PANAJI
Energy is the foundation of human progress, with every aspect of life- food, water, communication, and mobility, depending on reliable energy, stated Union Minister of State for Power, Shripad Naik.
He was addressing a workshop on Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in partnership with the International Solar Alliance at Atal Akshay Urja Bhavan, New Delhi. The event was attended by Santosh Sarangi, Secretary, MNRE; Abhay Bakre, Mission Director, National Green Hydrogen Mission; and Ashish Khanna, Director General, International Solar Alliance. Ambassadors and diplomats from Latin American and Caribbean countries also participated.
Naik said that rising energy demand makes energy security a matter of national importance, while the way energy is sourced has far-reaching climate consequences. “The impact of climate change will have implications across borders and generations. Growth and development must be driven by clean, modern energy that is universally accessible and leaves no one behind,” he stated. He stressed that renewable energy development and deployment is central to this transition.
India has made significant progress in this direction. The first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2015 targeted 40% installed capacity from non-fossil fuel resources by 2030, a goal achieved nine years early in 2021. In August 2022, India updated its NDC to 50% non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. “I am happy to share that under the visionary leadership of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we achieved this target five years ahead of schedule,” Naik said.
