We bring to you the seventh edition of Energy Recap, an editorial newsletter by TA to track and report on major policy developments in India’s energy sector. Here are some of the key energy highlights from the week (12 July to 18 July).
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to come out with Green Hydrogen Purchase Obligation
RK Singh, Union Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy while speaking at the conference of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat – Self Reliance for Renewable Energy Manufacturing’, proposed to replace Grey Hydrogen with Green Hydrogen.
For this, the minister said, the Government will soon come out with a Green Hydrogen Purchase Obligation (GHPO). This will be made compulsory for certain sectors like Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO). He further informed that the Government is planning to come out with a Green Hydrogen bid too in the coming few months.
It is important to note that Green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy and electrolysis to split water and is distinct from Grey Hydrogen, which is produced from methane and releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In other words, hydrogen produced from renewable sources is called Green Hydrogen.
To provide easier Open Access for the industries that want to rely on green energy for their functioning, the Ministry will soon come out with new rules and regulations also, the minister informed.
Source: Moneycontrol
Renewable Energy Minister : Carbon neutral announcements are meaningless
In the backdrop of the UN Framework Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) to be held in Glasgow in November this year, India has termed the carbon neutral intent announcements by some countries as meaningless.
Renewable Energy Minister RK Singh said to the media, “our per capita emissions are just about one-third of the global average. And you have countries whose per capita emission is 6-times, 7- times, 9-times the global average. And I frankly don’t see any meaningful steps by these countries towards reducing their per capita emissions.”
Putting emphasis on India’s role, the minister also said that India is working to introduce a slew of reforms ranging from clean electricity to green mobility to ethanol blending with fuels, green hydrogen, battery technologies and several others in order to reduce pollution and meet the target under the Paris Climate Accord.
It is important to note that India is still the largest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China, and is among countries most vulnerable to climate change.
Source: LiveMint
India sets target of 20% ethanol blending with petrol by 2023-24
India has set the target of 20% ethanol blending with petrol by 2023-24 and aims to have 100% ethanol run vehicles, informed Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal at CII’s Atma Nirbhar Bharat Conference. With focus on the future and sustainability, the minister said, battery technologies are going to be very important for India’s sustainable mission and to encourage the use of electric cars the government is looking at a big rollout of charging stations across gas stations in the country.
Source: The Economic Times
Renewable provides 142 GW or 37% of the country’s power capacity, says a new study
The renewables now provide 142 GW or 37% of the country’s power capacity, says a study titled ‘Reach for the sun – The emerging market electricity leapfrog’ published on 14th July by United Kingdom’s Carbon Tracker and New Delhi based Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). From less than 20 GW of solar power in 2010, the country’s green energy mix has grown to 96 GW of solar, wind, biomass and small hydro power in May 2021. It includes large hydropower projects also.
Arunabha Ghosh, CEO, CEEW and Co-author of the study, said “India has undertaken arguably the fastest rate of electrification the world has witnessed so far and has demonstrated that it is possible to do the double leapfrog from traditional biomass-based energy to clean electricity access within a short period and at scale”.
Source: Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) & The Indian Express
Kutch to get India’s largest solar power park
NTPC Renewable Energy (NTPC-REL), clean energy arm of India’s largest thermal power producer, is set to construct India’s largest solar power park in Kutch, Gujarat with a capacity of 4.75 Gigawatt. NTPC-REL has already received the approval from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in this regard. NTPC-REL has also planned to use this project for production of green hydrogen.
It is important to note that the Kutch region in Gujarat, which is the largest salt desert in the country, is already host to two of India’s largest coal-fired power plants.
Source: Business Standard
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