A SHINING EXAMPLE

Despite several inherent challenges, India has set for itself the world's most ambitious energy transition target that, if successful, could potentially reset the rules of engagement for green energy globally 

- BY MANISH PANT

“Do you wish to see the future of energy?” asks Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, during an interaction with Business Today. “Well, it’s right there!” As the afternoon sun clears up the leftover January fog, a row of solar panels gleam on the roof of his sprawling bungalow in New Delhi’s Lutyens zone. “India’s energy transition in some respects is a sui generis case. The country has to ensure the transition to green and sustainable energy without affecting energy availability and affordability,” he emphasises.

The panels on the roof of Puri’s official residence serve as an apt metaphor for India’s ambitious target of achieving net zero emissions by 2070. The country is looking at getting there by meeting 50 per cent of its electricity requirements through renewable energy, which is the highest among G20 economies.

India has made significant progress in this direction. By November 2021, it had successfully installed 156.83 gigawatt (GW) of green energy, or over 40 per cent of the target capacity (390.8 GW) of 2030—a full nine years ahead of schedule. A confident Raj Kumar Singh, Union Minister of Power, New & Renewable Energy, claims that India is now all set to breach the revised projection for 2030. “I will tell you right now that 65 per cent is an understatement as our established capacity today is 170odd GW of non-fossil. We have about another 80 GW under construction. That makes it 250 GW!”