His Excellency Dr. Andreas Baum, Ambassador of Switzerland to India, and Shri Raj Pal, Economic Adviser, MoP, Government of India, have inked the pact to extend the Indo-Swiss Building Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP) by five years, based on successes achieved by the project in its first phase.
Bangalore, November 25, 2016: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had been signed between the Governments of India and Switzerland for a joint project on energy efficiency of buildings in November 2011, for a duration of five years. The objective of the collaboration has been to reduce the overall energy consumed in buildings through sharing of best practices between the two countries in energy efficient design, construction and technologies. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) were designated as implementing agencies for the project. Based on the excellent results achieved by the partnership, both governments have jointly decided to extend the MoU to November 2021.
Speaking on this milestone, the Ambassador said, “We are delighted on the extension of the MoU with India’s Power Ministry for cooperation in energy efficiency of buildings. Switzerland and India have been steady partners in progress – in fact, SDC’s contribution in this partnership spans more than five decades. Since 2011, SDC’s India programme has focused specifically on the issue of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Towards this end, the extension of the MoU today renews our collective vision in achieving India’s energy efficiency goals.”
Shri Raj Pal affirmed the Ambassador’s statement, saying, “With rapid economic growth, the demand for energy services will only increase in India. The Government is promoting greater use of renewable energy and more efficient demand management through innovative policy measures. I am glad that the Ministry along with SDC has taken this initiative dedicated to delivering results in achieving energy efficiency goals. Based on the excellent results of the Indo-Swiss collaboration, we jointly decided to continue collaborating on this important matter for another five years.”
BEEP’s follow-up phase (2017 – 2021) will continue to hold integrated building design workshops with public and private builders; provide technical assistance in developing innovative building technologies; develop regulatory instruments, guidelines and tools for the design of energy efficient buildings; and disseminate knowledge products. The focus of the phase will be on outreach and mainstreaming the outputs of the previous phase in order to achieve a larger impact on the reduction in energy consumption in buildings. This will support BEE’s efforts in mainstreaming energy-efficient building design and in developing energy-efficient building technologies with a potential for mass applications.
The extended MoU will be exchanged between the two governments at the international conference – Energy Efficient Building Design: Experiences and Way Forward, on November 28, 2016. The three-day international conference that will showcase and discuss the results and experiences from BEEP’s first phase, will bring together 200 building energy experts from both India and overseas to exchange knowledge and experience on some of the key aspects of building energy efficiency.
About SDC in India:
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has been a partner of India for more than fifty years. Since 2011, SDC’s programme focuses specifically on the issue of climate change. It supports innovative climate change adaptation and mitigation projects, facilitates the generation and dissemination of knowledge and actively engages in climate change related policy processes.
About BEE:
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) was established in March 2002, as a statutory body by the Government of India under the Energy Conservation Act 2001. It coordinates with State level agencies and energy consumers to perform functions and exercise powers that may be necessary for efficient use of energy and its conservation in India. Bureau of Energy Efficiency is responsible for spearheading the improvement of energy efficiency of the economy through various regulatory and promotional instruments. The primary goal of BEE is to reduce the energy intensity in the Indian economy.