New Delhi / Singapore, 5 November 2007 – Conergy AG, a leading international supplier and producer of renewable energy solutions, announced recently its own charity project for rural electrification in India. Using funds collected at the Conergy Renewable Energy Golf Cup Tournament which took place on 3 November, Conergy will supply and install environmentally-friendly solar lighting solutions for 350 people in Garh, a village in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, India. Garh will officially be nominated the Conergy Renewable Energy Village.
The Conergy Group has been present in India since 2005, where it has supplied and installed over 10, 000 off-grid solar systems in 250 remote villages located in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. Currently, there are 80,000 villages in India without electricity - 25, 000 are out of reach for any public grid. Garh is one of the most remote of these villages, with no direct access to mobile services or healthcare facilities. It is surrounded by desert land and has minimal forest cover, with most of its population earning a livelihood through farming. While this remote territory proves expensive and technologically challenging for power supplied through a public grid, off-grid renewable energy systems such as solar-powered home and street lighting components are affordable and efficient alternatives to this problem, while also environmentally-friendly.
“With more than half the Indian population living in remote villages away from the grid, Renewable Energy is the most economically and technologically viable solution for their electrification needs,” Jan Hartzel, Director of Corporate Marketing stated. “Through our subsidiary SunTechnics, we have already improved the living standards of more than 100, 000 people by supplying 250 villages with environmentally-friendly solar power. We hope to reaffirm our commitment to sustainable development opportunities for remote Indian communities, while supporting environmental conservation through our core business activities.”
Of the 600,000 remote villages in India, 13% lack electricity. India has immense energy needs, with an energy demand of 70, 000 megawatts that has yet to be fulfilled. Commenting on these demands, Raveendra K S Kamat, Director of Conergy India said “India’s potential for renewable energy projects far exceeds the current installed capacity. Of the current 118, 500 megawatts of energy produced in India, only 6% comes from renewable sources. This equates to 7, 100 megawatts and is targeted to reach 10, 000 megawatts by 2012.”
Participants of the charity golf tournament also played their part in realizing this vision.Up to 110 players were involved, among them business leaders and decision-makers. Each player paid a fee to participate, which will go towards funding the Garh project. Conergy’s monetary contribution to the Masonic trust will also help to achieve this. |