Current Affairs Brain Booster for UPSC & State PCS Examination

Topic: Energy Efficiency Enterprise (E3) Certificate Programme

Why in News?

• The Ministry of Power has launched "Energy Efficiency Enterprise (E3) Certifications Programme for the Brick Manufacturing Sector". It is aimed to tap huge energy efficiency potential in this sector.

About E3 Programme

• E3 Certification is an initiative to recognise burnt clay brick manufacturers who adopt energy-efficient manufacturing and encourage customers to source bricks from such E3 certified manufacturing units.
• The E3 Certificate will be awarded to those enterprises whose specific energy consumption will be 25% lower than the national baseline.
• The adoption of the E3 Certification is currently voluntary for the brick industry.
• The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is responsible for providing certification about the E3 programme.
• The final scheme will be notified by way of formulating necessary regulations under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
• The Final scheme will carry provisions for E3 certificate application fees and in case of non-compliance, Penalties.

About BEE

• Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Power which was setup in 2002 under the provisions of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
• The mission of the Bureau is to assist in developing policies and strategies with the primary objective of reducing energy intensity of the Indian economy.
• State Energy Efficiency Index, Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme, Standards & Labeling Programme, Energy Conservation Building Code, etc. are other important initiatives of BEE.

About Construction and Brick sector in India

• The construction sector contributes about 10% of India’s GDP and is growing at the rate of 9% per annum.
• The Indian burnt clay brick industry is the second largest in the world after China.
• The brick sector contributes about 0.7% to the country's GDP, generate seasonal employment to over 1 crore workers, and is backbone of economic sectors such as transportation and construction.

Benefits

• This Brick industry consumes about 45-50 million tonnes of coal equivalent annually, amounting to 5-15% of the total energy consumption in the country.
• Energy saving of 7 Million Tonnes of oil equivalent (MTOE) per year and Carbon Monoxide savings of about 25 Million Tonnes by 2030 are estimated through adoption of E3 Certification by 7500 Bricks manufacturing units.
• Brick production demand is expected to multiply three to four times over the next 20 years, through E3 Certification program.
• It will lead to multiple benefits in terms of energy savings in the brick manufacturing process and improved quality of bricks resulting in cost savings.
• This will push towards phasing out inefficient technology in Brick production and enhance awareness and access of energy efficient bricks and technology.
• Such bricks will be useful in complying with the requirements of Energy Conservation Buildings Code (ECBC).