Developing a "Clean" India

Felicia Marcus, NRDC Western Director and a group of us at NRDC, had the privilege of getting an insiders’ perspective on India’s tremendous economic growth and impact on its people and environment from Prashant Bhushan, a leading Indian activist.  NRDC was also honored to be recognized as a “South Asian Community Leader” during the Indians for Collective Action’s (ICA) Annual Gala in northern California.

Mr. Bushan clearly linked protecting the environment and achieving positive social change, as India struggles to grow its economy and protect its people, rivers, and forests.  He described that over the past several years, heavy investments by private Indian corporations has bolstered the growth of a $2.2 trillion dollar mining industry.  Bhushan, along with other social and environmental activists, are concerned that to make way for India’s growing mining industry, tribal communities across the country will lose their lands and way of life irreversibly, while causing alarming depletions in India’s total forest cover. Yet, despite such warnings (and many, many others), India remains the world’s third largest producer and consumer of coal, and almost 70% of the country’s electricity is generated by coal consumption.

Listening to Bhushan’s speech in California, I was instantly reminded of two parallel and ongoing developments presently taking center-stage in India. This summer, millions of Indians took to the streets to demand from its government, an anti-corruption bill to establish strong and transparent legislation and enforcement against political corruption.  On Thursday, The Economic Times reported over 600 government officials were being reviewed for possible suspension and other disciplinary action “for abetting/facilitating massive illegal iron ore mining that is estimated to have cost the state treasury billions of rupees in revenue.”

Meanwhile, the Indian government is taking important steps towards increasing the use of renewable energy sources and promoting a low carbon energy economy.  While the Indian government could do more, one example of its commitment is the National Solar Mission- launched in 2010.  By providing incentives such as feed-in tariffs, manufacturing incentives and off-grid applications, the Mission aims to install 20,000 megawatts (MW) of grid-connected solar power and 2,000 MW of off-grid solar power projects by 2022.  A year and a half into Phase 1 of the National Solar Mission, we’ve already seen some of the largest Indian and international companies make substantial investments to increase the country’s solar power capacity. To name a few,  Reliance Power is set to develop 600 MW of solar energy in India’s largest state Rajasthan, Tata Power is planning to develop India’s largest solar PV plant in Gujarat and Moser Baer recently announced a 30 MW solar project, also in the state of Gujarat.

NRDC’s India Initiative, along with our project partners, Council of Energy, Environment and Water will be meeting with solar energy leaders to better understand progress under the Solar Mission in the next few months.  The successful implementation of initiatives such as the National Solar Mission is one of the many avenues by which India can increase its use of renewable energy sources, and at a time when the country is witnessing its largest social movement since its independence, the increasing awareness and adoption of renewable energy sources, can form an integral part of the “clean” future that India’s citizens are demanding from their government today.