A Cleaner Roadmap

Context: India’s climate ambitions required a new technologies and support from developed nations.

India’s roadmap to upscale climate ambitions

• Commitment to reduce one-billion tonne projected emissions by 2030: India is now moving with 130-odd countries on the fraught issue of net zero emissions.
  • India is committed for the first time to scale down the GHG footprint and marks the rarest-of-rare occasion of a COP beginning with a carbon budget cut.
• Renewable energy (RE) as lynchpin of country’s decarbonisation drive: By 2030, India will ensure 50% of its energy is derived from renewable sources;
  • India has increased its Paris Pact ambition by 10% and committed to install 500 GW of RE by 2030.

Challenges before India’s climate ambitions

• Unpredictable nature of new technologies will pose challenges, especially when the country’s economy is expected to grow several notches.
• Concerns in energy sector: Discoms aren’t in position to invest in grid and consumer billing infrastructure, mounting operating losses.

Way Forward

• Reforms in energy sector:
  • Need for better coordination between state electricity boards so that utilities with surplus power can make up for the deficits of others.
  • Need to keep a cushion of traditional power to cope with the fluctuations in RE supply.
  • Technological and administrative changes is needed in management of grid and traditional power plants.
  • RE-driven regime required better efficiencies from the distribution infrastructure.
• Demand side options such as improving efficiency of household appliances or tweaking operations of agricultural pumps will also warrant attention.
• Developed countries need to step up: Developed countries need to do much more by way of facilitating technology transfers to the country with the fifth highest RE capacity.