Normal life seems to be coming back on track gradually as COVID-related lockdowns in the country are being eased to a greater extent now. But, we must remember to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour to keep ourselves and our families safe at all times. With the looming danger of climate change over our planet, we must bring renewables at the forefront of energy transition in the world, and we must do it soon. The good news is that India is on track to reach its goal of 175 GW of installed renewable capacity by 2022. With new initiatives of the government and different stakeholders, it is likely that the renewable energy target to 450 GW by 2030 will also be achievable. India has seen exemplary growth in its renewable energy sector in the past few years. With the global impetus towards sustainable development and the need to cater to the growing energy demand of almost 1.5 billion people, India has made steady strides to increase the share of renewable energy generation in the country’s energy mix. These measures together will make India move forward on the path towards becoming a carbon-neutral economy by 2050.

The cover story this month titled, ‘Greening the Grid’ while discussing India’s trajectory towards planned renewable energy targets also stresses on the fact that just increasing renewable energy targets and installing new capacity is not going to be enough. Economically maintaining a balance of supply and demand and designing technically-reliable grids are the need of the hour. While utilities and private companies work in tandem, government should leverage innovative financing, and overall a systems-level integration approach should dominate the market. Governments must be open to leveraging innovative financing vehicles more, DISCOMs and private companies must work in tandem, technology providers must continue to invest in technology and innovation, and cooperation amongst all stakeholders must be the driving force behind this transition.

In our special report this month, we discuss the Amrut Mahotsav launched by our Prime Minister in March 2021 to mark the 75th year of India’s Independence. The Mahotsav has been initiated 75 weeks before August 15, 2022 and will run till August 15, 2023. It endeavours to commemorate 75 years of Independence with a range of programmes and projects that will showcase ‘development, governance, technology, reform, progress and policy,’ over the years.

With articles and many more stories of current interest, we hope that you enjoy reading this issue of TerraGreen. We do look forward to receiving your feedback and letters. Happy Independence Day to all of you.