India is committed to developing alternative energy sources

The small hydropower market on a global scale was valued at USD 2.07 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.8% from 2022 to 2030, largely driven by the increasing adoption of renewable energy sources for power generation.

Small hydropower projects are categorized based on size, varying across different countries. In India, small hydropower plants with a capacity of 25 MW or less are considered small. The Ministry of Power was responsible for overseeing hydropower until 1989 when plants with a capacity of up to 3 MW were transferred to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Since then, the MNRE has implemented several initiatives to promote small hydropower, such as the “Optimizing Development of Small Hydro Resources in Hilly Regions of India” project, which received technical assistance from the UNDP-GEF, and an India-Renewable Resources Development Project that includes a small hydropower development component aimed at constructing 100 MW of canal-based small hydropower projects. In November 1999, the MNRE was also entrusted with managing small hydropower plants with a capacity of up to 25 MW.

According to the Small Hydro Database of July 2016 developed by the Hydro and Renewable Energy Department (formerly known as the Alternate Hydro Energy Centre) of IIT Roorkee, there is an estimated potential of 21,133 MW from 7,133 sites in India for power generation from small or mini hydropower projects. Roughly half of this potential is located in hilly states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand. In contrast, the other potential states are Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, and Kerala. To attract private-sector investments, these states receive focused attention through close interaction, project monitoring, and policy environment reviews.

The journey towards renewable energy in India

India heavily relied on coal to meet its energy demands as a developing nation at independence. Nevertheless, India has consistently pursued alternative energy sources to promote sustainable development. Hydropower was the first alternative, with major hydroelectric power projects emerging over time, aided by policy and regulatory initiatives facilitating investment. Today, India ranks fifth worldwide in terms of usable hydropower potential.

In the 1950s, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) was established to ensure India’s long-term energy independence. Today, India is the only developing nation with domestically developed, demonstrated, and deployed nuclear reactors for electricity generation, thanks to decades of extensive scientific research and technology development.

Wind energy research in India began in the 1960s, with the National Aeronautical Laboratory (NAL) developing windmills primarily for irrigation water supply. Thanks to the constant wind movement, India now boasts the world’s fourth-largest wind power capacity, especially in the southern, western, and northwestern regions.

India has achieved considerable success in solar energy-based applications, benefiting millions of Indians by meeting their energy needs in an environmentally friendly way. As a result, India has taken the lead in establishing the International Solar Alliance (ISA), an action-oriented, member-driven, collaborative platform to increase the deployment of solar energy technologies. The ISA’s membership is open to all United Nations member states, with 107 countries signing the ISA Framework Agreement. The Alliance aims to reduce fossil fuel dependence by efficiently using solar energy, creating a greener planet.

Biomass has also been a significant energy source in India, providing employment opportunities in rural areas while being renewable, widely available, and carbon-neutral. Technological advances have enabled thermal power plants to operate more efficiently and cost-effectively. Since the mid-1990s, India has co-fired biomass in thermal plants nationwide to reduce its CO2 footprint in thermal power generation. Over 800 biomass power and bagasse or non-bagasse cogeneration projects have been installed nationwide to feed power to the grid.

India has made significant progress in promoting clean energy and addressing climate change. Economic growth has been successfully decoupled from greenhouse gas emissions. For instance, the Net Zero Emissions target of 2030 set by Indian Railways will reduce emissions by 60 million metric tonnes per year. India’s UJALA LED bulb campaign also reduces emissions by 40 million metric tonnes annually. India launched the National Hydrogen Mission in 2013, making it the world’s largest hydrogen hub.

Despite supporting the second-largest population globally, India’s sustained efforts have resulted in per capita CO2 emissions that are significantly lower than the global average. While the US emits 14.7 tonnes of CO2 per capita, China emits 7.6 tonnes per capita, and India’s CO2 emissions amount to only 1.8 tonnes per capita.

In 2015 at COP-21 in Paris, India committed to generating 40% of its power from non-fossil fuel sources, a target achieved a decade earlier than the 2030 timeline. India has consistently demonstrated its commitment to leading the fight against climate change, aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 while pursuing short-term goals like increasing renewable energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030, meeting 50 percent of energy needs with renewable sources, reducing cumulative emissions by one billion metric tonnes by 2030, and reducing India’s gross domestic product (GDP) emissions intensity by 45 percent by 2030.

India’s experience and efforts in addressing climate change and transitioning towards sustainable energy sources will be invaluable to other developing nations as they strive to achieve their climate commitments.