On the first day of the historic climate summit, the Republic of India represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi made several key announcements & commitments toward a Green future. As this is a multi-day event, I'll keep this thread updated as further news comes, but here are the key points from the first day:
PM Modi at COP26 in Glasgow, UK
The Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan, India - At a capacity of 2,245MW (2.2GW), Bhadla is currently the largest photovoltaic powerplant in the world, with China's Huanghe Solar Park being a close second at 2,200MW
50% of Energy from Renewables by 2030 - This in my opinion is the tricky bit. Personally, I have very little faith in Wind to be a reliable source. The Germans are paying heavily for that mistake, as are anyone who followed them. Solar is fine & will keep getting better. But the fact that "renewable" is used here instead of "non-fossil" indicates that Nuclear may not be included in this 50% target. If half of the 50% is met through hydro, 30-35% solar & rest wind, it may be fine. But of crucial importance (to me especially) is how much percentage could Nuclear fill for the other half? The long-term goal should be to derive between 20-30% of total energy capacity from Nuclear, with no upper ceiling.
Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) Units 3 & 4 under construction in Gujarat, India - the reactor is the IPHWR-700 designed by BARC & built by NPCIL together with Private industry. The 700MWe reactor is currently the largest-capacity reactor of indigenous design in operation. Currently there are 17 reactors of indigenous design operating in India, comprising IPHWR-220, 540 & 700MWe models, with over a dozen more in construction
India expects Developed Countries to Pay up - In the summit, PM Modi stated that it's important for developed states to finance renewable projects in the developing world, to the tune of $1 trillion dollars. I'd think India should seek to procure external financing for some of the more unviable/unreliable programs like Wind, while the bulk of domestic resources should be spent on R&D and increasing production capacity for the more reliable sources like Nuclear & Solar.
Indian Railways Net-Zero by 2030 - The third-largest railway network in the world, which is also the largest employer in India with over 1.4 million employees, the Indian Railways would reach its net-zero target well before the rest of the country. Electrification of the railway network, which can greatly reduce carbon emissions, has picked up considerable pace in last few years and currently stands at nearly 75% of the total railway being electrified. The target is to reach 100% electrification by 2024. Along with introduction of more efficient locomotives.
The WAG-12 of Alstom design built by ELF Madhepura in Bihar, India is currently the most powerful electric freight locomotive used by Indian Railways - capable of hauling over 6,000 tons of freight cargo at speeds of up to 120 km/ph on the Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs)
One Sun Declaration - PM Modi has also announced the creation of the "One Sun, One World, One Grid" or OSOWOG program under the Green Grids Initiative. The program will be implemented by the International Solar Alliance (ISA), an organization originally initiated by the Indian Government in 2015 and now has 124 member states. The OSOWOG plan, jointly launched by Indian PM Modi & British PM Johnson, aims to create a "Global Solar Grid", by which surplus production in part of the world can be transferred to another where there is a deficit leading to fossil fuel burning. The OSOWOG will be led by a "Steering Group" of countries (India, UK, US, Australia & France) and comprises of 80 other countries that endorsed the declaration.
Real-Time Solar Calculator - PM Modi also announced that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will be developing an application for obtaining real-time data via a geostationary satellite network that would be specifically geared toward monitoring of solar energy potential across the world, providing data in support of the OSOWOG program enabling real-time regulation, planning & general monitoring of various grids. The technology, developed by ISRO's Space Applications Centre (SAC) was already implemented for pan-India solar monitoring, and would now be expanded for global coverage.
Representative image of ISRO geostationary satellite undergoing testing in an Anechoic chamber. The Solar Calculator App will be similar in function to Project Sunroof, created by Google engineer Carl Elkin, but geared toward the monitoring of various solar powerplants connected to the grid instead of monitoring personal homes & offices like Sunroof.
Further important updates, if any, will be posted in this thread.
- Net-Zero by 2070 - India has set itself the goal of net-zero carbon emission by 2070, a decade later than China's announced goal of 2060 and well after the UN's desired target year of 2050, which both the US & EU have decided to adhere to. The announcement, lauded by most democratic leaders including UK PM Boris Johnson, is to be seen as a great way to guarantee ample time for India as a country to industrialize its economy before the brunt of climate regulation begins to be felt. Personally, I'd think investors across the world would be salivating at the prospects, given the extra time they get to pursue carbon-intensive investments in the country.
- 500GW "Non-Fossil" Energy by 2030 - This is further ahead than the previous target of 450GW by 2030. Of note is that the term "non-fossil" was used in the official statement (linked below), not "renewable", which allays any fears that Nuclear would not be included in this target. As of July 2021, the renewable capacity stands at nearly 100GW, well on target.
50% of Energy from Renewables by 2030 - This in my opinion is the tricky bit. Personally, I have very little faith in Wind to be a reliable source. The Germans are paying heavily for that mistake, as are anyone who followed them. Solar is fine & will keep getting better. But the fact that "renewable" is used here instead of "non-fossil" indicates that Nuclear may not be included in this 50% target. If half of the 50% is met through hydro, 30-35% solar & rest wind, it may be fine. But of crucial importance (to me especially) is how much percentage could Nuclear fill for the other half? The long-term goal should be to derive between 20-30% of total energy capacity from Nuclear, with no upper ceiling.
Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) Units 3 & 4 under construction in Gujarat, India - the reactor is the IPHWR-700 designed by BARC & built by NPCIL together with Private industry. The 700MWe reactor is currently the largest-capacity reactor of indigenous design in operation. Currently there are 17 reactors of indigenous design operating in India, comprising IPHWR-220, 540 & 700MWe models, with over a dozen more in construction
India expects Developed Countries to Pay up - In the summit, PM Modi stated that it's important for developed states to finance renewable projects in the developing world, to the tune of $1 trillion dollars. I'd think India should seek to procure external financing for some of the more unviable/unreliable programs like Wind, while the bulk of domestic resources should be spent on R&D and increasing production capacity for the more reliable sources like Nuclear & Solar.
Indian Railways Net-Zero by 2030 - The third-largest railway network in the world, which is also the largest employer in India with over 1.4 million employees, the Indian Railways would reach its net-zero target well before the rest of the country. Electrification of the railway network, which can greatly reduce carbon emissions, has picked up considerable pace in last few years and currently stands at nearly 75% of the total railway being electrified. The target is to reach 100% electrification by 2024. Along with introduction of more efficient locomotives.
The WAG-12 of Alstom design built by ELF Madhepura in Bihar, India is currently the most powerful electric freight locomotive used by Indian Railways - capable of hauling over 6,000 tons of freight cargo at speeds of up to 120 km/ph on the Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs)
One Sun Declaration - PM Modi has also announced the creation of the "One Sun, One World, One Grid" or OSOWOG program under the Green Grids Initiative. The program will be implemented by the International Solar Alliance (ISA), an organization originally initiated by the Indian Government in 2015 and now has 124 member states. The OSOWOG plan, jointly launched by Indian PM Modi & British PM Johnson, aims to create a "Global Solar Grid", by which surplus production in part of the world can be transferred to another where there is a deficit leading to fossil fuel burning. The OSOWOG will be led by a "Steering Group" of countries (India, UK, US, Australia & France) and comprises of 80 other countries that endorsed the declaration.
Real-Time Solar Calculator - PM Modi also announced that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will be developing an application for obtaining real-time data via a geostationary satellite network that would be specifically geared toward monitoring of solar energy potential across the world, providing data in support of the OSOWOG program enabling real-time regulation, planning & general monitoring of various grids. The technology, developed by ISRO's Space Applications Centre (SAC) was already implemented for pan-India solar monitoring, and would now be expanded for global coverage.
Further important updates, if any, will be posted in this thread.
