Climate change is no more an environmental concern. It has emerged as the biggest developmental challenge of the world. The ongoing crisis that we’re facing today has necessitated that we, as a society reflect upon the alarming possibility of a more existential threat. These times call for urgent action to combat climate change and its further degradation by capitalizing on India’s strong renewable energy potential.
After more than a century and a half of industrialization, deforestation, and large-scale agriculture, quantities of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have risen to unprecedented levels. However, industrialized countries have managed to de-link fossil fuels from economic growth. In other words, emissions have fallen even as national income has risen. But have failed to do the same with carbon dioxide emissions. It is evident that as long as the world economy is carbon-based driven by energy from coal, oil, and natural gas, growth cannot be de-linked substantially from CO2 emissions. The only way to avert climate change is to reduce emissions dramatically.
India’s rapid economic growth has benefited the country in a lot of ways, but it has been clouded by a degrading environment and natural resource scarcity. In a bid to achieve India’s renewable energy target of 175 GW by 2022, the government laid major emphasis on clean energy in the Union Budget 2021-22, by allocating additional capital infusion of Rs.1,000 crores to Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and Rs.1,500 crore to Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) to boost the non-conventional energy sector. Looking at the current state of climate crises, the biggest challenge in achieving this ambition is to do it in an environment-friendly manner and by adopting a green perspective. Here are few ways in which the solar sector can help India’s climate degradation:
Enabling a better socio-economic structure
In rural areas, the development of renewable energy resources such as installing solar panels can solve the problem of energy deficiency. This will help foster the development of schools, hospitals, and agriculture production as well, thus resulting in an increase in income of all social groups. Renewable energy indirectly contributes towards the development of employability and the economy.
Reduction in carbon footprint
Fossil fuels are one of the biggest culprits of environmental pollution. The use of fossil fuels (the major reason for carbon dioxide emissions) is closely linked to economic growth and lifestyle. Every human being contributes to the CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. However, the person’s lifestyle decides the amount that is emitted. The more prosperous a country’s economy is, the higher is its fossil fuel consumption, resulting in higher greenhouse gas emissions. To tackle this problem, the use of coal needs to be constrained and for this, we need strict policy measures that monitor the CO2 emissions and focus on clean energy initiatives.
Solarizing smart cities
People have been migrating to cities in search of jobs for a long time, the opportunity for growth and development has led to an increase of urban dwellers. Solarized cities have the potential of providing power for all. Investments need to be focused on low-carbon, sustainable and long-term solutions that help further in building green infrastructure.
Urban Indians are resilient and adaptive. The pandemic has reshaped our lives and lifestyle choices. Urban dwellers are realizing the importance of clean energy consumption and the need to gravitate towards environment friendly options. When the lockdown occurred, it was an eye-opener for the world with regard to the impact on environment. Fuel consumption largely driven by daily commute, intercity and cross-country travel too came to a standstill. As a result, it led to reduced fuel import bills. Migration to the home office, virtual conferences compared to the in-person meeting all contributed to energy efficiencies. Moreover, if urbanites would contemplate large scale migration to solar power, it would drastically reduce utility bills, and will free our cities and towns from the veil of pollution.
We may be entering a new ‘era of pandemics’. It is hoped that now, this urgency may take centre stage, forcing policymakers to consider the wide-reaching impact of climate change and to prevent further environmental damage and reverse, where possible, the damage that has already occurred.
Chiranjeev Saluja is Managing Director, Premier Energies
