Energy Transitions: Can India Balance Growth With Green Goals?
India’s rapid economic growth presents a fundamental challenge: how do we meet surging energy demand while staying aligned with climate goals? As the world’s most populous country, with an expanding industrial base and urban footprint, India’s energy use is rising quickly. At the same time, it has made ambitious climate commitments — and the world is watching. At COP26 , India pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 and committed to installing 500 GW of non-fossil fuel power capacity by 2030 . As per government and independent projections, meeting this milestone could reduce India’s projected emissions by up to 1 billion tonnes by 2030 — though this depends heavily on execution . Policy and Institutional Push The government has rolled out multiple initiatives: National Green Hydrogen Mission : Budget of ₹19,744 crore, aiming for 5 MMT annual green hydrogen production by 2030 to cut fossil fuel dependence. PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan : De...