Green Energy Awards

Two Indian firms win green energy awards
London, Jun 17 (PTI)

Two Indian firms have won the prestigious Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy, considered as the ''Green Oscar''.A cash prize of 20,000 pounds each were also given to them at a ceremony held here last night. 

Pankaj Patel, Chief of the Abellon CleanEnergy, Gujarat received the International Award and cash prize of 20,000 pounds on behalf of the company for producing biomass pellets from crop waste to fuel Gujarat's industries and for giving farmers a market for their waste products.

Sarah Butler-Sloss, Founder director of the Ashden Awards and chair of the judging panel said: "Abellon has devised a system that relies on a local clean source of energy to reduce Co2, by replacing dirty industrial fuels, drive economic growth, improve crops yields and support farmers."

"This is a showcase example of how the use of local, clean energy can provide effective and commercially viable solutions to local challenges. We hope others can learn from this exciting and successful initiative," Butler-Sloss said.

Gyanesh Pandey received the award and cash prize on behalf of Husk Power Systems, Bihar, which has built 65 power plants across the state fired by gasified rice husks, embedded local grids and hired local people to help run the operations.They now supply electricity to around 180,000 people.

Pandey said that the company would expand its work in other villages in India and later go abroad."There is bound to be great demand for our project as our plant is the cheapest capital intensive plant," he said.

The Awards, started in 2001, aim to encourage the greater use of local clean energy and to address climate change and alleviate poverty.