Sustainable energy in Sri Lanka: What have we done so far?
According to the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA), the country’s sustainable energy or renewable energy industry is expected to grow rapidly in the next few years, and facilitate a number of economic activities in the country.
It is home to many natural and renewable energy sources such as sunlight, wind, freshwater bodies, and the ocean which are used to produce renewable energy and electricity such as hydropower, solar energy, wind power and biofuel. The country aspires to be carbon neutral by 2050, by developing cleaner energy resources according to the National Energy Policy and Strategies of Sri Lanka.
The National Energy Policy was founded on ten pillars, rooted in the broad areas impacting society, economy and environment. These are; Assuring Energy Security, Providing Access to Energy Services, Providing Energy Services at the Optimum Cost to the National Economy, Improving Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Enhancing Self Reliance, Caring for the Environment, Enhancing the Share of Renewable Energy, Strengthening Good Governance in the Energy Sector, Securing Land for Future Energy Infrastructure and Providing Opportunities for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Therefore the SLSEA promotes the use of widespread energy efficiency, improvement and conservation and the increased use of renewable energy sources to further sustainable development, energy accessibility, energy security and low-carbon economic growth.
Ceylon Electricity Board is the pioneer of renewable energy generation in Sri Lanka. CEB’s renewable energy generation schemes and strategies date back to 1969, with hydropower technology. The CEB was able to generate hydropower for the whole country during that time. Later on, the CEB allowed private investors to get involved in the sector through mini hydropower power plants which were synchronised to the national power grid.
Even though the CEB’s main focus was on hydropower, it also searched for other renewable energy resources to be used alternatively. This paved the way for the CEB to introduce wind power and solar power generation; a milestone in moving towards a carbon neutral Sri Lanka.
According to the CEB, solar power is the main source of renewable energy in Sri Lanka, and it has had the highest level of growth during the last few years. So therefore, the CEB has classified solar energy projects into five categories: Large and medium scale solar parks (10-100 MW), scattered small scale solar projects (1-10 MW), scattered small scale solar projects in the LV network, rooftop solar solutions and floating solar panels.
Furthermore, in 2016, the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy launched a community based power generation project called the ‘Soorya Bala Sangramaya’ (Battle for Solar Energy), in collaboration with the CEB, the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA), and the Lanka Electricity Company Pvt Ltd. (LECO).
The aim of this project was to set up small solar power plants on the rooftops of households, religious places, hotels, commercial establishments and industries across the country. The project is expected to add 1000 MW of solar electricity to the national grid by 2025 and 1500 MW by 2030, and consumers will be able to generate and use electricity in their houses, offices, hotels, restaurants and other establishments.
If the electricity generated is more than what they require, consumers can sell the excess electricity to the national grid or bank it to use later. According to their electricity usage consumers can select one option from these three schemes: Net Metering, Net Accounting and Net Plus. The installation service should be obtained by a registered solar service provider.
Net Metering is a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid. This means the consumer has to pay only for the net amount of electricity consumed during a month.
According to the Net Accounting scheme, if the electricity generated from the solar panels is greater than the amount consumed, the excess will be paid at the rate of Rs.22.00 per unit during the first 07 years and from the 8th year onwards at the rate of Rs.15.50 per unit by the Utility Provider. If the consumption is greater than the generated units, the consumer has to pay at the existing electricity tariff for the excess electricity consumed.
With the Net Plus Scheme consumers are paid for the amount of electricity generated using their solar panels. Unlike the net metering method there is no connection between the consumer’s electricity consumption and electricity generation. Two separate meters will be installed to measure import and export of electricity. The customer has to pay for the electricity consumed according to the existing tariff while the Utility Provider will pay for the total amount of electricity the customer generates.
In terms of wind energy generation, last year Sri Lanka’s first 100 MW wind park was opened on the south coast of Mannar Island. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimates that it can generate 345,600 MW per hour every year, which is equivalent to avoiding about 265,700 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
Supported by the ADB, the wind power project is helping the CEB to build its capacity to undertake large-scale wind energy operations and act as a wind park developer that can attract private investors. It is also helping stakeholders in the sector to stabilise the cost of renewable energy for largescale projects and the increase the potential of integrating them to the national grid.
The Mannar Island wind farm is the largest wind farm in Sri Lanka and marks the return of Vestas Wind Systems A/S to the country after 19 years. Vestas is a leading sustainable energy solutions provider in Denmark, which installed the wind turbines in the country’s first wind farm in Hambantota. It has a total installed capacity of 3 MW. Vestas also supported the CEB in overseeing the wind turbine installations, commissioning and testing. It also provided technical certification for the contractor’s activities throughout the construction period.