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Recognising the importance of renewable energy sources as the best alternative to conventional fuels, the Government of India, as far back as in 1981, set up a Commission for Additional Sources of Energy in the Deopartment of Science and Technology. Later on this was followed by the setting up of a full fledged independent department, the Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources in 1982, converted into the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES) in 1992.

MNES is the nodal agency of the Government of India for all matters relating to non-conventional/renewable energy. It undertakes policy making, planning, promotion and co-ordination functions relating to all aspects of renewable energy, including fiscal and financial incentives, creation of industrial capacity, promotion of demonstration and commercial programmes, R&D and technology development, intellectual property protection, human resource development and international relations. MNES also deals with emergying areas such as fuel cells, electrical vehicles, ocean energy and hydrogen energy. In order to provide concessional financial support to the renewable energy sector, the Ministry has set up under its fold a financial institution viz. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (IREDA). The following specific items have been assigned to the Ministry

· Commission for Additional sources of Energy (CASE)

· Integrated Rural Energy Programme (IREP)

· Research and Development of biogas and programme relating to biogas units.

· Programme relating to improved chulhas and research and development thereof.

· Mini-micro hydel projects below 3 MW capacity and geothermal energy.

· Solar photovoltaic devices, including their development, production and application.

· Tidal energy, wave and ocean thermal energy.

· Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency

MNES is headed by a Secretary and the activities of the Ministry are divided into different groups, as listed, on the basis of end use applications and activities. These groups are headed by Advisers and/or joint Secretaries.

· Renewable Energy Policy and Legislation

· Rural Energy

· Biogas plants

· Improved biomass cook stoves

· Biomass production and utilization – briquetting and gasifiers

· Integrated Rural Energy Programme

· Solar Energy

· Solar Photovoltaic systems

· Solar thermal systems

· Solar Energy Centre

· Power Generation

· Biomass Power

· Wind Power

· Small Hydro Power

· Solar photovoltaic Power

· Solar Thermal Power

· Energy from Urban, Municipal and Industrail Wastes

· New Technology

· geothermal energy, ocean energy, alternate fuel for surface transport including electric vehicles, chemical sources of energy including fuel cells and hydrogen energy.

· R&D

· Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd

· Information and Public Awareness

· International Relations

· Integrated Finance

· Planning, co-ordination and administration

MNES is giving a new thrust to its renewable energy programmes and more aggressively moving into new areas and proceeding in new directions across the entire spectrum of rural energy, solar energy, power generation and new technologies. The major initiatives currently planned are

· Formulation of policy and legislation

· Institutional Linkages for integration of renewable energy

· Identification of high focus areas

· Marketing outlets

· R&D and specialized institutions

· International partnerships and exports