Kerala to draft policy to promote solar energy

Kerala is embracing changes in the energy sector and designing new policies in sync with the changing trends. The policy aims at the effective use of solar energy in all fields and also the search for new sources of energy. A committee of 18 members, including experts, has been constituted to work in this regard.

As the use of electric vehicles increases, electricity consumption will increase significantly in the coming years. The newly formed committee will formulate methods to stimulate the use of solar energy. They will examine the possibilities of connecting solar panels to vehicles and also the feasibility of operating V2G (vehicle-to-grid), where electricity is transferred from vehicles to the grid.

A draft policy will be submitted to the government by February 15. The committee is chaired by KR Jyothilal, additional chief secretary, Ministry of Power.

The committee's experts include Reji Kumar Pillai, president of the Indian Smart Grid Forum, Roorkee IIT professor Arun Kumar and former energy management center director Dr VK Damodaran.