Report on energy transitions to achieve India’s net-zero targets
A meeting was held for the launch of the report titled “Synchronizing energy transitions towards possible Net-Zero for India: Affordable and clean energy for All” prepared by IIM Ahmedabad as part of a study project which was sanctioned in November 2021 by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India with part-funding (one-third) from Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL). The launch was held in Vigyan Bhawan Annexe, New Delhi on 3rd April, 2024.
The report was launched by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India in presence of dignitaries.
A need was felt to undertake an analytical study on the energy transition required towards a net-zero energy basket for India. Accordingly, the study was sanctioned with the objective of conducting a comprehensive study with rigorous methods for minimizing the cost of power at consumer end and to work out an optimum mix for all sources of power, aiming for net-zero emission.
The project team at IIM Ahmedabad led by Prof. Amit Garg, Public Systems Group, has successfully completed the study, under the guidance of an expert group constituted by the Office of PSA, having experts from diverse sectors of power generation including coal, nuclear, solar, wind, biofuels, etc. The expert committee is chaired by Dr. R. B. Grover, Emeritus Professor, HBNI and Member, AEC.
The report attempts to answer key questions related to India’s energy trajectory such as how much energy does India need to achieve high value of Human Development Index (HDI); what are pathways to achieve this; what are the energy mix projections for this until 2070 (our declared net-zero target year); what would be the cost of electricity to the end user; what would be the carbon emissions until 2070; what would be the investments required for energy transitions towards net-zero at 2070; estimation of other challenges and opportunities (RE integration, requirement of critical minerals, Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), natural gas, ethanol, hydrogen) in energy transitions towards achieving net-zero in 2070.
