Headquarters
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Darbari Seth Block, Core 6C,
India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road,
New Delhi - 110 003, India
The establishment of cold storage infrastructure powered by renewable energy, has resulted in many more benefits than just improving the livelihoods of small horticulture farmers in Sadali village in Karnataka. The initiative which actively involved women and youth serves as a model to minimize waste, enhance food security and contribute to the sustainable development goals says Mr Yabbati Nagaraju, Senior Manager, Ms Nivya Baby, Research Associate, and Mr Varun Grover, Associate Fellow and Area Convener, Land Resources Division, TERI.
While air pollution is a problem year-round, it worsens during winter due to stagnant weather conditions that trap pollutants near the ground. We need to tackle its root cause, says Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI.
Learning from India's successful Solar Mission's strategy of reducing risks to attract private capital for investment in solar power projects through a long term supply contract through PPA, the author Mr Ajay Shankar, Distinguished Fellow, TERI and Ms Meenu Saini, Associate Fellow, Industrial Energy Efficiency Division, TERI suggest applying this approach to the production of green hydrogen and its use to get downstream zero-carbon green products and services.
As the threats posed by climate change escalate, countries are having to navigate the challenge of balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability. India, with its large population and rising economic stature, is posed at the vanguard of this endeavour. As ecological tipping points loom closer, the discourse shifts from mere survival to prospering within a burgeoning green economy.
The positive impacts of an agrivoltaic plant should be felt by the larger community. Solar-powered electrification must extend to villages in the vicinity of the plant, and sustainable livelihoods- with round-the-year employment opportunities rather than one-time commissioning jobs-should be created for the community. In fact, community engagement should be integrated throughout the life cycle of the project to ensure shared ownership and trust. Agrivoltaics is a fledgling system in the RE sector. This gives stakeholders an opportunity to ground it in policy frameworks and market mechanisms that can shape its development in ecological, equitable, and sustainable ways-in other words, embed it with the values of responsible RE. It's what will ensure a bright forecast for the sector.
The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was launched in 2019 to address air pollution across 131 non-attainment cities in 24 states and Union Territories (UTs). The programme initially set a target of reducing particulate pollution (PM₁₀) by 20 to 30 percent by 2024-25 compared to the baseline year of 2017-18, which was later increased to a 40 percent reduction (based on the 2019-20 baseline) or to achieve the national standard of 60 µg/m³ by 2025-26. Non-attainment cities (NACs) are those where particulate matter less than 10 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM₁₀) has not met the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of 60 µg/m³. Under this programme, Rs.19,611 crore has been allocated to 131 cities for the period from FY 2019-20 to FY 2025-26, with funds disbursed based on air quality improvements in each city.
Rejuvenating water bodies, resorting to micro-irrigation and improving efficiency of water use in industries will help, says Dr Syamal Kumar Sarkar, Distinguished Fellow, Water Resources Division, TERI.
A promising approach to tackling Delhi's persistent air pollution is the concept of airshed management, which views air pollution as a regional challenge, says Mr R Suresh, Senior Fellow and Area Convenor, Air Quality Research Division, TERI.
It appears to have bypassed the principles of equitable burden sharing and climate justice, having failed to have recognised the financial needs of the global south, says Dr Ritu Mathur, Senior Fellow and Director and Dr Sanchit Saran Agarwal, Associate Fellow, Energy Assessment & Modelling Division, TERI.
India's homegrown Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) system aligns with the nation's commitment to sustainable building standards with over 1700 GRIHA -rated projects. With the updated Energy Conservation and Sustainable Building Code Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) is a natural fit within the evolving regulatory framework, enabling compliance while promoting RE adoption in urban environments, says Dr. Pierluigi Bonomo, SUPSI; Mr. C K Varma, CPWD; Prof. Francesco Frontini, ISAAC; Ms Hemakshi Malik, Research Associate, TERI.