The Meghalaya New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (MNREDA) was created on 18.9.1987 and Registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1983 with the objectives to identify, formulate and implement demonstration, experimental, promotional and extension of projects and programmes, related to Non-Conventional and Renewable Sources of Energy such sources includes Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Bio-Energy, Energy from waste Bio-Fuel, Energy, Small Micro Hydel power stations etc.

The Agency also undertakes and sponsors research and development programmes and studies on issues related to environment and pollution. It provides technical and other assistance to the agencies, institutions or individuals and education through exhibition, seminars, trainings and mass media for the effective use of Renewable Sources of Energy.

The Agency has 2(two) component i.e. New and Renewable Energy which is the Head Office/State Level and Integrated Rural Energy Planning i.e. the District Level.

The Meghalaya New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (MNREDA) is headed by the Director who is also the Member-cum-Secretary of the Governing Body of the Agency. He is assisted by 3(three) Assistant Directors, Biogas, Solar, and Planning, 1(one) Programme Officer, 2(two) Junior Engineers and the other 36(thirty six) staffs, total comes to 43(forty three) staffs in the Head Office.

The Director also administer the work of Integrated Rural Energy Planning Programme and at present 7(seven) District Level Cells offices are in operation each headed by a Project Officers, total staffs in District offices are 45(forty five) Nos. The Project Officers also assists the Director. Both New and Renewable Energy and Integrated Rural Energy Planning Programme staffs are headed by the Director.

The details of work undertaken by the State and District Level are :-

State Level :-

• To formulate and implement demonstration, experimental, promotional and extension project and programme related to New and Renewable Energy such as solar energy, wind energy, bio-energy, hybrid energy which is locally available.
• To co-ordinate and monitor the different energy supply programme in rural areas.
• To regularly assess through appropriate field studies, the performance of the projects implementation in the state through State Govt. and central Govt.
• To build and maintain data bank on demand supply and consumption pattern of the rural energy sector in the state.
• To supervise and carry over appropriate economic evaluation and assessment studies on different aspects of rural energy supply and demand and utilization in the state.
• To undertake other activities required for developing and successfully implementing the programme in the state.

District Level :-

• To co-ordinate, organize and supervise the preparation and implementation projects in the District.
• To prepare District level Integrated Rural Energy Plan Reports with the help and guidance by the State Level.
• To assist the District Advisory Committee under the Chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner and regular reports on the progress of the project and programme implement in the District.
• To co-ordinate and installation of various energy devices and technologies in the rural areas and to ensure their maintenance and upkeep and for this purpose to organize suitable training course with the involvement of other institutions and supplies of these equipment’s for the benefit of the rural areas.
• To provide regular feedback on the operation technology and performance of various energy devices set up in the District.

The main programme and activities of the agency is to harness these Renewable Sources of Energy like solar energy, biogas, biomass gasification, wind energy and distribution of save energy devices.

Due to higher demand in energy consumption in urban areas as standard of living is increasing meeting of energy requirement through Renewable Energy Power is very crucial. Therefore Renewable Sources become popular with the coming of years to meet the energy requirement both urban and rural areas especially in those villages which are remote and in accessible in which transmission of energy through grid is next to impossible and also maintenance of these transmission lines is uneconomical.

With the development in Renewable Technology devices, the exploit of local resources of renewable source is a must. These can be harness to give a voltage support in urban areas and to electrify the un-electrify villages in the state which cannot be met from the grid supply.

The State Govt. through The Meghalaya New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (MNREDA) has identified three sources of Renewable Energy that can be exploited in the state and available in abundance out of many sources of renewable i.e. solar photovoltaic, wind energy and bio-energy. These three source shall be the priority of the State Govt. To exploit fully in large way to cover the un-electrified villages and to give a back-up support in which power supply exist.

The Meghalaya New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (MNREDA) has also already assessed the available potential from Renewable Energy sources i.e. wind, solar, biomass and small hydro with the estimated potential of 3692 MW with a break-up as indicated below :-

1. Wind Potential - 90 MW (89 sites)
2. Small Hydro Potential - 436 MW (105 sites)
3. Biomass Power Potential - 165 MW (based on crop and forest residue).
4. Solar Power Potential - 3000 MW based on 1% land availability.

The following programmes and activities are undertaken by MNREDA. They are :-

Solar-Energy:

(a) Rural Energy :- The Agency undertake the distribution of lighting system in rural areas through distribution of home lighting system, solar lantern, street lighting system and encouraging the use of LED solar lighting system. This programme is being continued so as to help those household in rural areas to have a clean, energy instead of using their kerosene lamp traditionally used by villagers is Meghalaya.

(b) Urban Energy :- To reduce the load consumption on the Grid, the Agency encourage the community or individual to avail the street lighting system and solar water heating system i.e. 100 LPD capacity which can be used for 6(six) persons in a family for bathing and washing, save about 3-4 units electricity on daily basis. Therefore, during the year 2016-2017 a target of installation of 100 Nos. of 100 LPD each total capacity of 10,000 Nos. of solar water heating system and the installation of the same is under completion.

The use of solar street lighting system for illumination of road, foothpath and compound lighting system in urban will help a lot in load reduction to the Grid. 1(one) street lighting system which can be used from dusk to dawn, save about 3 units of energy in a month. 362 Nos. of solar LED street lighting system under CSR project of IREDA in collaboration with MNREDA have already been installed successfully in 18(eighteen) villages in East/West Khasi Hills, East/West Jaintia Hills, Ri-Bhoi District. Besides, 4000 Nos. of 11 watt LED street lighting system is being installed during the year 2016-2017. Besides, the installation of 1700 Nos. SPV Street Lighting System is in progress at Dadenggre and Amlarem Sub-Division (Civil) Office.

(c) Power Plant Off-Grid :- Solar photovoltaic application is not only for individual lighting system but also for community and institutional application and for remote application in the off-grid. During the year, 2016-2017, the works for the installation of 5 sets of 50 Kw each SPV power plant at the Office of the Sub-Divisional(Civil) Dadenggre, West Garo Hills District and Amlarem, East Jaintia Hills is in progress and will be completed by October, 2017. Besides, 30 Kw SPV Power Plant has already installed at the officer at the office of the Directorate of Meghalaya New and Renewable Energy Development Agency and the same is functioning smoothly.

Wind Solar Hybrid System :- During the year 2016-2017,, 10 Kw wind solar hybrid system has installed in Tura Govt. College, West Garo Hills.

Promotion of renewable energy and energy conservation measures :-

Besides the schemes and programmes, during the 12th Five Year Plan, the Govt. of Meghalaya will take initiative to popularize the renewable energy sources in the state of Meghalaya by creating a scheme on promotion of renewable energy and energy conservation measures. Under this programme through MNRREDA, Renewable Energy is to be popularized and developed by implementing and creating awareness camps, organizing exhibitions including advertisements in newspapers, magazines etc. and for distributing of LED solar lamps to school students in all districts of Meghalaya as it is mainly through school/college students that we can popularize and spread the message on the importance of renewable energy in rural areas and for future generation.

As a part of popularization 40,000 LED solar lanterns have been distributed free of cost to school students.

Bio-Energy :-

Family size Biogas Plant :- A 3 cum, Biogas Plant is sufficient for cooking requirement of a family of 4-5 persons and also can be used for lighting for about 4-5 hours daily. This scheme is the most successful programme undertaken in the state and most popular in the rural areas. A 3 cum plant requires for people to have at least 4-5 Nos. of cattle to run the plant on daily basis. It is also important to note that the dung after gas fermentation is good for manure for farming.

Remote Village Electrification :- Under this programme, 134 Nos. of remote villages were already covered by electrification through Renewable Energy. 40 remote villages under Deen Dayal Uphadhya Gram Jyoti Yogna (DDUGJY) is in progress for electrification of Renewable Energy the year 2016-2017. This 40 remote villages covered the rural areas of East/West Khasi Hills, East Garo Hills, Ri-Bhoi, District and Jaintia Hills District.

Information and Publicity Awareness Campaign :- To popularize and advertise on the importance of Renewable Energy, MNREDA is organizing training, exhibition, awareness, programmes in rural areas and displaying by putting hoardings, bus back panels, bus stop shelters and public places like bus stands markets etc.

Bamboo Pellet Gasification :- Implementation of Bamboo/Wood Pellet Gasification in 4(four) villages are under progress i.e. (i) 40 Kw at Chokpot, Chokpot Block, South Garo Hills District, (ii) 40 Kw at Taktaki, Betasing Block, South West Garo Hills District, (iii) 40 Kw at Godalgre, Betasing Block, South West Garo Hills District and (iv) 100 Kw at Khongpara, Betasing Block, South West Garo Hills District, (ii) 40 Kw at Taktaki, Betasing Block, South West Garo Hills District, (iii) 40 Kw at Godalgre, Betasing Block, South West Garo Hills District and (iv) 100 Kw at Khongpara, Betasing Block, South West Garo Hills District.

Pico Hydel Project :- Meghalaya New and Renewable Energy Development Agency proposes to take up the work of implementation of 25 Nos. of Pico Hydel Projects in the State of Meghalaya. The sites have already identified and the detailed survey is being done for preparation of Pre-Feasibility Report and Detailed Project Report of the consideration of the same.