CCI Clears DAE's Acquisition of Macquarie AirFinance (See 'Corp Brief') CCI okays UPL group's crop protection businesses reorganisation (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - By virtue of Section 238, IBC overrides Electricity Act, 2003 and allied state electricity recovery laws to extent of inconsistency: HC (See 'Legal Desk') India, South Africa Deepen Ties in AI and Future Technologies (See 'Corp Brief') India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (See 'Corp Brief') NPCI International, ACLEDA Bank launch cross-border UPI payments in Cambodia (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - An application u/s 9 not maintainable when operational debt & its basis are doubtful & unsupported by cogent evidence: NCLT (See 'Legal Desk') Centre-States partnership advances reforms for sustainable rural water delivery (See 'Corp Brief') Embrace AI and Emerging Technologies, but Keep Compassion: Nadda (See 'Corp Brief') Governor of Telangana interacts with Meghalaya student delegation (See 'Corp Brief') Digital India BHASHINI, Current AI & Kalpa Impact launch VYOMA Innovation Challenge (See 'Corp Brief') Companies Act - Auditor's remark stating that company has an internal audit system which needs to be strengthened, does not amount to 'qualification', and failure to furnish explanation on such remark does not attract penal liability: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Chouhan launches 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' from Raisen, MP (See 'Corp Brief') PMLA - Special Courts under PMLA cannot take cognizance of prosecution complaint without first giving accused opportunity of hearing, as mandated under first proviso to Sec 223(1) of BNSS: SC (See 'Legal Desk') Gadkari reviews quality of NH Projects in West Bengal and AP (See 'Corp Brief') Digital India BHASHINI & DPIIT sign MoU for Multilingual Access Across India's Investment Ecosystem (See 'Corp Brief') NI Act - After adoption of electronic clearance system, cheque return memo or bank endorsement need not bear seal or signature to be acted upon under Sections 138 and 146: HC (See 'Legal Desk') National Workshop on R&D in Water to drive Bharat's Next Wave of Water Innovation (See 'Corp Brief') PM SVANidhi completes Six Years of Empowering Street Vendors (See 'Corp Brief') DCA reviews implementation of Legal Metrology Reforms in N-E and UTs (See 'Corp Brief') Raksha Mantri & UP Chief Minister inaugurate 'Nausena Shaurya Vatika' in Lucknow (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - Offences u/s 68 and 235A of Code can be prosecuted only before competent Special Court in manner prescribed u/s 236 of Code: NCLT (See 'Legal Desk') A Highway bringing New Possibilities to Heart of Central India: Boregaon to Shahpur (See 'Corp Brief') National Biodiversity Authority realises Rs. 21.26 Crore through Benefit Sharing Mechanism (See 'Corp Brief') Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission crosses Landmark Milestone of 90 Crore ABHA Accounts (See 'Corp Brief') SEBI - Assessee's request for inspection of documents cannot be allowed where these form part of SEBI's internal administrative process & are not necessary for replying to SCN: SAT (See 'Legal Desk') Moratorium under the IBC (See CORP EINSICHT)

Clean energy can aid India's economic recovery post-Covid-19: Report

Published: Jun 30, 2020

By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, JUNE 30, 2020: A new report highlights emerging challenges and opportunities for India's transition to clean mobility and power systems in the context of Covid-19

NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) today released  Towards a Clean Energy Economy: Post-Covid-19 Opportunities for India's Energy and Mobility Sectors  report, which advocates for stimulus and recovery efforts that work towards building a clean, resilient, and least-cost energy future for India. These efforts include electric vehicle, energy storage, and renewable energy programs.

The report identifies how Covid-19 is beginning to influence the clean energy transition in India, specifically for the transport and power sectors, and recommends principles and strategic opportunities for the country's leaders to drive economic recovery and maintain momentum towards a clean energy economy.

Covid-19 has presented significant demand- and supply-side challenges for India's transport and power sectors, from liquidity constraints and supply shortages to shifts in consumer demand and preferences.

Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog said he is confident that India's economy will recover following the containment of the Covid-19 pandemic. "India's strong democratic institutions promote policy stability. Ongoing economic reforms, if executed well, should keep the country's growth rate ahead of peers," he said.

"Clean energy will be a major driver of India's economic recovery and international competitiveness," added Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog. "We must look at how to leverage our domestic innovation ecosystem to bring value to the country and industry in this new normal. We have recommended specific actions by which India can revive two of our economic powerhouses—the transport and power sectors—and emerge stronger."

The report lays out four principles as a framework for policymakers and other key decision-makers considering programmes to support India's clean energy future: 1) invest in least-cost-energy solutions, 2) support resilient and secure energy systems, 3) prioritize efficiency and competitiveness, and 4) promote social and environmental equity.

"India needs to identify strategic opportunities for economic recovery in the short, medium, and long terms that can translate challenges posed by the pandemic into clean energy transition opportunities" said Anil Srivastava, Principal Consultant and Mission Director, NITI Aayog.

Opportunities in the transport sector include making public transport safe, enhancing and expanding non-motorized transport infrastructure, reducing vehicle kilometres travelled through work-from-home where possible, supporting national strategies to adopt electric vehicles in the freight and passenger segments, and making India an automotive export hub.

In the power sector, opportunities include improving the electricity distribution business and its operations, enabling renewables and distributed energy resources, and promoting energy resilience and local manufacturing of renewable energy and energy storage technologies.

"The principles and opportunities in the report can provide guidance to India's public and private sector leaders on how to evaluate and prioritize stimulus and recovery options that continue to invest in a long-term clean energy future for India," said Akshima Ghate, Director, RMI India.

"Covid-19 has disrupted the world and affected everyone's lives," said Clay Stranger, senior director, Rocky Mountain Institute. "As India looks to recovery efforts, clean energy and mobility systems can make a more resilient India by bolstering manufacturing, enhancing the reliability of electricity, avoiding costly oil imports, and cleaning the air."

The report states that India's transport sector can save 1.7 gigatonnes of cumulative carbon dioxide emissions and avoid about 600 million tonnes of oil equivalent in fuel demand by 2030 through shared, electric, and connected passenger mobility and cost-effective, clean, and optimized freight transport. Significant savings are also achievable in the power sector through the adoption of renewable energy, energy storage, efficiency, and flexible generation and demand.

TIOL CORP SEARCH

TIOL GROUP WEBSITES