New Delhi: Diversification of solar manufacturing and supply chains besides building adequate renewable energy storage are necessary to meet the net zero emission targets, Union Minister R K Singh told ISA member countries on Wednesday (November 1). Without these, the net zero target is going to remain only a goal, Singh, who is the president of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), said. At a session of the ISA conference, the Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister said,
Net zero will remain only a goal unless the world gets together to solve the problems of lack of diversification of solar manufacturing capacity and associated supply chains.
Hon’ble Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy and International Solar Alliance President Shri @RajKSinghIndia today said India has set a highly ambitious goal of decarbonising energy and augmenting its non-fossil fuel generating capacity. pic.twitter.com/rhzincPhJQ
— Office of R.K. Singh (@OfficeOfRKSingh) November 1, 2023
The ISA president also said that storage remains critical for greater utilisation and round-the-clock provision of renewable energy. The developed world kept talking about the need for energy transition, they did not do anything about it. Stressing that the round-the-clock renewable energy is not possible without storage, he said,
Today, about 90 per cent of the solar manufacturing capacity is in one country, mostly dependent on one chemistry, i.e., lithium ion. This thus raises supply chain challenges, which came to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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India has emerged as a country with one of the fastest rates of energy transition, he said.
There is a need to work on improving efficiencies of solar technologies so that the cost of electricity comes down, which would be especially required for developing countries, the minister said.
We need to increase efficiencies in solar; these need to go up more. When we (India) began our journey, we used to need 5 acres of land for 1 MW solar, today we require 3.5 acres only. The cost of energy has come down but it will differ from country to country. If efficiency goes up, cost of electricity will come down, which will be good for developing countries where many of their people cannot pay for electricity.
Even in India, we give subsidies to populations who are below a certain income level; this will be true for all developing countries. The financial capability of governments to give subsidy is limited; so increasing efficiency is absolutely important. This will ensure that poorer people can afford electricity without government subsidies.
Also Read: Gas Authority Of India Targets Net-Zero Emissions By 2040: Chairman Manoj Jain
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
