Switching to renewables of immense benefit to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is one of many countries affected by climate change that has agreed to ambitious renewable energy targets by 2050. Sri Lanka is strategically positioned and has the capacity to achieve this goal very effectively and in the long term. The country will benefit immensely from this transition, said the Norwegian Ambassador Trine Joranli Eskedal at a conference held at the Galle Face Hotel this week on the theme “Toward a clean and s u s t a i n able energ y era: Opportunities to meet the energy demand in Sri Lanka”.
She said however to move towards this target, Sri Lanka will need to create an appropriate policy environment to develop an innovative financial model and to develop new practices to attract more investment into the sector, especially from the private sector. There is also a need to create more space and opportunities for research of new inventions and consultation and collaboration between all stakeholders. It is essential that government academia and the private sector work together to achieve this goal. Norway is a country with a very high share of renewable energy use. It is also known as one of the world’s greenest nations. “We need to prioritise development in technology that made the transition towards a greener future both easier and more cost-efficient. Both the government and the private sector in Norway have seen and agree that the future is in renewables. There is also cooperation and partnership between governments and the private sector. In recent years an impressive number of start- ups and innovators have employed new technologies to help speed up Norway’s shift to renewables especially in the transport sector,” she said.
The ambassador further said that considering the demography, economy and current energy uses, Sri Lanka too is uniquely positioned to spearhead cutting edge research and invest in renewable energy moving towards a zero- carbon future. What is required is an urgent paradigm shift that builds on development globally, international experiences and private sector engagement. The current crisis’ needs a green solution. “We can all agree that the world is at a turning point today in terms of the utilisation of new source of energy delivering new and ways of conserving energy.”
She emphasised the war in Ukraine will also change the way the world uses energy. Many countries that long depended on oil and gas from Russia are now urgently looking for other ways to meet their energy needs. The COVID-19 pandemic provided the world an opportunity to fast -track changes to energy systems as many cars remained parked and planes grounded in 2020. Global carbon emissions fell steeply. The air became cleaner and the planet became greener. The switch to renewables such as wind power, solar and hydrogen in the medium to long term will immensely benefit Sri Lanka and make a significant contribution to lowering living costs for lower income people while addressing the negative impact of long term use of fossil fuels on the environment.
Other who spoke at this seminar were Prof. Lise Bjorkhaug Gundersen from Western Norway University, Prof. Dhayalan Velauthapillai from Western Norway University, Inge Vikesdal - CEO, Current Solar As and Sturle Pedersen from Green AS.