The Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (ANERT) (earlier known as the Agency for Non-conventional Energy & Rural Technology) is a government agency in the

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Its mission is gathering and disseminating knowledge about

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

energy conservation Energy conservation is the effort to reduce wasteful energy consumption by using fewer energy services. This can be done by using energy more effectively (using less and better sources of energy for continuous service) or changing one's behavi ...

, and rural technology. The agency was established in 1986 with its headquarters at

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

About

ANERT is an autonomous organisation which was initially established under the Science, Technology & Environment Council (STEC), of the Government of Kerala. It is the primary agency handling renewable energy programmes in Kerala and carrying out topical programs in Kerala for the

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is a ministry of the Government of India, headed by current cabinet (government), Union Cabinet Minister Pralhad Joshi, that is mainly responsible for research and development, intellectual prope ...

(MNRE), a bureau of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

. The body was registered under the Charitable Societies Act by the government of Kerala, and now functions under the state's Power Department.

Administration

Governing body

ANERT is administered by a governing body chaired by the state Minister for Electricity, with highest oversight by a director appointed by the Government. This board provides direction for activities in various energy-related areas.

Executive committee

ANERT has also an

executive committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

chaired by the Secretary to the Government of Kerala, Power Department. Other members are the Secretary to Government for the Finance (Expenditure) Department, Government of Kerala, the chairman of the

Kerala State Electricity Board Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is an Indian public sector undertaking under the Government of Kerala that generates, transmits and distributes electricity in the state. Established in 1957, the agency comes under the authority of the Po ...

, the member secretary of the

Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) is an autonomous body constituted by the Government of Kerala in November 2002 to encourage and promote science and technology-related activities in Kerala State. Prior to the e ...

, and two additional members nominated by the state government.

Programmes

Major programmes that are implemented by ANERT are:

Solar Photovoltaic Programme (SPV)

Under this programme, ANERT distributes devices which use

solar energy Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's sunlight, light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is a ...

. These include solar lanterns, home lighting systems,

street light A street light, light pole, lamp pole, lamppost, streetlamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or path. Similar lights may be found on a railway platform. When urban electric power distribution b ...

systems, TV power packs, and vaccine refrigerators. These devices are distributed in accordance with MNRE and other programmes using ANERT funds.

Solar Thermal Energy Programme

The Solar Thermal Energy Programme aims to supplement

thermal energy The term "thermal energy" is often used ambiguously in physics and engineering. It can denote several different physical concepts, including: * Internal energy: The energy contained within a body of matter or radiation, excluding the potential en ...

requirements at various temperatures for different applications; they include cooking,

water heating Water heating is a heat transfer process that uses an energy source to heat water above its initial temperature. Typical domestic uses of hot water include cooking, cleaning, bathing, and space heating. In industry, hot water and water heated t ...

, heating for industrial processes, crop drying, space heating, and water

desalination Desalination is a process that removes mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination is the removal of salts and minerals from a substance. One example is Soil salinity control, soil desalination. This is important for agric ...

. Programme processes include harnessing solar energy from the Sun and converting it into heat energy using various solar thermal devices and systems.

Wind Energy Programme

ANERT is in the process of increasing

wind power Wind power is the use of wind energy to generate useful work. Historically, wind power was used by sails, windmills and windpumps, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. This article deals only with wind power for electricity ge ...

usage at different locations within the state. In association with MNRE, the agency has conducted a detailed study of the wind potential in Kerala. Its largest capacity

wind farm A wind farm, also called a wind park or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an exten ...

is located at

Kanjikode Kanjikode or Kanchikode is an industrial town located east of Palakkad. Kanjikode is the second largest industrial hub in Kerala after Kochi. The town is part of Pudussery (gram panchayat), Pudussery Panchayat. It is one of the growing suburbs o ...

, in Palakkad District; it has a capacity of 22 MW

Bio-Energy Programme

This program aims to recover

energy Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...

from waste; study the scientific disposal of waste; convert waste into

fertilizer A fertilizer or fertiliser is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from liming materials or other non-nutrient soil amendments. Man ...

after energy extraction; improve

sanitation Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems ...

; protect the environment; and generate relevant employment opportunities. Domestic and industrial biowaste is of major import to the agency, as it can be converted into

producer gas Producer gas is a fuel gas manufactured by blowing air and steam simultaneously through a coke or coal fire. It mainly consists of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), as well as substantial amounts of nitrogen (N2). The caloric value of the pro ...

via

gasification Gasification is a process that converts biomass- or fossil fuel-based carbonaceous materials into gases, including as the largest fractions: nitrogen (N2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (). This is achieved by reacting ...

. This gas can be used for heating and generating

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

National Programme on Improved Chulha

In 2001, as part of its declared "

Women's Empowerment Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several method, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, equal status in society, ...

Year", MNRE decided to make 10,000 villages throughout India "smoke free" by the promotion of improved

chulha A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a ...

s, or cooking stoves.

Training and Workshops

ANERT provides training and workshops for field level staffs to improve services.

Policies

Kerala Renewable Energy Policy 2002

The Kerala Renewable Energy Policy was introduced in April 2002 to develop, propagate, and promote non-conventional energy sources, as well as to exploit natural resources for cheaper power projects.

Wind Energy Policy 2004

The Wind Energy Policy was instituted to set up wind farms on private lands in Kerala.

Kerala Solar Energy Policy 2013

In November 2013 the Solar Energy Policy was implemented to increase the use of solar energy appliances in

References

{{reflist State agencies of Kerala Renewable energy organizations Appropriate technology Solar energy organizations Energy in Kerala 1986 establishments in Kerala Government agencies established in 1986