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Follow UsNEW DELHI, INDIA: For the first time in India, the Ministry of Power has taken a serious note on energy efficiency of IT products. With a voluntary program for notebooks at an initial stage, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under MoP, is expected to enroll desktop PCs and other office equipment, soon.
The industry projected the sales for desktop and laptop computers to be around 12 million in 2011. On the flipside, there is a huge challenge to meet the growing power requirements in the country. With 160,000 MW energy currently available, the requirement is expected to grow five-fold in the next 20 years.
IT hardware body MAIT, together with the Ministry of Power, has taken ecosystem-wide green initiative to reduce carbon footprint in the IT industry. Ajay Mathur, director general, BEE said that both the industry and government have a common goal to move ahead.
Also read: Soon notebooks will have Star Rating
“To manage desktop PCs is not easy as there is a large unorganized sector, but it will follow soon,” said Mathur. This is for the first time that labeling program is initiated for the hardware industry, and is apparently way ahead to other developing nations.
P Uma Shankar, Secretary, Ministry of Power said that, as part of National Mission on Energy Efficiency, BEE Star Rating program for laptops is an extension of government of India's initiative started in 2005.
“The lower star category items will not sell. This program convey to the consumers that they have to look at something other than just advertisements,” said Shankar. Since, 0.5 per cent of energy is consumed by laptops alone, the Ministry is mooting similar Star Rating programs for other IT products.
In 2032 energy requirement would be 960,000 MW of energy
According to the ministry, power is very critical; while 160,000 MW is currently available, in 2032, there would be a requirement of 960,000 MW of energy. A large number of households and villages are yet to be connected. Currently, there is a 30 per cent power loss in India.
“Ministry of Power together with IT Ministry is working closely to check power loss, and deploying IT-based systems in 1400 towns to check the loss,” said Shankar.
BEE said that by 2014, vendors should achieve certain number of energy levels.
“They will be hugely penalized for default or given incentives in the form of certificates. The penalty could be Rs 10,000 a day, and even we are contemplating to raise up to Rs 1 lakh a day in order to compel vendors to move onto energy-efficient levels,” added Shankar.
The Ministry of Power is working closely with MAIT and is optimistic that, initially with laptops and other office products, a lot of efficiency will be achieved in the days to come.