Energy Conservation Act, 2001
#GS 03 Climate Change
For Prelims
Energy Conservation Act, 2001
- The act empowers the Centre to specify norms and standards of energy efficiency for appliances, industrial equipment and buildings with a connected load over 100 kiloWatts (kW) or a contractual demand of more than 15 kilovolt-amperes (kVA).
- The Act established the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
- The Government can issue energy savings certificates to those industries which consume less than their maximum allotted energy.
- Consumers who utilise excess energy will be penalized according to their excess consumption.
For Mains:
The Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill:
- The bill seeks to mandate the use of non-fossil sources, including Green hydrogen, green ammonia, biomass, and Ethanol for energy and feedstock.
The other provisions:
- Establish Carbon Markets.
- Bring large residential buildings within the fold of the Energy Conservation regime.
- Enhance the scope of the Energy Conservation Building Code.
- Amend penalty provisions.
- Increase members in the governing council of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
- Empower the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions to make regulations for smooth discharge of its functions
- To put in place enabling provisions to make the use of clean energy, including green hydrogen, mandatory and to establish carbon markets.
- Defining the minimum share of renewable energy to be consumed by industrial units or any establishment.
- This consumption may be done directly from a renewable energy source or indirectly via the power grid.
The objective of the Act:
- To reduce India’s power consumption via fossil fuels and thereby minimize the nation’s carbon footprint.
- To develop India’s Carbon market and boost the adoption of clean technology.
- To meet its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), as mentioned in the Paris Climate Agreement, before its 2030 target date.
Source “Bill to amend energy conservation Act introduced in RS“
