Independent Journalist

Down To Earth • 30th January 2024

India will continue to rely on coal to meet its rising electricity demand through 2026: IEA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the target to achieve net zero by 2070 in 2021. The IEA report titled Electricity 2024, though, noted that coal will continue to dominate the Indian power sector through 2026. This, despite an expected fall from 74 per cent of total electricity generation in 2023.Renewable generation remained relatively stable, with a 21 per cent share of electricity generation in 2023. The rise in solar and wind was largely offset by reduced hydropower output, the repo...

Down To Earth • 11th January 2024

India’s green hydrogen offtake in ‘wait-and-watch’ phase: WEF calls for increased subsidy to help lower cost

Green hydrogen production needs to reach a cost-parity with grey hydrogen in India to meet the target outlined in the National Green Hydrogen Mission of producing at least 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen per annum by 2030. Today, the production costs of green hydrogen amount to roughly $4-5 per kilogramme, equivalent to approximately double the price of grey hydrogen. About 50-70 per cent of expenditure is allocated towards round-the-clock (RTC) renewable electricity and the remaining 30-50 p...

Down To Earth • 21st December 2023

Parliamentary panel recommends FAME-II scheme’s extension by at least 3 more years

In May, the government reduced the FAME-II subsidy on electric two-wheelers registered on or after June 1, 2023. The earlier incentive of 40 per cent on the ex-factory price of electric two-wheelers was reduced to 15 per cent. The demand incentive for electric two-wheelers was reduced to Rs 10,000 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from Rs 15,000 / kWh.“The committee is of the opinion that in order to facilitate the transition momentum to electric mobility, more number of electric vehicles need to be suppo...

Down To Earth • 14th December 2023

Think tanks, civil society caution that ‘fossil fuels’ mention in GST is riddled with loopholes

The latest text adopted at the 28th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) emphasises the need to transition away “from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly, and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science”.Sunita Narain, director-general of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said: “The inclusion of fossil fuels in the GST is an important startin...

Down To Earth • 9th December 2023

Less than 8% of India’s coal power plants can control SO2 emissions, a new analysis finds

Less than eight per cent of India’s coal-based power plants have installed the technology recommended by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to keep sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions in check, an analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has found. Flue Gas Desulfurisation (FGD) units are used to remove sulphur compounds from the exhaust emissions of power plants. India is the largest emitter of SO2 in the world, according to a 2019 Green...

Down To Earth • 6th December 2023

In whose interest? Close to 2,500 fossil fuel lobbyists present at COP28 climate talks, reveals analysis

A new analysis has presented a conflict of interest at the ongoing  28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Dubai, United Arab Emirates — there’s a record attendance of fossil fuel lobbyists at the climate summit.At least 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists were on the list of provisional participants on the UNFCCC website, found climate movement Kick Big Polluters Out’s in-depth study. The coalition of 450 organisations across the globe called...

Down To Earth • 5th December 2023

COP28: Relying on carbon capture and storage to reach Net Zero would be economically damaging, shows Oxford report

The costs were calculated with the help of data already in use for two pathways envisioned for varying amounts of carbon captured and stored. When it came to developing scenarios to make the assessment, they used the same ones developed for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report.According to the low-CCS pathway envisaged by the researchers, 4.4 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (GtCO2) on average in 2050 would be mitigated compared to an average of 19.2 GtCO2 in the h...

Down To Earth • 2nd December 2023

COP28 UAE: Methane Alert and Response System alerted governments of 127 plumes spanning four continents

The Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) notified governments of 127 plumes spanning four continents and identified 1,500 plumes in its pilot stage. This is according to a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released at the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on December 1, 2023. UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) launched MARS, the first-ever global system that uses satellite data to monitor maj...

Down To Earth • 29th November 2023

India needs a surplus of $101 billion in investment to triple RE targets, finds report

The country requires an investment of $293 billion between 2023 and 2030 to meet the NEP14 solar and wind capacity targets, including storage and transmission. The financing will be essential to put India on track to more than triple its renewable capacity by 2030s, the report estimated. “The share of non-fossil-based capacity is likely to increase to 57.4 per cent by the end of 2026-27 and may likely further increase to 68.4 per cent by the end of 2031-32 from around 42.5 per cent as of April 2...

Down To Earth • 28th November 2023

India, Indonesia, Bangladesh & Vietnam host to most under-construction coal projects worldwide: Report

Outside of China, as of October, the latest report identified 110 gigawatts (GW) of coal power capacity under consideration in 32 countries, amounting to 131 coal projects. Ten countries comprise 83 per cent of the total capacity proposed, led by three countries, namely India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, according to a quarterly update of GEM’s Global Coal Plant Tracker.“Coal plant projects are considered “shelved” when no updates or developments have been identified on the proposed projects for...

Down To Earth • 23rd November 2023

Governments worldwide spent $1.7 trillion of public money on fossil fuels, a new report finds

Overall, fossil fuel subsidies expanded in 2022, to reach $1.3 trillion, but this number is likely to be higher. The paper pointed out the data was not painting the whole picture as it was based on the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) definition of “explicit subsidies”, when governments cap retail prices below the international market price of a fuel.In India, the explicit subsidy applies to the Ujjwala scheme and for fuel in remote locations. The country ranked fourth among countries worldwi...

Down To Earth • 17th November 2023

US treasury supports international financing of gas-fired power plants despite government restrictions

The investigation by Friends of the Earth US, an American environmental non-profit, found that two of the plants in Mozambique, one in Bangladesh, and one in Uzbekistan at a cost of $400 million do not align with the goals of the Paris Agreement as they emit an estimated combined total of over 6,000,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e).After the Treasury’s Guidance was issued on August 16, 2021, the US  still voted to support $236.8 million in Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency...

Down To Earth • 30th October 2023

COP28 Presidency: Triple renewable energy capacity, double energy efficiency by 2030 to limit global warming

The report by the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) Presidency, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Global Renewables Alliance was launched on the sidelines of a pre-COP event in Abu Dhabi.“The Global Stocktake has told us exactly how far off track we are. We need to cut 22 gigatonnes of greenhouse gases in the next seven years in order to keep 1.5°C within reach. The phase-down of fossil fuels is inevitable and essential, but it must be responsible,” CO...

Down To Earth • 17th October 2023

Improving utilities’ finances, workforce investment could better grid establishment to integrate renewables: IEA

The world’s first stocktake of electricity grids by the International Energy Agency (IEA), to assess where the grids stand in limiting global warming to 1.5°C, found that 3,000 gigawatts of renewable energy projects worldwide are waiting in queue to be integrated into their country’s electricity grids.Worryingly, 1,500 GW projects of those solar and wind projects are at the final stages of development before they can be operationalised and grids are essential to decarbonise electricity supply an...

Down To Earth • 10th October 2023

By 2050 Coal India Limited may have to lay off 73,800 jobs: Global Energy Monitor

GEM's Global Coal Mine Tracker is a database of coal mines' operational time remaining based on existing leases, permits, available reserves, and other economic considerations, referred to as the "life of mine" (LOM). When that information is unavailable, GEM collects data on reserves-to-production ratios, which are used in the industry to determine how long a mine can extract coal at its current output, the organisation explained.According to projected closure dates, nearly 990,200 coal mine jo...

Down To Earth • 3rd October 2023

India’s annual solar capacity addition needs to increase annually by 36% till 2026-27 to meet 14th NEP targets

India needs to increase its current annual solar capacity addition by about 36 per cent each year for the country to achieve the 14th National Electricity Plan’s targets of 185.6 gigawatts of solar capacity by the financial year 2026-27, according to a new report by global energy think tank Ember.However, this will still be insufficient to meet the 14th NEP’s outlined target for FY 2026-27 of 185.6 GW. So the country needs to commission a minimum of 17.5 GW in FY 2024, with a further ramp-up to...

Down To Earth • 28th September 2023

International Shipping emissions increased by 20% in the last decade: UNCTAD

Containerised trade, which had declined by 3.7 per cent in 2022, is expected to grow by 1.2 per cent in 2023 and grow further by three per cent between 2024-2028. Oil and gas trade volumes showed robust growth in 2022, while tanker freight rates saw a strong revival driven by geopolitical events, the report stated.Early in January 2023, commercial ships were on average 22.2 years old and more than half of the world’s fleet is over 15 years old. As the average age of the world fleet is increasing...

Down To Earth • 9th September 2023

G20 Summit: India launches Global Biofuel Alliance

Monish Ahuja, Chairman of the Confederation of Biomass Energy Industry of India told Down to Earth (DTE), “India has taken the lead along with the USA and Brazil to be the founders of the Global Biofuel Alliance on similar lines set up by the International Solar Alliance.”“There is a concerted push to develop a biofuel economy all around the world. It is a fantastic initiative, where India is stepping up in the global order to accomplish this. We are saying we will do it ourselves while guiding...

Down To Earth • 26th July 2023

MNRE should get approval for revised policy on repowering wind power projects: Standing Committee

The Twenty-Seventh Report of the evaluation was presented to the Lok Sabha on August 2, 2022 and was laid on the table of the Rajya Sabha on the same day. The Ministry of New and Energy (MNRE)’s replies to the observations and recommendations were received on April 24, 2023.The MNRE stated that it had revised the ‘Policy for Repowering of the Wind Power Projects’ issued on August 5, 2016 and it had been circulated for stakeholders’ comments on October 17, 2022.“As it has been more than nine mont...

Down To Earth • 23rd July 2023

G20 energy ministers call for cooperation on nuclear energy & low-emission hydrogen

Efforts towards phasing down of all fossil fuels have been watered down. This has been the best diplomatic solution but not the best climate policy solution, Gopalakrishnan added.Furthermore, the document endorsed zero- and low-emission hydrogen. “We aim to support the acceleration of production, utilisation, as well as the development of transparent and resilient global markets for hydrogen produced from zero and low-emission technologies and its derivatives such as ammonia by developing volunt...

Down To Earth • 5th July 2023

World needs over $75 bn for a 75% slash in energy-related methane emissions

Over $75 billion in funding is required to slash just energy-related methane emissions by 75 per cent by 2030, two-thirds of which would be generated through oil and gas operations, a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) said.The extraction and transportation of oil, gas and even coal release methane through defective valves or pipes, referred to as fugitive emissions. Fixing the malfunctioning parts and processes by employing leak detection and repair (LDAR) programmes prevents m...

Down To Earth • 23rd June 2023

Study finds eight coal-fired thermal plants in India stranded liabilities, recommends acquisition by NTPC

India has eight stranded coal-based thermal power plants, as of April 2023, according to an analysis by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Stranded assets are ones no longer used or where operations may have stalled and may end up as a liability. “PFC is the lead lender for the first three, which will ease the resolution. NARCL has been mandated by the central government to resolve the last set of remaining NPAs. So it is under their remit to resolve power sector...

Down To Earth • 21st June 2023

Extreme weather increasingly disrupted generation of nuclear power in last 30 years: State of the Climate in Europe 2022

Weather-related production losses accounted for approximately just about 0.35 per cent of global nuclear energy generation in 2022, up from 0.29 per cent five years earlier, according to the latest State of the Climate in Europe 2022.Jan HaverKamp, Greenpeace International’s senior expert on nuclear energy and energy policy told Down to Earth (DTE): “This is a phenomenon we are already aware of for indeed around two decades. Last year in summer, around 10 nuclear power plants in France had to cl...

Down To Earth • 15th June 2023

Subsidies don’t help fight climate change, World Bank report finds

Instead, these subsidies which are generally considered to bail out economies in crises, could be repurposed to finance just transition activities or to provide a better quality of life, the authors advised, as they have far-reaching impacts on the environment.In 2021, countries shelled out $577 billion to actively lower the price of polluting fuels such as oil, gas, and coal. These measures amounted to incentivising the overuse of fossil fuels. Consequently, fossil fuel usage leads to air pollu...