Development, and a representatives each from IIT-Kanpur, Tata Energy Institute, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Lucknow and Moti Lal National Institute of Technology.
It was pointing out at the meeting that the Government of India had, under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, set up an ambitious target of generating 20,000 mw of solar power in the country in phases by 2022. “This will see UP also taking up a lot of activities to promote generate solar energy which in turn will require a specialized and skilled work force to set up, operate solar plants and also manufacture solar energy gadgets in the state itself to at an affordable cost,” pointed out a senior UPPCL official who participated in the meeting.
{{/usCountry}}It was pointing out at the meeting that the Government of India had, under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, set up an ambitious target of generating 20,000 mw of solar power in the country in phases by 2022. “This will see UP also taking up a lot of activities to promote generate solar energy which in turn will require a specialized and skilled work force to set up, operate solar plants and also manufacture solar energy gadgets in the state itself to at an affordable cost,” pointed out a senior UPPCL official who participated in the meeting.
{{/usCountry}}He said private companies interested in putting up solar plants would be given incentives and subsidy too by the Centre. Solar power generated by them will be purchased by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) through its power trading subsidiary and by the UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) and its discoms for a rate fixed by the electricity regulator. “The Centre Government under the Solar Mission aims at development and deployment of solar energy technologies to achieve parity with grid power tariff and establish India as a global leader by 2022 ,” said pointed out.