UN praises India overwork in field of renewable energy

New York, July 10: Citing India's hard efforts in the field of renewable energy even during the pandemic, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised India while saying "solar auctions have seen popularity amidst the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and India serves as a good example of it".

 

 

 

"Coal has no place in COVID-19 recovery plans. Nations must commit to net-zero emissions by 2050 and submit more ambitious national climate plans before COP-26 next year. The seeds of change are there. Renewable energy is the only energy source expected to grow in 2020. Solar auctions have seen popularity amidst the height of the pandemic. India serves as a good example. Renewables offer three times more jobs than the fossil fuel industry," Guterres said at the inaugural virtual summit.

 

 

"Bailout support to sectors such as industry, aviation, and shipping should be conditioned on alignment with the goals of the Paris Agreement. We need to make our societies more resilient. We need green jobs and sustainable growth,” he said. He also urged countries to stop financing coal and pledge not to build new coal-fired power plants to enable a shift to clean energy.

 

Countries also need to stop wasting money on fossil fuel subsidies and place a price on carbon, he said, noting that countries need to consider climate risk in their decision making. He underlines that renewable energy is the only energy source expected to grow in 2020 and offers more jobs than the fossil fuel industry.

 

The summit included 40 government ministers from countries around the world, representing 80% of global energy use and emissions. It aimed to set out plans to reduce global emissions while also boosting economic recovery after Covid-19.

 

PM Narendra Modi inaugurating a 750 MW Solar Project in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh via video conferencing. This project adds momentum to our commitment to increasing renewable energy capacities by 2022. Earlier, aiming at transforming Railways to a complete 'Green Mode of Transportation,' the Indian Railways have decided to solarize railway stations by utilizing vacant lands for Renewable Energy (RE) projects. The use of solar power will also help in achieving the conversion of Indian Railways to ‘Net Zero’ Carbon Emission Railway.

 

Adani Green Energy said it has bagged the first of its kind manufacturing-linked solar contract worth ₹45,000 crores from the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to develop 8 GW electricity generation capacity and 2 GW equipment manufacturing facility in the country.