India is the third-largest energy producer in the world and one of the top energy consumers. To build a pathway to clean energy transition, the country has made remarkable strides by putting in place a number of measures that support renewable energy production and research.

The clean energy transition is a revolutionary idea, which should be ingrained in policy, planning, and implementation for the country to effectively achieve its energy goals.

At the recently concluded 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), India submitted its long-term strategy to achieve zero emissions by 2070. A key feature of this strategy relates to increasing energy efficiency of industries and exploring decarbonisation options for hard-to-abate sectors, which draw roughly 50% of India’s natural gas, 25% of coal, and 20% of oil resources.

India continues to champion solar power in its future plans of a 500 GW non-fossil fuel energy installation target for 2030. One major challenge is the procurement of suitable land free of socioecological constraints for renewable energy capacity. An innovative solution is the integration of solar PV systems either along the side of roads or above (highway solar) or directly on their surface (on-road solar). These approaches have the potential to be utilized on all national highways and expressways.

Soil — the second-largest natural carbon sink after oceans — has an enormous capacity to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide.
When functioning with loads of microorganisms, adequate water, air, minerals, and organic matter, soils are very much alive and healthy, sustaining ecosystems.