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Team News Riveting
India’s efforts to promote renewable energy and the steps taken in this regard had been endorsed by the United Nations.
Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres applauded the Indian government’s decision to raise its target of renewable energy capacity from the initial 2015 goal of 175 gigawatts to 500 gigawatts by 2030.
While delivering the 2020 Darbari Seth Memorial Lecture, Guterres said he was inspired to learn that during the pandemic, India’s proportion of renewable energy rose from 17 per cent to 24 per cent while coal-fired power declined from 76 per cent to 66 per cent.
Last year, the country’s spending on solar energy surpassed spending on coal-fired power generation for the first time.
Guterres, the view that India must end its reliance on polluting, financially volatile and costly fossil fuels and instead invest in clean, economically resilient solar power was “timely and appropriate”. “Today, as we endure the twin crises of COVID-19 and climate change, this effort has never been more important,” he added.
The UN boss applauded India’s decision to take forward the International Solar Alliance in the form of One Sun, One World, One Grid and plans for a World Solar Bank that will mobilize $1 trillion of investments in solar projects over the coming decade.
Though Guterres praised the government’s aggressive renewable energy push and efforts to improve energy access, he took a dig at India’s continued support for fossil fuels. He opined that the government should stop investing in coal and to progressively phase out coal use.
He however expressed concern about the decision to pursue coal auctions.
