Green Energy initiatives

India’s installed renewable energy capacity has increased 396% in the last 8.5 years and stands at more than 174.53 Giga Watts (including large Hydro), which is about 42.5% of the country’s total capacity (as of February 2023). India saw the highest year-on-year growth in renewable energy additions of 9.83% in 2022. It has proposed the launch of the Hydrogen Energy Mission in this fiscal year. The focus has been given to boosting the power and clean energy sectors.

Major points on Green Energy initiatives in India

  • The Budget has laid a major focus on capturing the emerging energy transition trends from Renewables to Hydrogen and even Smart Metering.
  • National Hydrogen Mission will be launched in 2021 22 for generating Hydrogen from green power sources.
  • It talks about the PLI scheme in Solar Manufacturing, Vehicle Scrappage Policy and the Hydrogen Energy Mission On the lines of a Power system operation corporation (POSOCO) the power budget provides for setting up an Independent Gas transmission system operator for the gas sector.
  • For the first time, there is private financing of 18,000 crores for 20,000 buses and innovative financing with PPP which would revolutionise the way public transport systems and buses function in India. The initiative is to promote less dependency on personal vehicles and eventually bring down carbon footprints.
Green Energy initiatives in India

what are the hydrogen energy mission and its significance?

  • Hydrogen Energy Mission is proposed for generating hydrogen from green power sources Hydrogen with its abundance, high energy density, better combustion characteristics, nonpolluting nature, etc., has vast advantages over the conventional fuels Green hydrogen energy is vital for India to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) Targets and ensure regional and national energy security, access and availability.
  • Aims to reduce petroleum use, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution, and contribute to more diverse and efficient energy infrastructure. Its long term vision is to reduce dependency on minerals and rare earth element-based batteries as energy storage Vehicles powered by hydrogen are said to be best suited for use in the long haul, heavy transport, and commercial fleets.
  • Hydrogen from renewable power is technically viable today and is quickly approaching economic competitiveness.
  • India is already keen on developing a hydrogen economy. It is a participant, one among 16 nations or groupings, in the Mission Innovation Renewable and Clean Hydrogen Challenge.

what are India’s Green Energy Initiatives Targets?

  • India ranks at the fifth position among the countries of the world when it comes to the size of its energy economy.
  • India’s renewable power capacity is the 4th largest in the world and is growing at the fastest speed among all major countries.
  • The renewable energy capacity in India is currently136 Giga Watts, which is about 36% of our total capacity.
  • The Government of India had set a target of 175GW renewable power installed capacity by the end of 2022. This includes 60 GW from wind power, 100 GW from solar power, 10 GW from biomass power and 5 GW from small hydropower.
  • The 2030 renewable targets were announced to be 450 gigawatts. 
  • As a part of Nationally Determined Contributions as per the Paris Accord on Climate Change, India has made a pledge that by 2030, 40% of our installed power generation capacity shall be from non-fossil fuel sources and also by 2030, reduce emission intensity of GDP by 33 35 % from 2005 level.
Green Energy initiatives

Green Energy initiatives Associated challenges

  • The cost of renewable electricity from hydrogen specifically, is the major problem. Currently, hydrogen is around $6 to $8/kg which is a price too high to bring it into conventional use
  • The other main hurdle is transporting hydrogen to long distances. Hydrogen in gaseous form is highly inflammable and to ship liquid hydrogen, it needs to be chilled to 253 C.
  • Renewable energy sources like solar, wind, tide, etc., are dependent on weather conditions. If the favourable weather conditions are not available, it becomes inefficient and unfeasible. So, there is sustainable round the clock 24×7 supply challenge.
  • One of the biggest challenges is integrating renewable with the main grid. And to integrate renewables we need storage and battery solutions. Storage and Battery manufacturing is still a hurdle.
  • Power distribution companies are currently monopolies, whether public or private. There is no choice for customers.

Conclusion on Green Energy initiatives: 

  • Planning a road map where we generate employment while setting up green energy infrastructure and reducing carbon emission.
  • There should be a framework to give consumers an alternative of more than one discom.
  • To succeed as a renewable energy-based economy, it is not just the manufacturing sector where India would want to excel but the entire supply chain like increasing the custom duty on solar panels as it will incentivise domestic players in India to set up manufacturing of solar panels and making the entire supply chain robust.
  • Not sticking to just one alternate resource but exploring other sources too.
  • There can be extensive marketing and awareness campaigns so that consumers are made aware of the benefits of the energy they are consuming.
  • More capital infusion in R&D and infrastructure is needed to reap the benefits of various geographical locations in terms of solar energy and an emerging untapped option of hydrogen energy to replace conventional energy.

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