India Launches Climate Change Plan Focusing on Solar Power
In a brief summary at New Delhi today (June 30), the Prime Minister (PM) of India released the National Action Plan on Climate Change. Prepared under the guidance and direction of Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change, the Plan was released amidst members of the Council, representatives of civil society and senior officials of the Government.
At a time when India is faced with the challenge of sustaining its rapid economic growth in a climate constrained world, the Action Plan pushes for not just promoting sustainable production processes, but also, sustainable lifestyles across the globe. The Action Plan focuses attention on eight priorities National Missions, the first among which is “Solar Energy”, whose success, according to the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, has the potential to change the face of India.
The Action Plan was much awaited by environmentalists, concerned citizens and the industry at large. In a speech that followed, the Dr. Singh informed that the release of the National Action Plan reflected the importance the Government attaches to mobilizing our national energies to meet the challenge of climate change. The global dimension of the challenge of climate change was also emphasized in the PM’s speech, which, according to him, demands a global and cooperative effort on the basis of the principle of equity. With the Action Plan now in place, Dr. Singh declared that India is ready to play its role as a responsible member of the international community and to make its own contribution.
The eight priority National Missions listed in the National Action Plan include:
1. Solar Energy
2. Enhanced Energy Efficiency
3. Sustainable Habitat
4. Conserving Water
5. Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem
6. A “Green India”
7. Sustainable Agriculture
8. Strategic Knowledge Platform for Climate Change
The PM further reinstated India’s stand on this global issue, in confirmation with the world view by informing that India believes that every citizen of this planet should have an equal share of the planetary atmospheric space and therefore, long-term convergence of per capita GHG emissions was the only equitable basis for a global agreement to tackle climate change. In this context, Dr. Singh reaffirmed India’s pledge that as it pursued sustainable development, its per capita GHG emissions would not exceed the per capita GHG emissions of developed countries, despite India’s developmental imperatives.
The PM also clarified that the National Action Plan would evolve and change in the light of changing circumstances and therefore invited broader interaction with civil society as a means to further improve the various elements of the Plan. He concluded by recalling Mahatma Gandhi’s advice: “The earth has enough resources to meet the needs of people, but will never have enough to serve their greed”.
Click here to read the 52 page long National Action Plan on Climate Change
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Image Source: Govind Singh
No real ‘civil society’ representation was there either at the release or during the frame of time that the action plan was being written. This will have huge pitfalls during the implementation stage of the plan.
So, why are these chairs still in the shade? Is this supposed to be telling?
it may interest the readers. the last president of india Mr.kalam was also very keen on solar energy and under his guidance the rashtrapati bhawan (official president’s residence) was fitted with solar panels. The plan was to derive the whole of the energy requirements from the plant. I had read about the installation in the newspaper (don’t recall which, but most probably The Times Of India.) I do not know what happened to the project, is it functional or how much of the required power is derived from it. if someone knows this do inform us all.
Why not make mandatory that all apartments in cities should use only ‘solar powered’ geysers ? Of course, one should ensure that this is done progressively so that good quality geysers are availble at affordable prices.
@UNphysical: The chairs are in shade, for the Actiom Plan has only been released. We are awaiting (good and proper) implementation, before we can keep the chairs in the sun!
@Abhishek: I am not sure I am aware of the solar energy initiative by the President’s house but I know of a good groundwater recharge initiative made at the said place. Operation and Maintenance (O&M) is an issue there too, I have heard. I am told we have to chant “OM” not just to remember God now, but also to ensure effective Operation and Maintenance!
@S. Balasubramoniam: Precisely the point. Adequate subsidy – in the right direction – is the need of the hour.
I’m an American and glad to see India taking the steps necessary to become self suffecient and withsustainable growth of India on this note I suggest the following features that will help greately if implemented. Please take my free advise and elaborate on it run a think tank see the wisdome of the sage. One eaqual housing requires thinking outside the box. Think land everwhere in India not just cities. I was fasinated by a new building system
CWD Canadian Wooden Domes especially a video on you-tube about this housing system I belive it may be the answer to how all peoples can afford housing. It builds houses that can go up in five hours and larger houses can be made using the same factory automated modular building principles. for insulation soy foam for heating and cooling radiant heat and ground source heat pumps for exterior sheathing a concrete
substitute called grancrete does not expand and contract. Interior wall finish venitian plaster
structures like these would use 1/3 the energy
maybe even net-zero with solar panels.
India is facing potable water problems I may suggest that many water purfication system exist on the market
two have the greater promise in solving India’s emerging water concerns. UV disinfection of water
this process uses UV light generated by a special light buld to effectively treat drinking water by working in this manner. Any and I quote any parasite
single cell organise bacteria or virus is effectively
dis-assembled by UV light in strong enough exposures
this cleans the waters of pathengens but other floaters and sediments or pollution must still be filtered. Distilation of treated water and filtered water is effective. Costs for filtering are however cost prohibitive. Other means are available natural
wetlands,artificial wetland and living systems can all effectively reduce pollution in water. The best way to clean water is to never pollute it to begain with. pesticides,fossil fuels,other petro chemicals
and leachants should be highly regulated. If alt methodes are available in natural form they should be implimented. Water chemsitry is complicated. fresh water in it’s purest for is necessary to health and
clear thinking. methodes to make clean water from
ocean water could be a partial solution for the population closest to the oceans. desalanation on a grand scale using the diferination in the temperature of the ocean at depth and at the surface water can
generate enough energy to run a desalanation plant that precipitates out clean fresh pure water clean as a spring rain. Water can be distilled using a solar still in-land and solar can draw fresh water from wells. water from wells that is not freash can be
treated by UV light and conditioned in living systems cat tails and aqua ponds containing plants who’s roots react as bio-filters uptaking pollutants
water can be cleansed by leaves in the stream
water from sources high in the mountains contain
significant minerals benifitial to longivity hunza water is said to be glacial water responsible for people living to be 100. India has the engineers to figure out how to do all this and now the mandate from goverment Isn’t India proud they should be very proud and ready to make business with their findings
while helping all other in the process.
Yes it’s me again I have further advice for readers all around the globe. India has to buy fossil fuel like the rest of us. Here where I live gasoline is $4.50 gallon today projected to go to $7.00 by next year! With supply and demand the prices have suddenly increased 100% and are projected to doubble again.
AN EMERGENCY of global porportions. What can be done
what is the solution I’m hypothetically speaking only of certain solutions I have analyzed the situation and came to this conclusion. If you follow my reasoning you will belive as I do that the solution is at hand it simply needs production and more research and refinement and ever more production. What could sell faster than an I-pod or cell phone and solve this fuel crisis. It is a device about as big as a pop can and attaches to the gas line going to the carberator or fuel injection system it works on all fossil fuels including diesel,gasoline,coaL GAS
IT IS HYDROGEN WELL YOU SAY WE HAVE NO HYDROGEN STATIONS you don’t need infrastructure you produce hydrogen gas and consume it along with the gas or diesel. It is a small amount of hydrogen but what it does is FANTASTIC and should be of no susprise to scientific minded people like yourself and those you school with. The hydrogen is produced by electralsys
electricty from your alternator/or generator in your vehicle,truck,moped,three wheeler,any fossil fueled engine can use it’s fuel more EFFECIENTLY it burns hotter and more completely. This increases your fuel milage very significanly and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 90%. This sound too good to be true but the fact is this works. The device should cost under $100 per vehicle. If you follow my logic the saving in fuel alone in my situation at $4 per gallon would be 25 gallons or one tank of fuel. The devices should not be pattented nor should any goverment mine or your own said technology. This is significant breakthrough and should be OPEN SOURCE so that scientists and production companies could freely inprove it’s performance and price of production.
This single device could solve global warming and effectively doubble the worlds current fuel supply without having to worry about pollution from vehicles once they all had this device. I plan to make this device and open source the plans anyone interested in joining me.
So now we are talking about sustainability for India.
India has a large population and we have solved Indias housing problem,water problem,fuel problem and now we are going to cloth and feed the whole society in one major concession with two forward thinking ideas. This will sound strange to those who are not free thinkers. HEMP as fuel Hemp for it’s cloth
hemp as fine as silk and as course as burlap
made into fine garmets and materials for livestock feed. Hemp seed makes good livestock feed very nutrious for amimals. Hemp can be harvest by hand can be grown three crops to a season and grown in marginal land that are not curently being used. Hemp is a weed and needs no pesticides to grow propewrly. After the Hemp is harvested the stalks are removed from the leaves and buds this is stripped and the core material the pith can be fermented to make an alcohol that can be utilized as fuel. The stalks made into fibers and those fiber woven on looms into cloth. Did you know a special loom was invented to make cloths a new way. E-POC LOOM works as a conventional loom with one exception it produces a tube of cloth off the loom that is woven in a special way. A added sewing arm to the loom automatically traces patterms of pants,shirts, ect onto the two lawyers of cloth in the roll coming off the loom.
the large bolts removed from the loom can be dyed and treated in mass then as the cloths are cut from the bolt outside the patterns the cloth does not un-ravel
making this a method to produce cloths for million
vey cheaply right material Hemp right process E-POC
LOOM. Hemp can also be fermented into a biofuel
mainly organic leaves from the plant are placed in a batch bioreactor and the fermentation preocess that breaks down celluloite produces off gasses that can be captired. Also hydrogen can be produced from
hemp by the use of ensymes that break down the celluoid of plant biomass. gasses,paper,fuel,food
medicine don’t forget the medical benifits of marijuana and if legalized no funds from sales would go to terrorists! Thaking away the exports to overseas would have to be under strict control untill other nations adjust to the worlds new realities fuel is where it is discovered. You may have the seeds of a idea now can your goveror tolorate production.
India can reach sustainable growth only if it adress it’s population growth. I do not pretend to tell all of India how to practice birth control. It is about time India embrases the use of condoms. Not to offend but it is a simple matter of self control to realize that bringing into this world given the present state of conditions that we as a world population should take reasonable measures to reduce the pressures places on the plants resources by overpopulation. India can sustain growth and should take responsibility for providing it’s population in a
self suffecient manner where ever possible. India will come around to accepting that use of condoms has benifits beyond prevention of pregnancy it helps curb the spread of disease. Lear from the trends of spread of disease in other countries condoms are a cost effective way to reduce the spread of disease anolg with open frank discusions in public fourms about why it’s now very nessary to implement this new strategy
after the initial embarassment about the subject you will encounter wide spread acceptance and some might experience a new found freedome to enjoy sex as it should be.
I am an engineer and hope great potential of solar energy in rural area for home lighting,water pumping and metro city for traffic light.But there should be clear policy and directive to government offices to promot the technology giving all possible help through ERDA or other govt agency.The solar power LED bsaed traffic light concept can save huge electricity for power starved metro.The nano technology based power cell assembly line should be installed in IIndia.
This is a great step towards tapping solar energy. INDIA is famous for drafting policies but not implementing but if implemented well. It will bring a great revolution in INDIA.
Indeed, it is a profound statement of Prime Minister that success of Solar Mission will change the face of India. If this concept is extended outside India too, it can change the face of the Globe itself. After all, a fraction of Solar Radiation falling on the earth is adequate to serve the needs of the Globe.
First and foremost, the Solar Mission should concentrate on Solar thermal integration of the existing Conventional Thermal Power Plants in the country. Subject to availability of space, solar thermal steam raising outfits should be installed and integrated with the steam circuit of an existing Power Plant. This measure will save upto 30% of coal and corresponding reduction in green-house gases released to the atmosphere.NTPC and TERI ( or any other agency, Indian or foreign ) should be ordered to survey all the major Thermal Power Plants in the country (Govt. as well as Private Sectors )and report on the feasibility for Solar Thermal integration. With only a partial equipment to install, which still attracts the full benefits of CDM and Accelerated Depreciation ( for profit tax ), this measure should be viable, on its own.
Secondly, The Mission should, post-haste, order that all upcoming Thermal Power Plants, both in Govt. and Private, should be designed with Solar Steam Raising Outfit also, as a pre-condition for CEA clearance. Subsidy or soft loan should be granted for their relief, if necessary.
Thirdly, the Mission should cause the inclusion of Solar Thermal Power Plants of at least 10,000 MW. in the 11 & 12 Five year Plans and meticulously monitor their installation ,on time.
Before anything else, the Mission should review the position of the Solar Integrated Gas Based Combined Cycle Power Plant of 140 MW. languishing in Mathania, Rajasthan and catalyse its expeditious installation.
In the City of Bengaluru, almost all new houses constructed have provided solar water heaters at their roof tops. If only the southern states could emulate this example in a big way, part of their energy problems could be solved.
Huge, hulking, 200 pound plus, booze swilling, dope burning, alcoholic, high calorie red meat-burning, corn fed, chicken fueled, bread stuffed gasoline dependent, electrically supported, air-conditioned, Americans have rejected Solar, Wind, Wave, Tidal, Hydro, and Geothermal sources of power as sorrowfully inadequate for their enormous per capita power consumption entitlement! They opt for nuclear power, and invading Turkmenistan/Afghanistan for China’s oil and certain war there! The Indian (and most Asians,) however, a light-weight, small bodied, high intellectual output individual, a veggies only minor consumer by habit, finds Solar at least, and Wind to be sure, very rewarding, and able to adequately supplement bio-gassing of sewage, offal, and biomass in rewarding fashion to sustain his existance! The problems, American to Indian or Asian , for that matter, are not parallel in scope at all! Population control for the Americans brings huge rewards for each birth prevented, not so for the rest of humanity, who on a per capita basis make little difference in the overall consumption picture! For the goods consumed for one American life, dozens of Asians can survive well, and provide dozens of factory hands, dozens of students, dozens of ideas, dozens of soldiers, dozens of solutions, dozens of love giving souls! Bargain? You can bet your fat American Ass on it! For each American Hillbilly you sacrifice we will provide great wealth, over many souls, all part of an integrated system of communal inter-dependence, no hands unused, no soul disenfranchised!