UNDP

As part of the initiatives of the UNDP/GEF Global Solar Water Heating Project (GSWHP), the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has started a voice-activated National Helpline on Solar Water Heaters to raise awareness of the technology and answer the questions of consumers. The service, which has been operating since 15 September 2011, is managed by the Solar Thermal Federation of India (STFI). It has a toll-free number (1800 2 33 44 77), with service hours from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM between Monday and Friday, and 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM on Saturdays. The two employed call centre agents offer help in both Hindi and English.

The current use of Solar Water Heaters (SWHs) in India's Himalayan region remains rather limited, if not scarce. Including Jharkhand, the region's total installed collector area has been estimated at around 33,000 m² until the end of 2010, which is less than 1% of the total installed SWH capacity in the country. Most of the existing systems are part of commercial and institutional buildings, whereas the domestic sector makes very little use of SWHs. These are some of the results of the study “Market assessment of solar water heating systems in the Himalayan Region” carried out by Greentech Knowledge Solutions on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Figure: Greentech Knowledge Solutions

This presentation, prepared by Anwar Ali of the LCECP (Lebanese Centre for Energy Conservation, was presented during the workshop in Syria: “Political & Economic Framework Conditions for EE & RE in Buildings”.