Renewable energy a future prerequisite to stay afloat in power sector
Sri Lanka has to embark on solar and wind power generation projects in future with private sector investments to stay away from fossil fuel burning. In 2009 there was a target to achieve 10 per cent of renewable energy generation by 2015 and subsequently it was changed to achieve 20 per cent in 2020, when some targets were met. But now there is a target to achieve 70 per cent of renewable energy by 2030, said Sulakshana Jayawardana, Director General Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority, at a recent webinar held in Colombo on the topic “Achieving Low carbon development targets in the Power Sector”. The webinar was sponsored by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
He said they are working with several stakeholders to achieve this policy initiative target set by the government. “We have focused on several strategies and this cannot be done by the government investment alone but have to seek private sector participation from the banking sector to achieve this target. We need investment to put up transmission and infrastructure facilities for renewable generation. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has the facilities to absorb green energy facilities into their system and plans to achieve 30279 megawatts of solar power by 2030 and 1300 green energy in to the system. Meanwhile provision to the existing Electricity Act regarding green energy incorporation will be brought in parliament shortly,” he said.
Prof. Priyantha Wijayatunga, Chief Energy Sector Group – Asian Development Bank, said that decarbonization is critical to address the challenges posed by climate change by 2050 as expected by the world community. “Otherwise we may have issues relating to global temperature levels rising up to 1.5 Celsius by the end of the century. More than 130 countries have pledged their support to cut their net-zero emission in to the atmosphere. If we want to cut zero emission by the year 2050 we need US$4 trillion investments. New technologies needed to cut down emissions are still at experimental level and research and development is a critical component in this exercise. As far as the Asia -pacific region is concerned we have 50 per cent of the global population with much poverty and the ADB has mandated that no coal power generation will be financed by them in future,” he added.
Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya, Energy Expert, said that Sri Lanka is a low energy country with a per capita electricity consumption of 700 kilowatt hours per person per year. Top of the range is Norway is 27000 kilowatt hours per year. Sri Lanka should expect a higher consumption requirement of electricity even under a business- as usual scenario. “We have to be prepared for that. Even India is 1100 kilowatt hours per person per year and Malaysia is at 5000. Considering clean energy targets we should define our targets like what Indians do in their capacity of Megawatts. Our electricity is not up to the mark where reliability is concerned. There is a lack of investment with LECO and the CEB where reliability improvement is concerned. On the average LECO and the CEB customers have 100 power outages for a year,” he said.
Many solar power panels could not be connected as the distribution network is already congested and the network has to be strengthened, he said.
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