This series of articles is a joint editorial initiative of ETEnergyworld and CSTEP. It will discuss some of the key sectors in terms of their contribution to India's total greenhouse gas emissions. In the first part of this series, we discussed the transport sector from a climate point of view and argued that a transport decarbonisation strategy should include diverse options for all segments to complement electrification.

Decentralised renewable energy resources for electric vehicle (EV) charging pave the way for green mobility. In this paper, we analyse different rooftop solar-based EV charging station (EVCS) configurations. The configurations are designed with and without battery storage and grid connection. A techno-economic framework is developed based on the power flow interactions between rooftop photovoltaic (RTPV), grid, and battery storage to calculate the life-cycle costing of the system and life-cycle cost of energy (LCOE).

Electricity distribution utilities drive the expansion of energy access and the transition to clean energy. With the COVID-19 pandemic deteriorating the financial health of utilities, measures at operational, institutional, financial, and commercial levels should be initiated to make utilities economically sound and future-ready.

Every year, India’s energy consumption from fossil fuels is worth approximately Rs 7 trillion. Adding other monetary expenses such as taxes and subsidies would further increase the expenditure, creating an even bigger energy exchequer for the government. To meet the climate goals, it is imperative to see the amount of fossil-free energy in the energy exchequer. From a sustainable development standpoint, for benefits to outweigh costs, decarbonisation of the energy sector is the need of the decade.

The year 2021-22 has been a milestone year in many ways for climate action in India. While a lot more could have been done (as is always the case), the wins cannot be ignored. The highlight was of course India’s ‘net zero by 2070’ announcement at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), along with other announcements on short-term targets for renewable energy and emissions reduction.

The 2015 Paris Agreement required countries to submit their long-term climate action strategies by 2020. At COP26, India made a surprise announcement of a target to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, which means it will aim to balance the amount of carbon dioxide emitted with the amount absorbed.

The year 2021 was a year of mixed fortunes. On the one hand, we witnessed India crossing 100 GW of installed renewable energy, while on the other, the pandemic took a toll on communities at large. Many of the efforts that had started at a good clip in early 2021 saw considerable slowing down mid-year due to the pandemic. The past year also had approximately 12GW of solar energy capacity installed, more than 250% compared to 2020.

India’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are 2.5 GtCO2 per year, which is very low compared to the highest emitting countries, such as the United States (10 GtCO2 per year) and China (5 GtCO2 per year). However, it is commendable that at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) held recently in Glasgow, India set ambitious targets to reduce carbon emissions from its energy sector.