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

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a 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 regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), 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 and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. Its mission is gathering and disseminating knowledge about

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

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 energy for continuous service) or changing one's behavior to use less service (f ...

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

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

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 Union Cabinet Minister Raj Kumar Singh, that is mainly responsible for research and development, intellectual property protection, and ...

(MNRE), a bureau of the

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

. 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. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

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 under government monopoly. Established in 1957, the agency comes und ...

, 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 ...

, 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 radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating), and solar architecture. It is an essen ...

. These include

solar lantern A solar lamp, also known as a solar light or solar lantern, is a lighting system composed of an LED lamp, solar panels, battery, charge controller and there may also be an inverter. The lamp operates on electricity from batteries, charged throug ...

s, home lighting systems,

street light A street light, light pole, lamp pole, lamppost, street lamp, 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 ...

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 used loosely in various contexts in physics and engineering. It can refer to several different well-defined physical concepts. These include the internal energy or enthalpy of a body of matter and radiation; heat, de ...

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 takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in soil desalination, which is an issue for agriculture. Salt ...

. 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 or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically ...

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 or wind park, also called a wind power station 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 turb ...

is located at Kanjikode, in

Palakkad District Palakkad District () is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. It was carved out from the southeastern region of the former Malabar District on 1 January 1957. It is located at the centre of Kerala. It is the largest district i ...

; it has a capacity of 22 MW

Bio-Energy Programme

This program aims to recover

energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of ...

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

fertilizer A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) 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 ...

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 syste ...

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

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 that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describe ...

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 ways, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, and training.Kabeer, Naila ...

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