The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and energy company Shell have identified setting up low-carbon manufacturing industry and expansion of power grid along with eight other key areas for India’s path towards sustainable development and net zero emissions.
The joint report, ‘India transforming to a net zero emissions energy system: A call to action to 2030’, outlines what India will need to do this decade in order to be on a trajectory to meet its 2030 commitments and its Net Zero Emissions (NZE) 2070 goal.
Energy lies at the heart of India’s development aspirations. At the same time it confronts an energy trilemma of balancing energy security, energy equity, and environmental sustainability while pursuing decarbonisation, the report said.
“Decisions made in this decisive decade will determine India’s ability to decarbonise while ensuring continued economic growth and development,” it said, adding that concerted efforts and partnerships are essential among the government, businesses, and civil society.
The report presents four potential scenarios, all aiming to achieve net zero emissions within India’s energy system by the latter half of this century. It highlights the need for increasing electrification in energy end use sectors, meeting electricity demand increasingly from non-fossil sources, and developing low-carbon alternatives such as hydrogen and biofuels for hard-to-electrify segments.
It also advocates deploying digital solutions to enable low carbon alternatives, supporting circular economy business models to drive resource efficiency, and creating an enabling environment for planning, establishing and scaling up carbon removals after 2030 to address the most expensive and hardest-to-abate residual emissions.
“… the report explores pathways for India until 2030 to achieve its commitments, emphasising the pivotal role of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and electrification in its decarbonisation efforts,” Shell Group of Companies in India chairman Nitin Prasad.
The report further emphasises the need for policy interventions, technological advancements and behavioural changes to facilitate the transition towards more sustainable energy practices.
“India possesses a remarkable prospect to establish itself as a prominent global front-runner in low-carbon technologies and solutions. To seize this opportunity, India must give paramount importance to establishing a conducive regulatory framework that promotes growth and encourages innovation,” TERI Director Vibha Dhawan said.