Opinion

Are agrivoltaics the solution?

24 Dec 2024 |

| Mr Shirish Garud and Ms Hemakshi Malik

| India Development Review

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.

National Clean Air Programme: Progress, Challenges, and the Need for Targeted Reforms

19 Dec 2024 |

| Dr Anju Goel and Mr Harshit Gupta, TERI

| The Financial Express

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.

A holistic approach to water conservation

05 Dec 2024 |

Dr Syamal Kumar Sarkar

| The Hindu Business Line

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.

Delhi air pollution: How national capital can breathe cleaner air

05 Dec 2024 |

Mr R Suresh

| The Times of India

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.

Reflections on Baku's ‘NCQG outcome’

04 Dec 2024 |

| Dr Ritu Mathur and Dr Sanchit Saran Agarwal

| The Hindu

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.

Solar Skyscrapers: Transforming India’s Buildings with BIPV Innovation

04 Dec 2024 |

| Dr. Pierluigi Bonomo, SUPSI; Mr. C K Varma, CPWD; Prof. Francesco Frontini, ISAAC; Ms Hemakshi Malik, TERI

| ET EnergyWorld

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.

Air Purifiers: A helpful ally in the fight against indoor pollution but not a complete solution

04 Dec 2024 |

| Mr R Suresh and Mr Dheeraj Mehra

| The Financial Express

Tests in actual situations have found that air purifiers typically achieve a maximum PM removal efficiency of 70 percent to 75 percent, well below the claimed efficiencies says Mr R Suresh, Senior Fellow and Area Convenor, TERI and Mr Dheeraj Mehra, Research Associate, Air Quality Research Division, TERI.

COP29: Stalemate on climate finance

03 Dec 2024 |

Dr Manish Kumar Shrivastava

| The Pioneer

The 29th annual Climate Summit in Azerbaijan reached an impasse as developed and developing nations remained divided over climate finance commitments, says Dr Manish Kumar Shrivastava, Senior Fellow and Associate Director, Earth Science and Climate Change Division, TERI.

COP29 fails to clear trust and equity test

25 Nov 2024 |

Dr Shailly Kedia

| Hindustan Times

The decision on climate finance was supposed to mark a breakthrough, yet it instead underscored the growing chasm between the rhetoric of equity and the reality of exclusion, says Dr Shailly Kedia, Senior Fellow and Associate Director, Sustainable Development and Outreach Division, TERI.

Tweak climate finance goals for inclusive carbon market

22 Nov 2024 |

Mr Sayanta Ghosh

Dr Jitendra Vir Sharma

| Hindustan Times

The conference can demonstrate that climate action does not have to come at the expense of development, says Mr Sayanta Ghosh, Associate Fellow and Area Convenor; Dr Jitendra Vir Sharma, Senior Director, Land Resources Division, TERI.