The next few days are going to be really exciting. I will be in the Big Conference on Small Things. Take a look at the program (pdf), and you'll realize why we are all excited. It has nanophysics, nanochemistry, nanobiology, nanomechanics, nanoelectronics and nanoelectromechanics. It's going to be great!
Since it's being held right here in Bangalore, there is a lot of Big People (aka organizers) sweating the small stuff; and many of us are helping them with getting things done.
I know it's redundant to say this, but still ... Regular blogging may have to wait till the Big Conference is over. As for irregular blogging, we'll have to wait and see ...
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India has 17% of the world’s population, but only about 0.8% of the world’s known oil and natural gas resources. Based on the progress visualized for India in next two decades, the power generating capacity has to increase to 400,000 MW by the year 2030 from the current 130,000 MW in India. For energy independence, Dr. Abdul Kalam's goals are that in 2030, the hydel capacity should contribute 80,000 MW, large-scale solar energy farms around 55,000 MW, wind energy 64,000 MW, nuclear power plants 50,000 MW and rest 15,000 MW through use of solid bio mass, bio fuel and municipal waste.
Dr. Manmohan Singh has added weight to Dr. Kalam's views on energy security and renewable energy. The National Common Minimum Programme has committed to develop our renewable energy potential. Indian government has launched the Rajiv Gandhi Vidyutikaran Yojana and a programme called 'Bharat Nirman', to complete rural electrification within the next 5 years. The program looks to combine power generation through thermal, hydro etc., replace diesel with bio-fuels in agricultural pump-sets and tractors, hi-tech biomass gasification for cooking and lighting, and develop frontier technologies like hydrogen and fuel cells.
The current Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has spoken about how India’s sustained economic development is vitally dependent on the country's energy security and on the simultaneous promotion of sustainable and environment friendly energy technologies. The present government (UPA or United Progressive Alliance headed by Smt. Sonia Gandhi) has constitued the Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Divas or Renewable Energy Day. The day honors the late Rajiv Gandhi's commitment to the country's energy security. There is also the Rajiv Gandhi Urja Bhawan will undertake holistic research in all forms of clean and renewable energy sources.
But Dr. Singh says it is an even bigger challenge to create public awareness about renewable energy. The industry is responding to the PM's view. For this, there is the Green Energy Summit 2009 from 4-6 March in Bangalore, for which Dr. Kalam is the Chief Patron. Green Energy Summit 2009, held in association with the Government of India (DST), the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE), UNEP, TERI, BEE, IREDA, Government of Karnataka, and several other governmental and bi-lateral agencies, is India’s first global summit dedicated to sustainable development, renewable energy and clean technologies: http://www.greenenergysummit.com/.
The organisers (Saltmarch) have assembled a team of the brightest Green Energy intelligentsia from across the world to speak at the summit: Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam (Former President of India), Dr. Hermann Scheer (Member of Parliament, Germany), H E Corrado Clini (Minister for Environment, Land & Sea, Italy), Dr. Christopher Flavin (President, World Watch Institute), Dr. Dan Arvizu (Director, U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)), Dr. Mohamed T. El-Ashry (Chair, Renewable Energy Global Policy Network (REN21)), Dr. Wolfgang Palz (Chairman of the World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE)), Nitin Desai (Special Adviser to the Secretary General for the World Summit on the Information Society), Michael T. Eckhart (President, American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE)), Dr. Marianne Osterkorn (International Director, REEEP Vienna) and several other technology experts.
The summit is covering topics including policy & framework, finance & strategy, CDM, China- Middle East-collaboration, solar, wind, fuels & transportation, green IT, energy efficiency, green buildings, small hydro, cogeneration, green buildings & architecture, environment. There is also a conclave of bankers, VCs, PE investors and aid organizations and a second conclave of Chief Secretaries, Energy Secretaries and administrators to drive and debate policy and implementation. You can see the complete program from http://greenenergysummit.com/programOverview.html.
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