INDUSTRY

India’s renewable energy share in electricity must grow by 55 times to attain net-zero emissions by 2050

Share of renewable energy in electricity must increase by 55-fold for India to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, according to a report by Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). India will need to generate at least 83 per cent of its electricity from (non-hydropower) renewable energy sources by 2050 to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century, according to the study.


This will mean that a massive 55-fold increase in the use of non-hydro renewable energy in electricity generation within the coming three decades from only 160 terawatt-hour (twh) (10 per cent) in 2019, CEEW has said in a statement.


Further, to achieve net-zero by 2050, the share of electricity in India’s industrial energy use must rise by three-fold from 20.3 per cent in 2018 to 70 per cent in 2050, the study – Peaking and Net-Zero for India’s Energy Sector CO2 Emissions: An Analytical Exposition – has revealed.


The share of electric vehicles in passenger car sales will also have to rise to 76 per cent by 2050 from just 0.1 per cent in 2019, it has added. These estimates are based on CEEW’s best understanding of progress on mitigation technologies. India will also need to eliminate either greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or balance these by sequestering GHG emissions to meet net-zero emissions.

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