New Delhi: Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi on Friday said India should decouple economic growth from emissions. Speaking at the 31st Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, he framed this as a goal set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Joshi said “We should decouple growth and emission,” adding: “That is the target given by the Prime Minister.” He said the target was “being very well executed” in Andhra Pradesh by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
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Joshi tied the goal to India’s push to become a manufacturing hub. Development and manufacturing naturally raise energy demand, he said, but that energy should not create problems for the environment. He cited the Prime Minister’s “Zero Defect, Zero Effect” formulation. “In manufacturing an item, it should be zero defect. And zero effect means whatever the energy we consume, whatever the manufacturing we make, it should be zero effect on the environment,” he said.
Joshi was addressing a session titled, “Securing the Sustainable Future: Energy Resilience, Clean Technologies, and Global Partnership.” During the session, 17 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and three government orders were exchanged in the renewable energy sector. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), these represent investments worth Rs 43,871 crore with an employment potential for around 4,700 people. Joshi said the commitments showed that India and Andhra Pradesh were “walking the talk” on clean energy and sustainable growth.
Non-fossil sources now account for about 55 percent of India’s total installed power capacity, Joshi said. He rejected a lower estimate. “Somebody said 50 percent. It is not 50 percent. Today we are already 55 percent,” he said.
He expects the share to rise further within two-to-three years. At that point, he said, “Out of the total installed capacity, 60 percent is from the renewable energy, that is non-fossil sources.” The current share puts India firmly on track to meet its target of 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030, said the statement. Joshi recalled that many had called the target very ambitious when the Prime Minister announced it.
Solar capacity alone has grown from 2.8 GW in 2014 to 175 GW today, Joshi said.
Joshi said India’s peak power demand had risen to 270 GW recently. According to the MNRE statement, that demand was met without interruption, with nearly 33 percent coming from non-fossil sources. He contrasted this with 2012, when peak demand was 123 GW. That year, a grid collapse left North India in darkness for nearly 72 hours, said the minister.
Geopolitical uncertainties have exposed dependence on imported fossil fuels, Joshi said. According to him, solar, wind and, to an extent, pumped storage kept India from the kind of energy emergency declared in some other countries. He said battery storage had also helped India manage the supply chain problems created by the global crisis. Every country needs to diversify its energy sources, strengthen domestic supplies and make its energy system more resilient, he added.
Joshi said decentralised renewable energy is central to India’s approach. “We took this up with the belief that energy resilience must reach beyond the large power plants and transmission networks,” he said. It must reach individual households, villages, farmers and small businesses, he added.
In Andhra Pradesh alone, 7.86 lakh households have been connected with rooftop solar, according to Joshi. He said he had asked Naidu to reach 5 lakh. “I requested him to complete 5 lakhs. He said, I will do more what you will give,” Joshi recalled. A few days ago, he said, Naidu called him with an update and a question: “I have completed 7.86 lakhs, how many more you are giving it to me?”
Nationally, 66 lakh households have benefited under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, against an initial target of 1 crore, Joshi said. The installation pace has improved sharply since the scheme began. It took 118 days to complete the first 1 lakh installations, and the average is now six days for every 1 lakh. Joshi said the ministry aims to bring this down to five days within a month or so. Households and farmers are not only getting zero electricity bills but also earning from the excess power they generate, he said.
The government is also pushing microgrids and off-grid systems in remote areas, Joshi said. These include tribal and forest areas, where the aim is round-the-clock electricity for every household.
Joshi said the second phase of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) is under the consideration of the Prime Minister. “PM Kusum 2 will be rolled out shortly,” he said. According to the MNRE statement, the new phase will further solarise agricultural equipment and pumps.
The first phase solarised pumps, Joshi said. He added that the Prime Minister had recently called for agricultural equipment to be run on solar power. Under the second phase, solarised agricultural pumps will also generate electricity that can serve farm mechanisation, he said. Joshi said manufacturing to support this would also have to take place.
Joshi described India and Andhra Pradesh as an excellent and safe destination for investment. He attributed this to political stability, policy consistency and strong execution. Joshi said there would be no policy paralysis of the kind seen under the previous regime.
A manufacturing hub needs reliable and affordable power, Joshi said. “That manufacturing hub needs two things. One is good logistics that we are already working out, and another one is reliable power, affordable power,” he said. That power, he added, comes through renewable energy.
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Joshi said products made with green energy will be in greater demand in global markets. He closed with a direct appeal to investors. “I call upon you to invest in India, invest in renewable energy. You will have a very good return, safe return,” he said.