Indian industry has made important progress on energy and emissions reduction in the past, primarily through improving the energy efficiency of key industrial processes. This has helped industry to maintain competitiveness and reduce emissions. However, if long term sustainable growth is to be achieved in combination with global ambition to address climate change, more fundamental changes will be required to reduce emissions by 2050 and beyond.
The 'harder-to-abate' industrial sectors are particularly challenging to decarbonise as a result of their requirements for high-temperature heat and/or the production of process emissions (e.g. in cement production). Current technologies to decarbonise these processes fully are either not existing globally or are not a stage that make them commercially viable, and hence requires a significant coordinated effort to increase deployment. In the Indian context, these sectors include iron & steel, cement, petrochemicals, bricks, aluminium and fertilisers. Options to reduce emissions in all these industries include energy efficiency, increased circularity & demand reduction and deploying de-carbonization technologies across different sectors
Moreover, there are several other challenges including the impact of decarbonisation on cost and competitiveness, the current technical limitations of low carbon alternatives, access to finance, the current low levels of investment and the need to balance the expected high industrial growth in India with the need to decarbonise.
Given the challenge of decarbonising these sectors of the economy, ETC India is taking forward a programme of work to understand potential pathways to reduce emissions. This involves the establishment of an industry platform to discuss analysis produced by the ETC India secretariat.
Project Report
The Potential Role of Hydrogen in India – 'Harnessing the Hype'
By 2030, costs of "green hydrogen" from renewable energy will fall more than 50% and will start to compete with hydrogen from fossil fuels, the report says
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Industry Charter for Near Zero Emission Ambition by 2050
On 24th September 2020, amidst a pandemic raging in the foreground and an ever-deepening climate change crisis in the background, six leading market players from Indian Industry voluntarily came together to pledge for near zero emissions by 2050. They committed to pursue a set of vigorous decarbonization measures, both at the company level and collectively, to set an example for industry peers to contribute in meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
TERI, which has been at the forefront of assessing future pathways for India's energy and industry transition, will serve as the Secretariat of this industry coalition.
This group together launched an 'Industry Charter for Near Zero Emission Ambition by 2050' at the Climate Week NYC 2020.
Policy Brief
Making Mission Possible: Delivering a Net-Zero Economy
The primary route to decarbonisation will be clean electrification, complemented by hydrogen, sustainable biomass and fossil fuels combined with carbon capture, says the report.
Policy Brief
Make Hydrogen in India: Driving India towards the clean energy technology frontier
Indian industry and government should work together to develop a hydrogen economy under an ambitious 'Hydrogen Mission' to maximise the benefits for India and accelerate the energy transition.
Press Release
Global Coalition of Energy, Industry and Finance Leaders Calls for Economic Stimulus to be Invested in the Economy of the Future
The Energy Transitions Commission highlights 7 key priorities to help the global economy recover while building a healthier, more resilient, net-zero-emissions economy
Project Report
Decarbonisation of iron and steel sectors
The report 'Towards a Low Carbon Steel Sector: Overview of the Changing Market, Technology, and Policy Context for Indian Steel' has been prepared by the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC) India, which is a research platform based in TERI in New Delhi. ETC India is the Indian chapter of the global Energy Transitions Commission, which is co-chaired by Lord Adair Turner and Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General, TERI. Shifting heavy industry sectors away from fossil fuels and towards cleaner sources forms an important part of ETC's work.
Article
Climate action: Industries need to be frontrunners for a low-carbon future
Industries have an important role in bringing about low-carbon growth and meeting climate goals. The presence of a number of industry representatives at the UN Climate Summit 2019 was a sign of an increasing recognition of their role in taking steps to control carbon emissions, especially in ‘harder-to-abate’ sectors such as cement, steel, aviation etc.
Discussion Paper
Decarbonisation of Indian industry: Transitioning to a cleaner economy
The discussion paper 'Enabling Decarbonisation of Indian Industry' sets out the current status of Indian industry and its need to transition to resource efficient, sustainable and low-carbon production in order to support future growth. It also discusses challenges that need to be overcome for the 'harder-to-abate' sectors such as iron and steel, cement (and concrete), petrochemicals, aluminium, fertilisers, and bricks and outlines the steps that can be taken to reduce emissions in these sectors.
Video
TERI CBS Future Unfolded series – Decarbonizing the 'harder-to-abate' sectors
Lord Adair Turner, Co-Chair, Energy Transition Commission offers insights on the 'harder-to-abate' industry sectors and pathways to decarbonisation as part of the TERI Council for Business Sustainability's 'Future Unfolded' series.
The 'Future Unfolded' series addresses a variety of critical issues – ranging from low-carbon pathways to circular economy – within the sphere of sustainable development. It showcases ideas, insights and essential commentary from some of the premier thought leaders, academics and industry champions of today.
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Blog
Indian industries support creation of coalitions for sustainable growth
TERI, in partnership with the MoEFCC, convened a workshop on Indian Industry Coalitions, to discuss potential forward-looking proposals around decarbonisation of Indian industry sector that India could present at the UNSG summit. The stakeholders supported creating different kind of coalitions of industries and countries.
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