“India needs to open its eyes towards energy storage concepts”

“India needs to open its eyes towards energy storage concepts”
“What is the point of efficiency when the primary source of power is diesel? Utilities abroad have started benefiting from increasing capacity utilisation by using energy storage concept to save excess power available at night,” said Akiev Samson, Manager-Business Development, Greencon Technologies
The concept of green building is gaining a lot of popularity, but are we ready to plan green projects on a large scale consistently?Unfortunately it won’t till we have an absolute majority in the political system. Multiple approvals and bureaucracy have been slowing down the planning and investments. Only political reforms will help fast track green infrastructure projects. Looking at the current situation, I don’t see any significant investment until 2015.
What are the services you provide in green sector?Our patented product the ‘Ice Ball’ is our primary line of business. It is a storage medium for air conditioning energy. It helps save energy costs on diesel by over 60 per cent. Essentially it’s a battery inverter on ice. Apart from ‘Ice Balls’ we help with chiller audits. Our sister company manufactures process chillers under the brand name of ‘Superchillers’.
According to you which state in India is most equipped/lucrative to undertake green projects? Tamil Nadu presents a huge opportunity for us due to power deficit. Due to high consumption of diesel to provide power in malls and commercial complexes ‘Ice Ball’ thermal storage has a big market.
Green projects are becoming a norm in foreign countries, but is still at nascent stage in India, how can we boost use of green technologies in India?Regulations on the power utilised per sq ft can help green technologies find its way in the market significantly. Regulation in the amounts of diesel supplied for power generation, awareness measures by the government, higher subsidies on capital expenditure and lower interest rates on green projects will definitely boost penetration of Green technologies. This though is difficult to happen in the short term due to political instability.
How supportive is the Indian government on green buildings?What India needs is not moral support or verbal support. Corporate India needs faster approval support, monetary support, tax reform support and corruption free support. India could have been a lot greener in the past 5 years but post 2008 the government has been too busy blaming western economies as a reason for drop in growth. What are the technological advancements happening in this field?India needs to open its eyes towards storage concepts. Power plants in India are under-utilised at night. Conventionally all industries focus on efficiency. What is the point of efficiency when the primary source of power is diesel? Utilities abroad have started benefiting from increasing capacity utilisation by using energy storage concept to save excess power available at night. Storage market is worth billions of dollars and lot a storage initiatives are needed to encourage business in this field. 
Where do you see Greencon 5 years down the line? What are your future plans for the company? Greencon intends to make ‘Ice Ball’ thermal storage a must have for LEEDs projects. We need to be successful in bridging the gap between the end user, the consultant and ourselves.
Greencon plans to bring technologies for electrical energy storage for small scale customers and expand large scale electrical energy storage concepts for power generation companies.
How do you visualise the growth of green technologies in India?Looking at the scenario in the past few months, the volatility especially, I’m not very positive until elections. If infrastructure projects are fast tracked, I visualise a lot of new technologies and newer competitors jump into the market which is very good for awareness.
What can be done to promote green buildings in India?Make the buyers ready to pay a slightly higher price for an energy efficient home. If the buyer is aware of what green means, it is for sure that the demand for green homes and green offices will increase, which will encourage developers to build more. Like in westernised nations buyers are given tax incentives to buy ‘green’. Unfortunately to conclude India is a side effect of democracy. Growth for someone is a problem for someone else. Overall India is a big and promising market with bigger problems to tackle.

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