U.S.-India 3.0 - A New Opportunity for Cooperation on Climate and Energy
Posted June 18, 2009 in Solving Global Warming
Yesterday, at a U.S.-India Business Council Summit in Washington, D.C., Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the start of U.S.-India 3.0 - a new era of "dramatic expansion of our common agenda." Emphasizing that U.S. trade with India has doubled since 2004, and that the two governments have to catch up to the already-existing fruitful partnerships amongst citizens, corporations, and universities, Clinton said, "We think there is great promise in a clean energy cooperation strategy focused on adopting low carbon technologies, improving energy efficiency, forestation, and water management. And these efforts should be supported by new and existing high-level dialogues between representatives of our governments."
What new collaborations could result from this new relationship and Secretary Clinton's planned trip to India next month?
Well, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) funds a Solar America Cities program, through which twenty-five American cities are working to make solar a viable option. And India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy recently launched its own initiative, which aims for at least sixty Indian solar cities by 2012. Connecting American cities with Indian solar sister cities is an exciting development that was discussed at an April meeting of the US-India Energy Dialogue in New Delhi. In March, the U.S. Department of Commerce led a solar trade mission to India. All of this bodes well for India's plans to become a solar leader.
At an April meeting in New Delhi, DoE also discussed cooperating with the Indian Ministry of Urban Development on a model Zero Energy Community - green buildings should be a key element.
Right now we are thinking about other areas where the U.S. and India should be cooperating on climate and clean energy. We would welcome your ideas.
If realized, a true partnership between the U.S. and India could provide a model and impetus for a global deal in Copenhagen this December.
U.S.-India 3.0, the climate talks are ready and waiting for you!
Co-authored by Bidisha Banerjee.
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Comments
David Wheat — Jun 19 2009 05:34 AM
India already has world-class technology in many cleantech areas (well, maybe not in concentrating solar thermal or smart grid technology) so what is most needed is investment capital. If and when the U.S. gets a cap-and-trade system in place some of that investment can come through trading in carbon offsets or similar credits, which India can create in huge volumes if the market is there.
David Wheat — Jun 19 2009 05:38 AM
One of India's greatest needs is upgradation of its electricity distribution grid. State ownership is a problem. Could Indian companies or joint ventures build, own and operate high-capacity transmission lines, energy storage, and smart-grid systems?