UNION BUDGET 2014-2015: GREEN SHOOTS

– Will leave no stone unturned to create a vibrant India.

– We wish to provide an investment friendly taxation system: Arun Jaitley

– We are targetting 7-8% growth rate: Jaitley

– The steps I will announce are beginning of journey we wish to take for macro economic stabilisation: Jaitley

– There are green shoots of recovery in global economy, says Jaitley.

– People have voted for a change; India desires to grow says (FM) ArunJaitley.

– Solar Power equipment manufactured in India to become cheaper.

– Clean Energy cess increased from Rs 50/ tonne to Rs 100/tonne.

– Basic custom duty on LED panel below 19 inches made nil.

– Organic farming will be promoted in North East.

– NRI fund for conservation of river Ganga to be set up.

– Biotech clusters to be set up in Bengaluru, Faridabad to take science and technology to new heights.

– Rs 100 crore for cleaner thermal power technology.

– Ultra modern power projects to be taken up in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Ladakh with Rs 500 crore.

– FM proposes to set up `hastkala academy` for revival of handicraft, Rs 30 crore set aside.

– Govt will initiate scheme to provide a soil health card; Rs 100 crore set aside.

– Rs 15,000 crore allocated for urban renewal, which will address drinking water, use of recycled water.

– MNREGA will be made more productive. It will be linked to agriculture-related activities.

– Rs 3,600 crore set aside for National Rural Drinking Water.

– FM proposes to launch “Swach Bharat Abhiyaan”.

– `Pradhanmantri krishi sichayin yojana` to be started for irrigation.

– A national multiscale programme called Skill India to be introduced to provide training and support for employment.

Chief Minister’s Solar Powered Green House Scheme

Govt of Tamil Nadu has launched Solar powered Green House Scheme. Under this scheme 3 lakh houses will be constructed with solar powered lighting systems over a period of 5 years from 2011-12 to 2015-16 for the benefit of poor in rural areas.

For the year 2011-12, 60,000 Houses have been taken up and solar powers lighting systems are provided at an estimated cost of Rs.180 Cr. Out of   180 Cr the eligible subsidy from Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, GOI will be appx  Rs.42.6 Cr

For the year 2012-13 , 60,000 Houses have been takenup and are being provided with  49650 CFL based , 10,350 LED based solar power lighting system at an estimated cost of Rs 180 Cr. With approximately Rs  39.42 Cr  subsidy from MNRE .

Read Full Article:  http://www.teda.in/site/index/id/8V8D7T2N1K

TOP 6 THREATNING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

1. SOIL EROSION & DESERTIFICATION

2. WATER SCARCITY

3. POLLUTION

4. LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY

5. DEFORESTATION

6. CLIMATE CHANGE

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SOIL EROSION & DESERTIFICATION

Unsustainable industrial agriculture practices have resulted in soil erosion and degradation that leads to less arable land, clogged and polluted waterways, increased flooding and desertification. According to the World Wildlife Fund, half of the earth’s topsoil has been lost in the last 150 years.

What You Can Do: Support sustainable agriculture that puts people and the planet above profit. Show your support for sustainable agriculture by signing this Greenpeace campaign for “a global food system that feeds people, enables the small farmer to thrive, protects the soil, water and climate, and promotes biodiversity. This is a system free from genetic engineering and chemical-intensive agriculture.” On a smaller scale, you can make a difference in your backyard by switching to non-toxic green pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, corn gluten organic fertilizer.

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WATER SCARCITY

As the population increases and climate change causes more droughts, water scarcity is becoming more of an issue. Only three percent of the world’s water is fresh water and 1.1 billion people lack access to clean, safe drinking water. As the current drought in California dramatically shows, access to water is not just an issue for developing countries but the United States as well.

What You Can Do: Just as energy efficiency is considered an important solution to the issues of climate change and pollution, water efficiency can help us deal with water scarcity. Some ideas to be more water efficient include installing an ENERGY STAR-certified washer, using low-flow faucets, plugging up leaks, irrigating the lawn in the morning or evening when the cooler air causes less evaporation, taking shorter showers and not running sink water when brushing your teeth. Also, consider using non-toxic cleaning products and eco-friendly pesticides and herbicides that won’t contaminate groundwater.

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POLLUTION

Air pollution and climate change are closely linked, as the same greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet are also creating smoggy conditions in major cities that endanger public health. If you’ve seen horrifying images of pollution-choked Chinese cities and think the smog is isolated to Beijing or Shanghai, think again.

Water and soil pollution might not get the media attention that air pollution does, but they are still important public health concerns. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, dirty water is the world’s biggest health risk.

Soil contamination is a major issue across the world. In China, nearly 20 percent of arable land has been contaminated by toxic heavy metals. Soil pollution threatens food security and poses health risks to the local population. The use of pesticides and fertilizers are also major factors in soil pollution

What You Can Do: Many of the solutions to air pollution are similar to those for climate change, though it’s important to either make a concerted effort to drive less, or switch to a lower-emissions vehicle. Switching over to green energy is also important, as that will cut back on fossil fuel emissions.

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LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY

Increasing human encroachment on wildlife habitats is causing a rapid loss of biodiversity that threatens food security, population health and world stability. Climate change is also a major contributor to biodiversity loss, as some species aren’t able to adapt to changing temperatures. According to the World Wildlife Fund’s Living Planet Index, biodiversity has declined 27 percent in the last 35 years.

What You Can Do: As consumers we can all help protect biodiversity by purchasing products that don’t harm the environment. Next time you are at the grocery store, check to see if food packaging contains any of the eco-label. Also, reusing, recycling and composting are easy ways to protect biodiversity.

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DEFORESTATION

Forest are important to mitigating climate change because they serve as “carbon sinks,” meaning that they absorb CO2 that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere and worsen global warming. It is estimated that 15 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation. Cutting down trees also threatens animals and humans who rely on healthy forests to sustain themselves, and the loss of tropical rainforests is particularly concerning because around 80 percent of the world’s species reside in these areas. About 17 percent of the Amazon rainforest has been cut down in the past 50 years to make way for cattle ranching. That’s a double whammy for the climate because cattle flatulence is a major source of methane gas, which contributes more to short term climate change than carbon emissions.

What You Can Do: You can support organizations, stop using paper towels and use washable cloths instead, use cloth shopping bags (instead of paper), and look at labels to make sure you only use certified wood and paper products. You can also boycott products made by palm oil companies that contribute to deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia.

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CLIMATE CHANGE

While 97 percent of climate scientists agree that climate change is occurring and greenhouse gas emissions are the main cause, political will has not been strong enough so far to initiate a massive policy shift away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable forms of energy. Perhaps more extreme weather events such as droughts, wildfires, heat waves and flooding will convince the public to put more pressure on policymakers to act urgently to curb carbon emissions and address this issue before it’s too late.

What You Can Do: Your home and transportation could be major sources of greenhouse gas emissions. A certified home energy audit can help make your home more energy efficient. If you commute via biking, walking or public transportation you are doing your part to fight global warming, but if you must own a motor vehicle, consider trading in your gas guzzler for a fuel efficient hybrid or better yet—go electric. When you fly, make sure to reduce your carbon footprint from air miles traveled with carbon offsets.

INDIA: The only country with Legislated (CSR) Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is seen as a smart way to conduct business, making corporate entities into socially responsible citizens, visibly contributing to the social good. Socially responsible companies do not limit themselves to using their resources to engage in activities that increase only profits. They use CSR to integrate economic, environmental and social objectives into the company’s operations and growth. The concept of CSR has evolved over the years, especially in India—now the only country with legislated CSR!

With this new Companies Bill in India, it will hopefully motivate organisations to undertake CSR proactively. Organisations realise that the government here cannot alone uplift society and needs help from businesses. Under this Act, most firms with sizeable business are required to shell out at least two per cent of their three year annual average net profit towards CSR works. According to industry estimates, around 8,000 companies will fall into the remit of the CSR provisions; this would translate into an estimated CSR spend of $1.95 billion to $2.44 billion. Plus, with higher economic growth and increase in company’s profits, this mandatory spending will go up. While many big companies have been actively engaged in CSR activities, the number is low, and this new law will lead to a significant increase in the numbers.

Moreover, the Indian government has made it clear whether promoting healthcare can be considered as a social welfare spending activity by companies. And CSR activities would have to be within India. Livelihood enhancement and rural development projects, working towards protection of national heritage, art and culture, including restoration of buildings and sites of historical importance and works of art, setting up public libraries, promotion and development of traditional arts and handicrafts—all come under CSR.

Various activities aimed at reducing inequalities faced by socially and economically backward groups have been included. Measures for the benefit of armed forces veterans, war widows and their dependents, setting up homes and hostels for women and orphans, setting up of old age homes, day care centres and such other facilities for senior citizens would be considered as CSR work. Other CSR activities include ensuring ecological balance, protection of flora and fauna, animal welfare, agro-forestry, conservation of natural resources and maintaining quality of soil, air and water.

By providing more clarity on standardising the meaning of CSR in the Indian context and providing a favourable policy environment, the initiatives can be strengthened. These definitive steps undertaken by the Indian government imply that if companies employ CSR strategically, it can lead to achieving more sustainable businesses. By creating a pool of resources, whether financial or technical, a win-win situation is within reach of all the stakeholders involved. The mandatory reporting standards introduced in this Companies Bill will strengthen and create uniformity, accountability of actions and will measure the impact of these activities.

SAVE & EARN: Switch to Green

The labelling of electrical appliances has helped in making energy efficiency people centric and aided in propagating the concept. Moreover, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency has been working towards taking the sector to a new level and is promoting super efficient appliances in this regard.

SWITCH TO: Efficient Electrical Appliances

Presently, the market is flooded with a wide array of electrical appliances, prominent among them being air conditioners, refrigerators, tubular fluorescent lamps and televisions. With a surge in energy consumption, it is imperative to use super-energy efficient models which would help in reducing the electricity bill.

It is estimated that in the next decade, with an increased use of super efficient appliances (SEA), there would be a three-fold reduction in the electricity bill. An energy efficient appliance is indicated by the number of stars (in colour) on the product, ranging from one star to five-star.

BENEFIT: Some of the advantages of purchasing star labelled electrical appliances are that it helps the consumers reduce energy bills, causes a decline in the capital investment in energy supply infrastructure, strengthens competitive markets while meeting climate change goals and reducing urban/regional pollution.

According to the National Productivity Council, the star rating has boosted the sale of efficient electrical appliances in India.

Sustainability should be the bedrock of fulfilling the ever increasing demand for housing in urban India and this can only be ensured through green buildings.

SWITCH TO: Green Buildings

Burgeoning population, cluttered cities and metropolitans leading to an increase in the waste of natural resources prompted the government to give a serious thought to the concept and construction of green buildings in the country.

Despite the global economic slowdown and sky rocketing demand for energy, experts believe that the need of the hour is to construct smart buildings, which from their very inception, help save energy, environment as well as money.

Market-driven building rating systems such as the Leadership in Energy &Environmental Design (LEED) and Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA), “would motivate leading developers and companies to strive for eternal improvement and in the process, gain extensive advantage in terms of saving energy.”

The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) vision for 2025 has aimed to create a sustainable environment for all and facilitate India to be one of the world leaders in a sustainably built-environment.

HURDEL: Despite the growth in the green building movement, there are certain hurdles which are obstructing its pace. Since the laws are not mandatory, the builders do not follow the regulations and allied guidelines.” one of the major hurdles in the implementation of the ECBC is that there is no uniform and practicable building energy code, especially for those with passive and solar designs and due to a lack of knowledge, many architects and builders in India consider green building as time consuming and expensive vis-a-vis the conventional ones.

BENEFIT: Procuring the building materials and re-using them would help in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as there would be a drastic decline in the need to extract, process raw materials and then transport them. The re-used building material helps in reducing the adverse impact on the economy as well as on the environment from waste disposal such as greenhouse gases produced from decomposition and negates the need for new landfills.

Among the old buildings, which received a facelift and have become greener than earlier are Mahindra Towers in Mumbai. Moreover, the Planning Commission is mulling for a major retrofit of the Yojana Bhawan in New Delhi to save energy and cost, apart from setting an example for government building retrofits.

SWITCH TO: Green Homes

Apart from commercial spaces, the concept of greener homes is also gaining ground in the country. The need is to integrate green buildings in the larger framework of water and sanitation infrastructure, wherever possible.

The need to start with a fact-finding mission to understand the needs of the communities, identify suitable technologies to fit those needs, calibrate a policy mechanism to encode it into law and finally, implement that law. “The Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs) and Co-operative Housing Societies could be useful tools in the propagation of Green Building concepts”.

While a Bill to regulate the real estate sector has already been placed in the Parliament, to enable an impressive and cohesive Act, its impact would be felt in a significant way not before a decade, even if it were to be implemented most efficiently.

“Mass awareness could enable major competitiveness in the green building sector”

India to setup 4 Ultramega Solar Projects

In a move that aims to boost the renewable energy sector, the Indian government will be setting up four ultra mega solar power projects in 2014-15. This was announced by Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, during his speech while presenting the interim budget.

Chidambaram said that government proposes to take up four large size solar power projects, each with a capacity of over 500 MW. All these four projects will be a part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) which has a target of installing 20,000 MW of solar power capacity in the country by 2022.

According to Tarun Kapoor, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Rajasthan and Gujarat will have one solar PV plant each, while the remaining two power plants will be built in Jammu and Kashmir.

Potential Unlimited: Green Indian Textile Industry

India has plans of taking its economic growth to the next level, but for that to happen, access to quality, reliable and aff ordable energy is of utmost importance. Today, the country is seen as a potent market for renewable energy and this has been possible due to consistent support from the policy makers and other stakeholders. As the impact and role of renewable energy continues to grow, a plethora of new opportunities have come to the fore and the country has embarked upon numerous initiatives.

Renewable energy therefore, not only promises to be a good source of generating clean electricity by setting up power plants, but it also has its employability in various other sectors as well. Right from providing clean cooking systems to back-up power through rooft op solar panels, the role of renewable energy technologies (RETs) is making its presence felt in various energy-intensive sectors, viz- transport, agriculture, telecom, industrial heating, internal security environment and wildlife conservation to name a few. Th e advantage of negligible fuel expenses, very low operation and maintenance costs usually off set the initial capital costs of the RETs. Energy Next takes a look at the prospective use of RETs in diff erent aspects of life and the impact that it would have in the long run— both from the point of view of economic benefi t and climate change issues.

THE STUDY

ComSolar, GIZ and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s (MNRE) joint project under Indo-German Energy Programme on commercialisation of Solar Energy in Urban and Industrial areas, carried out a study to identify promising industrial sectors for solar energy technologies.

The study resulted with the identification of five sectors as the most promising for solar intervention, including the textile sector, wherein it was found that if the energy replacement potential (ktoe/ annum) was 403, the estimated monetary savings would be ` 8,432 million per annum. It concluded that the textile (finishing) sector is one of the most promising, with regard to the use of primarily solar thermal technologies for various applications which are commercially attractive in terms of internal rate of returns (IRR) and payback-times. The commercial viability of solar technologies is much higher for industries using fuel sources such as furnace oil, coke or diesel.

Stating how the use of solar energy can help, the study added, “Textile processing requires a lot of hot water in the range of 40-110°C at various stages of the production process. The requisite heat can easily be generated through solar energy. Around 383 ktoe/annum of conventional energy consumption can potentially be substituted, resulting in monetary savings of about ` 7.7 Mio per annum. Textile spinning and weaving is also very important in terms of output, investment and employment. ASI statistics show that this sector consumed 3.34 Mtoe of primary energy in 2007-08. One of the processes involved in weaving, called sizing, requires hot water at a temperature between 80-85°C. Hence, it is estimated that solar thermal interventions are possible in this process throughout the industry in a range of 27ktoe/annum, saving ` 740 Mio per annum.”

INDIAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY

The Indian textile industry is believed to be the second largest in the world, also the oldest and largest sectors of the country, accounting for around 30 per cent of exports. Moreover, it is also the second largest employment generator after agriculture. At the same time, it is also one of the highest energy consuming sectors in India. About 23 per cent energy is consumed in weaving, 34 per cent in spinning, 38 per cent in chemical processing and another 5 per cent for miscellaneous purposes.

Across the country, some textile companies are opting for renewable energies such as solar. One such instance is that of Jharcraft, which has found a visible change in production, by opting for solar power.

Dr B C Prasad, general manager, operation, Jharcraft, reveals, “Earlier, the weaving was done manually, so the production was less. As we work in villages, where there is no power, we had little choice. But after 2010, ever since we began using solar power on a large scale, things have been streamlined.”

The textile industry in Tamil Nadu is among the largest investors in wind energy and accounts for over 3,000 MW of captive wind power capacity out of the total 7000 MW in the state. Estimates of the capacity being backed down, (the wind mill power is not being utilised), range from 30 per cent of the capacity, according to the South Indian Mills Association (SIMA), to over 40 per cent as per wind energy associations.

The textile sector has also been identified as a designated consumer by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). As per statistics provided by the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), the primary energy consumption in the sector was 4.46 Mtoe in 2007-08. Textile processing steps range from singeing (removal of protruding fiber) to finishing and printing of the fabric and manufacturing, polyester, polyester filament yarn, acrylic, nylon, viscose, cotton, etc. Competition is fierce, hence reliable and affordable energy supply is crucial for this industry.

SOLAR ATMs – Transforming Rural Banking

In India, semi-urban and rural areas that contribute to a majority of the landscape, are often impacted by the lack of power and non-availability of ATM fit notes. Since normal ATMs consume high power, require air-conditioners and ATM fit currencies, banks find it difficult to deploy ATMs in such places.

In order to address this problem, Vortex developed a solar ATM that not only consumes less power, but is also operational without air-conditioners. Moreover, it takes care of soiled teller grade notes as well.

According to the CEO of Vortex, Vijay Babu, more and more banks are now coming forward to deploy these ATMs. In the initial stage, at least 400 solar ATMs called gramatellers, were installed in 17 states of the country. The State Bank of India, owing to its exemplary performance and substantial energy savings, played a pioneering role in promoting it.

IndusInd Bank was the first private bank in India to launch the solar-powered ATM at their Opera House branch in Mumbai. While the Catholic Syrian Bank has placed an order for 50 gramatellers, Bank of Maharashtra and City Union Bank are adopting solar ATMs too. From 2010 to 2013, the number of such ATMs has increased to 100 and now, they are present in different parts of the country.

Vortex, which is looking to venture into Asia, is likely to install 5,000 solar ATMs in India by 2015. Elaborating on the measures that need to be taken to reduce the cost of deploying ATM machines, Babu adds that there is a need for technological advancements to address such issues.

In order to function smoothly, all that the gramateller requires is merely five hours of good sunshine per day, as it uses solar panels to convert sun rays into electrical energy. During the day, the facility uses solar power and in the same time, spare batteries are also charged. These batteries provide power to the ATM in the absence of sunlight, while the extra power generated during the day is exported to an internal grid for other uses. It is the solar inverter and charge controller which manages the switch between solar, battery and grid power. The complete functioning of the system is monitored from a distant area. A single gramateller unit saves over ninety per cent of the annual expenditure of maintaining a traditional ATM, half of whose annual bill of ` 1,44,000 (US$2,530) goes in air-conditioning, electricity and generator running prices.

The ATMs survive power fluctuations too since there is a built-in battery back-up for four hours. They can also function in temperatures ranging from 0 to 50 degree centigrade and without air-conditioning.

According to reports, the government is now planning to start a mini-banking facility in each of India’s 600,000 villages, with an aim of opening about 25 million savings accounts in villages.

Meanwhile, Washington-based World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) has predicted that by 2015, the ATM market in India is expected to grow three-fold.

Su-Kam introduces easy finance schemes for residential solar installations in TN

Su-Kam Power Systems, India’s leading power backup solutions provider, has launched easy finance schemes for solar installations in residences to customers in Tamil Nadu (TN). This move is aimed at making solar installations at residences highly affordable to customers by doing away with high initial cost of installation of these systems.

This pilot project in TN aims to make solar systems affordable to residential customers in the state, and this programme will be extended to other parts of India soon.

Su-Kam has tied up with Shriram City Union Finance Ltd. which shall be providing easy finance schemes to all customers keen to install a solar system at their residences under the ‘Green EMI product scheme.’ All customers approaching Su-Kam’s channel partners in TN can avail these schemes depending upon the capacity of the solar system installed.

Speaking on the occasion, Dhananjay Sharma, GM-Global Solar, Su-Kam Power Systems said, “To cite an example, by availing this scheme, a household can get a 1 KW solar Grid system installed at a mere monthly installment of Rs 2800 thereby reducing the initial cost of solar installation in a household substantially and making it highly affordable. By introducing this easy financing scheme, we are trying to address the initial apprehensions of customers who think that solar is not within their reach due to initial cost factors. ”

He added that besides providing easy finance and removing their initial apprehensions, the target of the programme is to educate customers about the long term benefits of installing a solar system at one’s household. “A solar system installation in a household is like an investment that shall only reap benefits for the customers in the long run. ROI on a solar system is easily achievable within 2 years of the system’s installation thereby enabling a customer to in-turn earn revenue from the free electricity generated by the solar system for the next 25 years!.” Sharma noted.

Under the finance scheme offered by Shriram, customers can avail a maximum of five lakh at an interest of 5.5% per annum for a 12 month EMI (equated monthly installment) scheme and an interest of 5.99% per annum for an 18 month EMI scheme.

(Press Release)

Solar-powered plane to make round-the-world trip next year

Come 2015, India and rest of the world can see the first aircraft that is powered by solar energy and can fly non-stop.

The aircraft, to be unveiled in a few months from now, will make a round-the-globe trip next year, showcasing the latest technology in various countries where it will have stopovers, according to Switzerland-based company Solar Impulse, which is manufacturing it.

The plane, weighing around 2,740 kg, will be powered by 12,000 solar cells and can fly at the speed of 70 kms per hour.

It can fly day and night continuously, collecting energy from the Sun, the company’s CEO Andre Borshberg told PTI here.

Maintaining that the plane will have only one pilot as of now, he said that while the aircraft can fly continuously day and night, “the limiting factor is the pilot. He cannot sustain endlessly and has to take rest.”

The around-the-world sojourn will be for three months, with the total flight time being 20-25 days and nights.

The journey will begin somewhere in the Middle East and the flight’s first destination will be India.

“We hope to make two stops in India – one on west coast and another in the east – before the aircraft goes to Myanmar,” said the CEO, who is here in connection with preparations for making the India-part of the sojourn a high-profile event.

The longest non-stop flight of five days and five nights will be across the Pacific Ocean, he said.

“The goal is to make an aircraft which has unlimited endurance. It is a human challenge also….besides making the aircraft which is very efficient in energy and energy savings,” he said, adding it should “become an ambassador of what we can do with this technology.”
Explaining the motive behind the initiative which is being supported by the Swiss government, the CEO of Solar Impulse said, “The goal is to inspire people, the young generation about what is possible, about the potential of technology.”

Borschberg said the experiment is to show how renewable energy can be used and energy consumption reduced.

“If we can use renewable energy on an airplane, we can certainly use it on the ground, where it is much more simple,” he said.

He said the aircraft has such technology which makes it efficient with reduced energy consumption that enables it to fly day and night continuously. The same technology can be used on buildings and cars, he said.

“We hope to showcase the technology in India to attract young generation which could help young generation to realise their own dreams,” he said.

Borschberg said the company would gauge the interest of the Government of India and is looking for big industrial houses to host it.

“We hope to do communication in India. We want students to see the pioneering technology,” he added. Pitching for greater use of solar energy, which is clean and renewable form of energy, Borschberg said it can be more useful in remote and hot areas.

It can be used in providing electricity to buildings and power to cars. Solar panels used on this plane can also be used on satellites, he said. “The potential of this technology is immense,” he added.

On why the usage of solar energy is not spreading, the company’s chief said cost of power could be factor. At the same time, he said the high cost of power could be during the initial period and in the long run, it will be worth investing.

He said some Chinese companies have already started pulling down the prices by producing energy at low cost.