The "scary" air pollution situation in India makes it imperative to gather extensive, credible data on pollution and its sources at a fairly granular level—for every square kilometre of most mid- to large-sized cities, as well as for vast exurban and rural areas. But don't we already have enough information on the pollution levels in cities and also the main culprits? Shouldn't pollution control plans, therefore, be self-evident? The answer to both these questions is a resounding no.

EVs are being aggressively pursued by many countries across the world as one of the solutions to address climate change. Owing to their zero tailpipe emissions, they are expected to counter the harmful effects of emissions from fossil-fuel-based vehicles. However, it is important to note that EVs are sustainable in the long run only if they run on an eco-friendly form of energy. The below figure shows the CO2 emissions related to EVs powered by the electrical grid across different countries. 

Under phase II of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME) India policy, it has been envisioned to introduce 7,000 e-buses across the country by 2025. This initiative has increased e-bus deployment at a rapid rate. However, traditional bus operators are not yet familiar with the planning process and operational needs of e-buses. Unlike traditional buses that require liquid fuels, e-buses depend on the electrical grid for their energy needs.

CSTEP launched the Empower series of blog articles to simplify the power sector for non-technical readers. Through the series, we hope to explain how every step of the journey of electricity affects the consumer. In the first article, we introduced you to the many actors involved in the journey of electricity. The second article of the series explains the costs involved in electricity generation.

Nineteen extreme weather events in 2019 claimed 1,357 lives, with heavy rain and floods accounting for 63% of deaths in India. Between 2013 and 2019, there has been a 69% increase in the number of heatwave days. Many Indian states are increasingly experiencing extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, heat waves, and super cyclones. These are projected to increase even further in the future. These changes in India's climate will be an additional stress to ecosystems, agricultural outputs, and freshwater resources, and could also damage the infrastructure.

Flexibility in the grid is paramount for India to meet its renewable energy (RE) ambitions — 450 GW by 2050 as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019. Energy storage systems can enable this flexibility.

Energy storage systems are the next step in India's transition to an RE-dominant future. Although high carbon-emitting thermal energy sources such as coal and petroleum make up a majority of India's energy production, India has set ambitious RE goals — aiming to make RE 80% of its energy mix. Achieving these goals can help India cut its carbon emissions significantly. 

This article is the fourth in CSTEP’s Enrich series of blogs where we discuss what happens in a think tank beyond research. Read our previous articles on models for informed decision making, design thinking, and on editing at a think tank.

The rise in temperature, high rainfall variability, and increased frequency of extreme events in recent decades are all evidence of climate change. In India, these trends are projected to worsen—temperature likely to increase by 4°C, frequent heat waves to persist over longer durations, heavy rainfall events to get more frequent, dry spells to extend, and the sea level to increase by about 3 metres by the end of the century.
 

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