From September 20–25, 2022, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh,Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Science and Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Earth Science; MoS PMO, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Space and Atomic Energy, paid an official visit for 5 days to the United States of America (USA).
Dr. Jitendra Singh Addresses Roundtable On “Net Zero Built Environment with Connected Communities” At Global Clean Energy Action Forum-2022
Dr. Jitendra Singh attended the first-ever “Global Clean Energy Action Forum 2022,” a joint convening of the 13th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM 13) and the 7th Mission Innovation (MI 7) ministerials, which was held September 21-23, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
- He also addressed the forum’s Roundtable on “Net Zero Built Environment with Connected Communities.”
At the forum, he led a high-level joint Indian ministerial official delegation from the Ministry of Power, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy and MoS&T.
Key Points:
i.During the forum, he urged for significant actions like a worldwide Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve Research & Development (R&D), deployment, knowledge, and technology sharing related to demand-driven solutions to address climate change challenges.
ii.ISRO and NASA are working together to launch a joint radar satellite for Earth observation named NISAR [NASA -ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar] which willcollect data to tackle the climate crisis.
- ISRO has been receiving Deep Space Network Antenna support from NASA for its Missions such as Chandrayaan-1, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) and Chandrayaan-2 mission.
iii.He added that during 2012-22, the MoS&T has invested more than USD 34.3 million to assist R&D and the deployment of technologies.
- About 78 industries participate in the Building Energy Efficiency and Smart Grid Program.
iv.He emphasized that sustainable biofuels are crucial in lowering GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector and noted that decarbonizing cities is a complex problem that calls for a holistic strategy and systemic effectiveness.
India Announces the Launch of The “Innovation Roadmap of the Mission Integrated Biorefineries”
During the first roundtable on “Sustainable Bioenergy and Bio-Refineries”, at the Global Clean Energy Action Forum – the joint convening of 7th Mission Innovation(MI-7) and 13th Clean Energy Ministerial -2022(CEM 13) of the Global Clean Energy Action Forum 2022, Dr. Jitendra Singh announced the launch of the “Innovation Roadmap of the Mission Integrated Biorefineries”.
- It was created by co-leads and active inputs from Brazil, Canada, the European Commission (EC), and the United Kingdom (UK).
The Mission aspires to boost worldwide collaboration and funding for energy research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) over the next five years to launch this goal and unleash a virtuous cycle of public and private investment.
India’s Commitments in the Energy Landscape
i.India committed to reaching 500 gigawatts (GW) of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030; switching 50% of its energy needs to renewable sources; reducing its overall expected carbon emissions by one billion tons; cutting the economy’s carbon intensity by 45% compared to 2005 levels, and achieving net zero emissions by 2070.
ii.In Panipat, Haryana, a pilot plant with a 10 Tons/day capacity is being built. It will be operational by December 2022 and will be the first indigenous enzyme production technology.
iii.Additionally, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) intends to provide this indigenous enzyme to a commercial 100 KL/day 2G ethanol facility that is anticipated to be operational by Q2 2024.
iv.Further, a lignin valorization process is being developed to generate value-added products from waste lignin.
Previous Initiatives taken by India
- In April 2022, India officially announced “Mission Integrated Bio-refineries,” a major futuristic PPP (Public Private Participation) mode effort for “Clean Energy,” with the goal of accelerating Clean Energy solutions through Public-Private Alliances.
- India also announced a funding opportunity for the Hydrogen Valley Platform, a global initiative.
International Solar Alliance Launches Corporate Advisory Group
The International Solar Alliance (ISA), a coalition of 121 nations working to promote economical and eco-friendly solar energy, has established a corporate advisory group in conjunction with the 13th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM 13).
- Pranav R. Mehta, an Indian corporate sector veteran from the solar sector, will serve as the Chairman of the group.
- Mehta is a Director of the Global Solar Council as well as the founder and chairman of the National Solar Energy Federation of India.
The advisory group will include representatives from both the corporate and solar industries.
International Solar Alliance (ISA)
ISA is headquartered in India and is also known as the International Agency for Solar Policy and Application (IASPA).
- It was first proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris in 2015 and was launched in partnership with then-French President Francois Hollande.
- Since then, it has been joined by 121 “sunshine countries” located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
Objective: To promote the use of solar power throughout the global community, especially in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
NOTE: Ajay Mathur is the Director General of ISA.
India to Host Clean Energy Ministerial in July 2023
During the CEM 13, Dr. Jitendra Singh declared that India will host the 14th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) in July 2023.
- During the event, it hopes to reunite, strengthen, and energize the global community through engaging, insightful, and practical acts that will lead to the achievement of clean energy goals.
NOTE: The Integrated Biorefineries Mission, which was introduced in New Delhi in April 2022, is co-led by India and the Netherlands.
India’s Bio economy to Touch USD 150 Billion by 2025
At the “Global Clean Energy Action Forum 2022,” Dr. Jitendra Singh declared that India had created a Roadmap and Strategy for A Bio-Based Economy that is expected to reach USD 150 billion by 2025.
- This step will facilitate the production of low-carbon bio-based products.
India recently announced the National Hydrogen Energy Mission to make green hydrogen production cost-competitive.
Recent Related News:
In August 2022, Dr. S. Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM), visited Cambodia from August 03-04, 2022, and attended the ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting (AIFMM) 2022, an annual event that reviews the ASEAN- India partnership, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital.
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