As India Approaches Net Zero, Some Critical Q&As
Date : April 7, 2021
In recent weeks, there have been media reports on the possibility of India announcing net zero emission targets. This has led to an intense debate. Some scholars have advocated that it is in India’s interest to announce net zero emissions targets by 2050. Others have urged restraint highlighting the magnitude of challenge involved and argue that we first decide on peaking. Some have questioned t...
Global CO2 Emissions: Zeroing in on Net Zero
Date : March 19, 2021
The global debate on combating climate change is in a decisive phase. The recent extreme weather events in Uttarakhand and Texas only highlight the challenge ahead. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that global CO2 emissions should reach net zero by 2050 to have a reasonable probability of limiting global warming to 1.50 C. This is a narrow time window. Considering that t...
Time for Big Bold Steps to Address Climate Change
Date : May 6, 2020
As one sits down to write this piece, the number of COVID-19 cases in India is over 50,000, global infections have zoomed past 3.5 million, there is no vaccine in sight and scattered reports of new strains of the virus are emerging. There is no denying that the pandemic poses, perhaps, the biggest economic challenge to independent India, with an estimated economic loss of Rs 32,000 crore per da...
COVID-19: To Pause and Look Back To See The Future
Date : May 6, 2020
The COVID-19 outbreak has deracinated life across the globe to expose the structural weaknesses of our system, such as income inequalities, weak healthcare systems, inadequate education, and the lack of global co-ordination. Throughout history, we have faced many deadly pandemics. Yet, after centuries of development, we stand at the crossroads witnessing human fatalities along with impacts on the ...
COVID-19 and the Renewable Energy Sector
Date : May 6, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected all sectors of the global economy. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised its global GDP growth estimate from 3.3% from just three months ago to a contraction of 3%, something not witnessed since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The energy sector has not been immune to COVID-19. The outbreak has contributed to a dampened demand for oi...
Climate Change is Happening Now
Date : March 17, 2020
We are living through the Anthropocene, a geological age defined by the influence of humans on our environment. The impact of human action on the planet is starting to be felt unevenly across the world as we grapple with the fact that we may have irrevocably changed the world in which we live. The science on climate change is clear – a key conclusion of the International Panel on Climate Change ...
Saubhagya: From Connections to Quality of Supply
Date : March 12, 2019
Distribution, the crucial link between power generation plants and end users, presents a complex challenge that India’s power sector is meeting with only qualified success. Despite being one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, India's per capita electricity consumption is only about a third of the global average. The rural segment of the population has been most affected by the lack of p...
A Solar Step Ahead for Small Businesses
Date : November 28, 2018
The rooftop solar sector in India is gradually gaining momentum. More and more home owners as well as businesses are expressing an interest in adopting rooftop solar systems. We spoke to Mr. Akash Rao, Proprietor of the popular Guruprasad Udupi restaurant in New Delhi, who for the last two years, has been using a solar rooftop system to meet the restaurant’s power needs. Read what Mr. Akash has ...
The Electric Mobility Opportunity
Date : May 15, 2018
There are many reasons to encourage electric mobility (EM) in India. These include environmental - replacing ICE engines will reduce CO2 emissions and combat global warming. Health - lower emissions will assist in addressing our deplorable air quality situation. Balance of payments and energy security—reduced oil imports will mean a healthier trade balance and reduced dependence on overseas sour...
Hybrid Vehicles: A Pathway to Full Electrification
Date : December 14, 2017
Under the recently announced GST guidelines, the Government made clear what it thought about hybrid cars, which will attract 28% GST plus 15% cess, as against 28% for ICE vehicles and 12% for electric vehicles. At this punitive tax rate, there will be no sales of hybrids. Current buyers will go for a corresponding ICE model, which attracts 15% less tax. The only manufacturer of hybrids at scale (T...