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Promoting
Green Lifestyles
Through Green Energy in Cities
O ur
everyday choices of what we eat, how we travel, what we buy, how we use
and how we dispose determine whether we have a green lifestyle or not.
Sustainable choices create a green lifestyle. Many cities have taken up
innovative initiatives to reduce their energy demand through improved
energy efficiency, conservation and deployment of renewable energy
technologies in an endeavour to reduce their carbon footprints.
Tokyo, Japan
Energy demand in Tokyo is
mainly for lighting, water heating, space heating and cooling. This
demand is fulfilled using 2.7 per cent renewable energy, i.e., solar
thermals, solar PVs and waste incineration plants. The electricity
market in Japan has been liberalised in 2005. To achieve its targets,
the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) made it compulsory for all
electricity suppliers to publish their carbon dioxide emissions and
plans for deployment of renewable energy. This programme has resulted in
a reduction of 680,000 tonnes CO 2
every year.
Solar power systems have been
installed at public facilities within the city with donations and
investments sought from citizens, local businesses and corporates.
Public seminars have been held to encourage citizens and businesses to
select their energy supplier based on green principles.
Japan’s favourable policies
have also stimulated this growth. The 2003 Electricity Law enables new
generators to sell to a broad array of customers, and the 2003 Renewable
Portfolio Standard stimulates rapid growth of renewable energy.
Source: IEA, 2009
Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town has large demands of
energy for use as electricity, heating and transport. Its energy needs
particularly for electricity, are majorly fed through thermal and
nuclear energy. However, in the past few years, hydro and wind energy
have also picked up with setting of two 200 MW hydro plants and four 1.3
MW wind turbines, which mainly meet the electricity requirements of the
city. Under the Solar Water Heater Advancement Programme, a target of
having 10 per cent of all households and 10 per cent of all city owned
housing equipped with solar water heaters by 2010 has been set.
Subsidies are available under this programme for new buildings and solar
water heaters have been promoted in the city’s nature reserve. The city
has a target of a fully operational ‘non-motorised’ transport strategy
by 2015. To meet this, the city is promoting bicycle and pedestrian
transport with increased infrastructure and clean transport fuels such
as biofuels.
The Renewable Energy Finance
and Subsidy Office (REFSO) was established to give a one-off capital
grant for renewable energy project developers. Awareness campaigns for
Renewable Energy (RE) have been aggressively pursued particularly for
households, commerce and industry. An Energy Committee was established
to advise the Mayor and Mayoral Committee.
Source: IEA, 2009
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Most of the rewarding enrichments of human life -
be it personal freedoms and artistic opportunities, or pastimes of a
physical or mental nature - do not claim large amounts of additional
fuels or electricity.
Vaclav Smil, 2003. |
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Nagpur, India
Nagpur, an industrial hub of
West India, has adopted a ‘Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency’
policy. It has targets of 20 per cent reduction of conventional energy
consumed by municipal buildings and services to below 2005 levels by
2012; 3 per cent reduction in overall city conventional energy
consumption by 2012; and 10 per cent of primary energy consumption to be
met by renewable energy sources.
Solar water heating systems in
commercial and domestic activities have been promoted and it has been
mandated that all new residential buildings with larger than 1500m2
floor area must install solar water heaters. A 10 per cent property tax
rebate is offered to gain compliance. Renewable energy sources have been
promoted for all city applications in parks, campus lighting, street
lights, garden lights, advertisement hoardings and traffic signals.
Waste-to-energy projects have been promoted through this policy.
Under the Nagpur Solar City
Programme funded by the Government of India, energy efficient green
buildings are being promoted on a large scale in the city. The Unique
Waste Plastic Management and Research Company Pvt. Ltd in Nagpur manages
a waste to energy demonstration plant that converts plastic waste into
diesel fuel equivalent. A special economic zone has been established by
the government for industrial development where manufacturers of
renewable energy equipment and components have been encouraged to
establish plants.
The Renewable Energy Resource
Centre established in 2006 conducts awareness generation activities.
Different methods have been used for awareness campaigns such as using a
mobile van, establishing more than 20 school energy clubs, and providing
training for students and teachers. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation has
actively hosted events to promote renewable energy in the city, and for
gathering learnings from success stories.
Nagpur is the first ‘solar
city’ in India and is planning to become the future host of the world’s
largest renewable energy park.
Source: IEA, 2009 q
Shivani Mathur
smathur@devalt.org
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