Role of Meghalaya State Designated Agency

Role of Meghalaya State Designated Agency under Energy Conservation Act 2001

The three major roles envisaged for Meghalaya State Designated Agency in implementing Energy Conservation Act are:

As a Development Agency
As a Facilitator
As a Regulatory / Enforcing Body

DEVELOPMENTAL ROLE:

Meghalaya State Designated Agency would provide a platform for local policy development and implementation of the provisions of the EC act. Key ingredients of its developmental role include governance, compliance and advocacy of the Energy Conservation Act. In the absence or failure to discharge its responsibilities, the danger exists that the provisions under the act will not be enforced, that the laws will be by-passed and become ineffective, and that law reform opportunities in the future will not be identified and pursued.

Key elements related to the developmental role of Meghalaya State Designated Agency include the following:

organization design
capacity building for regulatory and facilitation functions
program monitoring & interactive feedback

To start with, Meghalaya State Designated Agency is expected to take the stipulated tasks under the EC Act and generate feedback on the response from the designated consumers and other entities. Based on the experience gained and response, the program development process is reoriented for a result oriented path. A good deal of understanding between Meghalaya State Designated Agency and Bureau of Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation program participants would be the basic pre-requisite for the success of this mission.

ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES :

Governance is related to an effective organ-gram; existing agencies may be suitably restructured (through a review of job contents, qualification / experience of the staff, training / re-training needs, out-sourcing). Watch words reflecting an organization design catering to an effective developmental role focus on : efficiency, consistency, transparency & practicability in the style of functioning as depicted in the Box below:

EXPECTATIONS FROM AN EFFECTIVE MEGHALAYA STATE DESIGNATED AGENCY

EFFICIENCY: lean & flexible set up geared to discharge responsibilities with limited physical & fiscal resources, internal management information system and reporting

CONSISTENCY: emphasis on retention of key functionaries and their development, need based practices/standards, system of monitoring & evaluation

TRANSPARENCY: exchange of information with Stake holders, publicity-media

PRACTICABILITY: respectability -+ responsiveness to customer complaints, initiatives over and above stipulated under the Act. useful suggestions for re-design of the Act.

REGULATOR FUNCTIONS

Meghalaya State Designated Agency is expected to boost the tempo of the energy conservation drive by tapping the latent potential for opportunities by activating not so responsive consumers to such efforts through market friendly interventions. The success of new legislation will also depend on the appropriateness and effectiveness of the compliance mechanisms. If, for example with inappropriate set up depicting inadequacies in respect of practical means of verification and inspection, the act is likely to be ignored by the stakeholders. It is the duty of the respective Meghalaya State Designated Agency to exercise particular care and attention to deploy a suitable cadre of specialists to cater to the provisions of the Act before national legislation can fulfill its full potential.

LOOKING BEYOND REGULATIONS- FACILITATING EC PROGRAMS

Provisions under the regulation ideally ensure that minimum requirements of energy efficiency or conservation are realized, although their weakness is that they do not encourage designated industries or individuals to go beyond the minimum specified standards. Incentives encourage industries or individuals to exceed the basic minimum requirements established by law. For this reason, the most appropriate response to prompting energy conservation is to supplement legislation with other facilitating functions such as A) fiscal incentives to encourage all stakeholders to exceed these minimum requirements by the widest margin possible. B) giving advice to all persons on any matter specially advocacy, education & training

MONITORING OUTCOMES

The feedback from the Meghalaya State Designated Agency would prompt Bureau of Energy Efficiency and other similar agencies to draw some clues in shaping their future activities. This would also provide a breeding ground for some need based qualitative and quantitative changes in respect of the marketability of energy efficiency products and services. This would be very beneficial to market forces, other related agencies and NGOs to participate in Energy Conservation programs in a business like manner. Major transformation in the developmental role of Meghalaya State Designated Agency is foreseen in the near future when these outfits would emerge as change agents for the ethos of energy efficiency culture.

MEGHALAYA STATE DESIGNATED AGENCY AS FACILITATORS

Meghalaya State Designated Agency would be the focal point for initiatives on energy conservation. Key among the promotional programs includes:

AWARENESS PROGRAMS

Ingenuity lies in roping in various interests such as industry bodies, R&D community, equipment manufacturers, service providers, large organizations, NGOs.

PRINTING BROCHURES. PAMPHLETS. MAGAZINES TO MARKET ENERGY EFFICIENCY

This has to be a need based activity and may seek limited support of the sponsors.

PROMOTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY THROUGH:

Arrangement and organizing training of personnel and specialists in the techniques for efficient use of energy and its conservation
Create awareness and disseminate information through publicity and advertisements for mass awareness including EE through school education.

It may nurture participation by those actively involved in usage of energy as well as future partners in the program. This may be developed based on the financial support to such moves.

PROMOTE AND FACILITATE ENERGY EFFICIENCY THROUGH PILOT / DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS

Meghalaya State Designated Agency may garner support from major promotional agencies, banks, industrialists, service providers, etc.

CO-ORDINATE WITH BEE. STATE ELECTRICITY REGULATORY COMMISSION. OTHER AGENCIES SUCH AS PCRA, MSDA, MNES. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

This is not just a routine function. It is to keep all major stakeholders educated about local developments, key issues and track similar developments elsewhere.

PROMOTE INNOVATIVE FINANCING OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROJECTS

Major programs may include initiatives to implement energy conservation projects. Capacity building, financial intermediation & setting up risk mitigation funds should receive adequate support.

EVOLVE INSTRUMENTS & DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR IMPLEMENTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROJECTS

Energy consulting firms, auditors, equipment manufacturers, banks, NFBCs such as leasing companies may be encouraged to develop suitable products. Players from other regions as well as overseas markets may be invited on reasonable terms. Service companies may be encouraged to extend services outside the state - both within India and overseas markets.

PROMOTE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP IN EFFICIENT USE OF ENERGY.

Utilities may be induced to pursue DSM projects which provide a win-win situation to all stake holders. CDM project developers may be encouraged to select appropriate projects in the state through consortia approach.

REGULATORY / ENFORCING FUNCTIONS:

BEE expects the designated consumers to take up the cause of energy efficiency voluntarily. However, considering the mandate for the programs related to the tasks of standards and labeling, building codes and mandatory audits, specific functions as a regulator and overseeing enforcement are envisaged. The key activities for Meghalaya State Designated Agency as a regulator / enforcing would be:

Identifying and updating information about the key market players & segments by building up energy use data bank of various categories of consumers.

Implementation of EC act is being targeted towards certain customers. To start with, a few of listed industrial consumers are being requested to provide information on energy consumption pattern as per prescribed formats for submission of the datas to the State Designated Agency. Some of the industrial consumers have complied while others have not yet furnish their information. This process is still going on waiting for their reply and the scrutiny of all the datas will be done after receiving all the information.

For buildings, consumers above connected load of 500 KW are being targeted. For S & L program, it would be appropriate to collect pertinent information for items being covered such as distribution transformers, florescent lamps, etc.

Data bank about end users has to be pursued as a continuing activity for shaping up state level Energy Conservation programs and making an appraisal of these interventions.

To implement / enforce the energy conservation building codes, developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency within the state.

To start with, Energy Conservation buildings codes developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency, has to be amended to suit the regional and local climatic conditions. It may need a multidisciplinary study seeking inputs with participation of local builder- architect firms and public bodies. It may be useful to work together with other states facing similar climatic conditions.

To notify any building as a designated consumer having connected load of 500 KW or contract demand of 600 KVA.
Ensure all designated consumers have appointed certified energy managers / energy auditors.
Intimate all designated consumers about mandatory energy audit and ensure that mandatory energy audits are carried out once in 3 years.
Establish systems and procedures to measure monitor and verify energy efficiency results in state level/ individual sectors/ designated consumer.
Obtain action taken report from designated consumers.
Prescribe energy conservation norms in manufacturing as developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency and ensure compliance.
Prescribe energy consumption standards for specific equipments as developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency and enforce within the state.
Direct mandatory display of labels on specified equipments.
Prohibit manufacture or sale or purchase or import of such specified equipments not confirming to energy consumption standards.
Coordinate with Bureau of Energy Efficiency, State Government, adjudicating officer, Appellate Tribunal and Courts in enforcement of the EC Act.