Small enterprises should look at climate change as a business opportunity. Growing demand for solar power and wind energy in Tamil Nadu should be seen as new avenues opened up by the shift to clean energy, said K. Gopalakrishnan, President, Tamil Nadu Small and Tiny Industries Association (Tanstia). The role of small industry in solar power is negligible and is mostly in automobile component manufacturing, plastics, electrical items, manufacture of transformers, and textile.
The foot valves used in water pumps in irrigation are seen to be key components in water and energy conservation. This can be new business for small firms, he said at a recent event to discuss the impact of climate change from an SME perspective.
Energy-saving motors to run power looms in the textile industry, solar tubes , which direct sunlight into building interiors and basements much sought after in the hotel industry and low-cost solar panels could be new avenues of business.
The need for large investments is a major hurdle for small enterprises to take to solar energy. The lack of proper Government policy supporting small firms entering renewable energy is another dampener, according to Gopalakrishnan.
Energy audit as a service to manufacturing companies is another growing segment, said R. Vijayalakshmi, Additional Director, Tanstia-Fnf Service Centre, a joint venture between Tanstia and Friedrich Naumann Stiftung Foundation, Germany, to support small enterprises in the State. In another two years, there will demand for companies that conduct energy audits.
bharani.v@thehindu.co.in
(This article was published on November 17, 2013)
