India has set targets to meet 50% of its energy requirements from non-fossil sources by the year 2030. India will achieve more than its target of generating 500 GW renewable energy by 2030, said Union Minister of Power RK Singh in his address at the 14th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) and 8th Mission Innovation (MI) Meeting at Goa.
He discussed barriers on the pathway to energy transition and possible ways to overcome them. “Climate change is a concern for all and each one should play a positive role to combat it. India’s per capita carbon emissions is around 2.29 tons while the world per capita average is around 6.3 tons. It is the simple lifestyle of the people of our nation which is the reason for low per capita emissions. We need to look at challenges in the path of energy transition and find ways to move ahead in order to create a sustainable future,”he said.
The Union Minister informed the Ministerial that India has Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme for industries, which encourages them to implement sustainable practices, resulting in 105 million tons of emission reduction per annum. “We are exploring different renewable sources including solar, wind, and hydrogen to accelerate energy transition. We have also focused on energy efficiency in the lighting sector, with schemes such as UJALA, star rating, and LED street lights; these have resulted in 278 million tons of emissions reductions per annum.”
Member, NITI Aayog DrVijay Kumar Saraswat highlighted the need to change the energy mix away from fossil fuels in order to ensure a sustainable future for humanity. “We have gathered here to embark on a transformative journey, one that holds the potential to shape the future of collaborative efforts towards global clean energy transition and sustainability. We need to ensure sustainable energy for humanity in order to build a sustainable future,” he noted.
Secretary of Energy, United States of America, Jennifer M Granholm expressed deep appreciation for India’s leadership in the global energy transition. She commended the collaborative efforts and partnerships forged among nations to accelerate the adoption of clean energy solutions and to address the pressing challenge of climate change. “In order to achieve the goal of Net Zero, use of emerging technologies is paramount. Sharing a common goal of achieving it and being united is the only way to achieve it,”she said.
The Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) is a high-level global forum of 29 countries, to promote policies and programmes that advance clean energy technology, to share lessons learned and best practices, and to encourage the transition to a global clean energy economy.
