Increasing India’s emphasis on decarbonizing its steel industry and growing offshore wind power would help the country achieve carbon neutrality before the stated deadline of 2070, according to the director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency.
International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) Francesco La Camera said at the Reuters Global Markets Forum in New York late on Monday that the country was “extremely serious” about facing the difficulties ahead and was particularly interested in growing offshore wind power.
The Indian government, according to La Camera, is “on pace” to meet its 2030 goal of producing 50 percent of its energy from non-fossil sources by 2030.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has increased India’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) goal for non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, up from just over 151 GW at the time of his announcement in December.
With around 40 GW of onshore wind capacity and over 60 GW of grid-connected or centralized solar power facilities, India has a significant amount of renewable energy capacity.
According to Vaibhav Chaturvedi, a fellow at the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW) think tank, India is currently considering experimental projects in offshore wind generation, but it will not join the market until around 2030 since the technology is still pricey.
La Camera said that the government expects green hydrogen – produced from water and clean energy – to be used to power industries like steel that are having difficulty reducing CO2 emissions.
The need for “standards and certification” was also emphasized by the minister, as India prepares to begin exporting green hydrogen, with conglomerates such as Reliance Industries and Adani Enterprises, as well as state-run energy companies such as NTPC Ltd. and Indian Oil Corp., announcing plans to manufacture the fuel.
To meet its climate change ambitions, India wants to generate five million tons of green hydrogen per year by 2030. The country also hopes to become a worldwide manufacturing and export center for fuel.
Published by- NIKITA GOSWAMI
