<p>Today, on December 14th, India is celebrating its 27th National Energy Conservation Day. On this day Hon&rsquo;ble President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind will give away National Conservation Awards to industries that have demonstrated a measurable reduction in their energy use as a part of National Energy Conservation Awards Programme. He will also present the National Painting Competition Prizes and visit the exhibition of the prize-winning paintings.</p>

<p>Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has earmarked December 14 as &lsquo;the Energy Conservation Day&rsquo;, which is aimed to demonstrate India&rsquo;s achievements in energy efficiency and conservation, within a larger goal of holistic development of India&rsquo;s overall effort towards climate change mitigation.</p>

<p>Such mitigation measures largely limit the further rise in global temperature wherein steps, such as phasing out fossil fuels, embracing renewables, pursuing electric vehicles and pushing for green buildings, are taken. The role of green buildings in energy conservation and efficiency is, thus, important in controlling emission levels, significantly.</p>

<p>According to the World Green Building Council (WGBC), a &lsquo;green&rsquo; building is a building that, in its design, construction or operation, reduces or eliminates negative impacts, and can create positive impacts on our climate and natural environment. Green buildings preserve precious natural resources and improve our quality of life. According to the UN-Habitat, green building can include energy efficiency along with features, such as healthy materials, water efficiency, sustainable waste management, resource efficiency, and land use.</p>

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<h5>India, which is observing robust urbanisation, is adding around 11-12 million people to its urban population every year, making every sixth person in India urbanised.</h5>
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<p>India, which is observing robust urbanisation, is adding around 11-12 million people to its urban population every year, making every sixth person in India urbanised. In 2011, India also entered a different demographic trajectory wherein its net increment to urban population exceeded the net increment to the rural population, signifying increased migration to urban centres. The United Nations (2014) has estimated that India would add 164 million people to its urban-based between 2015 and 2030, thereby necessitating the need for managing its urbanisation very well.</p>

<p>Thus to rejuvenate urbanisation process, the government has launched programmes including, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Smart Cities Mission (SCM) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), mapped under Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)-11 on &ldquo;Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable&rdquo;.</p>

<p>These initiatives have the potential to transform India&rsquo;s building and infrastructure sector, being critical to the Indian economy. Moreover, India is projected to become third-largest construction market globally by 2030, contributing 15 per cent of India&rsquo;s GDP. Thus given these projections there is an urgent need to push for sustainable growth through green buildings under these missions.</p>

<p>These missions, which aim to ensure access to adequate, safe and affordable housing, basic services and upgrade slums, better air quality and waste management, besides, provision for financial and technical assistance in building sustainable and resilient buildings significantly enhances the potential of green buildings, thereby, improving the surrounding environment.</p>

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<h5>In India, building accounts for 40 per cent of the total energy consumption, of which residential real estate accounts for over 60 per cent of it resulting in environmental degradation due to rapid urbanisation.</h5>
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<p>Moreover, incorporation of the green building concept in these missions would not only facilitate in achieving SDG-11 but will also help to expand its scope to cover other SDGs as perceived by the World Green Building Council (WGBC). Thus, embracing green building concept would effectively help in meeting other SDGs as well to include, promoting good health and wellbeing; ensuring affordable and clean energy; promoting decent work and sustainable economic growth; building resilient infrastructure and promoting sustainable industrialisation, combating climate change, etc. Green building concept would also help in achieving SDG#6, which ensures availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.</p>

<p>According to United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the building sector is the largest contributor to GHG emissions, emitting 30 per cent of GHG emissions, while using 40 per cent of the global energy. In India, building accounts for 40 per cent of the total energy consumption, of which residential real estate accounts for over 60 per cent of it, resulting in environmental degradation due to rapid urbanisation.</p>

<p>The current stock of green buildings, which accounts for 5 per cent of the total buildings in India, offers the great potential of green building markets with an opportunity to expand and tighten efficiency standards on building sector, ensuring future demand for energy services being met without putting undue strain on energy supply.</p>

<p>Further, according to the US Green Building Council&rsquo;s (USGBC) Dodge Data &amp; Analytics World Green Building Trends 2016, the green building industry in India will grow by 20 per cent by 2018.</p>

<p>Paris Climate Agreement&nbsp;has prompted several governments to lay greater emphasis on low carbon development of their cities. India too has formulated several mitigation strategies under different sector in its Nationally Determined Contribution submitted for Conference of Parties - 21 (COP) of United National Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCCC) to develop climate resilient urban centres.</p>

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<h5>To implement energy efficiency, BEE has introduced the Energy Efficiency Building Code (ECBC) to improve the energy performance of buildings and curb emissions.</h5>
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<p>In addition, to curb energy intensity of the Indian economy, the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) has been introduced to replace all incandescent lamps with light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs in the next few years leading to energy savings of up to 100 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh). Further, to implement energy efficiency, BEE has introduced the Energy Efficiency Building Code (ECBC) to improve the energy performance of buildings and curb emissions.</p>

<p>To stimulate the large-scale replication of energy-efficient buildings, India has also developed its own building energy rating system, namely, Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) based on 34 criteria like site planning, conservation and efficient utilisation of resources etc.</p>

<p>Thus, pushing for green buildings by linking it through its urban missions would go a long way in accelerating sustainable growth path.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


Pushing for green buildings by linking it through its urban missions would go a long way in accelerating sustainable growth path in India.

Today, on December 14th, India is celebrating its 27th National Energy Conservation Day. On this day Hon’ble President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind will give away National Conservation Awards to industries that have demonstrated a measurable reduction in their energy use as a part of National Energy Conservation Awards Programme. He will also present the National Painting Competition Prizes and visit the exhibition of the prize-winning paintings. Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has earmarked December 14 as ‘the Energy Conservation Day’, which is aimed to demonstrate India’s achievements in energy efficiency and conservation, within a larger goal of holistic development of India’s overall effort towards climate change mitigation. Such mitigation measures largely limit the further rise in global temperature wherein steps, such as phasing out fossil fuels, embracing renewables, pursuing electric vehicles and pushing for green buildings, are taken. The role of green buildings in energy conservation and efficiency is, thus, important in controlling emission levels, significantly. According to the World Green Building Council (WGBC), a ‘green’ building is a building that, in its design, construction or operation, reduces or eliminates negative impacts, and can create positive impacts on our climate and natural environment. Green buildings preserve precious natural resources and improve our quality of life. According to the UN-Habitat, green building can include energy efficiency along with features, such as healthy materials, water efficiency, sustainable waste management, resource efficiency, and land use. India, which is observing robust urbanisation, is adding around 11-12 million people to its urban population every year, making every sixth person in India urbanised. × India, which is observing robust urbanisation, is adding around 11-12 million people to its urban population every year, making every sixth person in India urbanised. In 2011, India also entered a different demographic trajectory wherein its net increment to urban population exceeded the net increment to the rural population, signifying increased migration to urban centres. The United Nations (2014) has estimated that India would add 164 million people to its urban-based between 2015 and 2030, thereby necessitating the need for managing its urbanisation very well. Thus to rejuvenate urbanisation process, the government has launched programmes including, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Smart Cities Mission (SCM) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), mapped under Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)-11 on “Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. These initiatives have the potential to transform India’s building and infrastructure sector, being critical to the Indian economy. Moreover, India is projected to become third-largest construction market globally by 2030, contributing 15 per cent of India’s GDP. Thus given these projections there is an urgent need to push for sustainable growth through green buildings under these missions. These missions, which aim to ensure access to adequate, safe and affordable housing, basic services and upgrade slums, better air quality and waste management, besides, provision for financial and technical assistance in building sustainable and resilient buildings significantly enhances the potential of green buildings, thereby, improving the surrounding environment. In India, building accounts for 40 per cent of the total energy consumption, of which residential real estate accounts for over 60 per cent of it resulting in environmental degradation due to rapid urbanisation. × Moreover, incorporation of the green building concept in these missions would not only facilitate in achieving SDG-11 but will also help to expand its scope to cover other SDGs as perceived by the World Green Building Council (WGBC). Thus, embracing green building concept would effectively help in meeting other SDGs as well to include, promoting good health and wellbeing; ensuring affordable and clean energy; promoting decent work and sustainable economic growth; building resilient infrastructure and promoting sustainable industrialisation, combating climate change, etc. Green building concept would also help in achieving SDG#6, which ensures availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. According to United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the building sector is the largest contributor to GHG emissions, emitting 30 per cent of GHG emissions, while using 40 per cent of the global energy. In India, building accounts for 40 per cent of the total energy consumption, of which residential real estate accounts for over 60 per cent of it, resulting in environmental degradation due to rapid urbanisation. The current stock of green buildings, which accounts for 5 per cent of the total buildings in India, offers the great potential of green building markets with an opportunity to expand and tighten efficiency standards on building sector, ensuring future demand for energy services being met without putting undue strain on energy supply. Further, according to the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Dodge Data & Analytics World Green Building Trends 2016, the green building industry in India will grow by 20 per cent by 2018. Paris Climate Agreement has prompted several governments to lay greater emphasis on low carbon development of their cities. India too has formulated several mitigation strategies under different sector in its Nationally Determined Contribution submitted for Conference of Parties - 21 (COP) of United National Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCCC) to develop climate resilient urban centres. To implement energy efficiency, BEE has introduced the Energy Efficiency Building Code (ECBC) to improve the energy performance of buildings and curb emissions. × In addition, to curb energy intensity of the Indian economy, the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) has been introduced to replace all incandescent lamps with light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs in the next few years leading to energy savings of up to 100 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh). Further, to implement energy efficiency, BEE has introduced the Energy Efficiency Building Code (ECBC) to improve the energy performance of buildings and curb emissions. To stimulate the large-scale replication of energy-efficient buildings, India has also developed its own building energy rating system, namely, Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) based on 34 criteria like site planning, conservation and efficient utilisation of resources etc. Thus, pushing for green buildings by linking it through its urban missions would go a long way in accelerating sustainable growth path. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: With urbanisation, India needs green buildings to conserve energy

<p>Last night Prime Minister Modi arrived in the U.S. Capitol on his three-day visit to the U.S. during which he would meet with President Trump at the White House for the first time. Deliberations on energy cooperation would hold the key in the Modi-Trump Summit. According to the White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, &ldquo;The President and the Prime Minister will discuss ongoing cooperation, including counterterrorism, defence partnership in the Indo-Pacific region, global cooperation, burden-sharing, trade, law enforcement, and energy. I think it&#39;s going to be a very robust discussion&rdquo;.</p>

<p>While the U.S. lawmakers have already urged President Trump to raise the issue of growing trade deficit with India due to its failure to enact market-based reforms, Indians in the U.S. expects Modi to voice their concerns H-1B visa issue with Trump.</p>

<p>Besides these concerns, energy would be the key to any discussions on Indo-U.S. strategic ties. This is inevitable considering how well the U.S. fits into India&rsquo;s Energy Security goals. Both the countries have established their energy relationship with the launch of India-U.S. Energy Dialogue in May 2005. Ever since then India and the U.S. has closely worked with each other on a vast expanse of energy-related issues, including trade and investments in hydrocarbons, electricity generation, cooperation in clean energy technologies, promoting energy-efficiency and renewable energy resources.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, India-U.S. civil nuclear deal which formed the basis of India-U.S. Strategic Partnership continues to be a non-starter because of the recent bankruptcy of Westinghouse and the absence of a functional reference atomic plant.</p>

<p>In the current Modi-Trump summit too, signing of a nuclear reactor pact is unlikely, but a discussion would surely be on the current impasse. Another area of India-U.S. energy cooperation is natural gas imports from the U.S. to India, which can significantly address the trade deficit concerns of the U.S.</p>

<p>Persistently low global oil prices have resulted in a glut in the supply of LNG (Liquefied natural gas) in the international market. The U.S. which is expecting to become a net gas exporter in 2018, would like to see LNG as a means to address bilateral trade deficit. According to Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman, IHS&nbsp;Markit, &ldquo;The Obama administration was generally supportive of the development and export of LNG but did not see it as a crucial element in trade strategy&hellip;. The Trump administration, with its focus on bilateral trade deficits, sees LNG as a way to address them.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Daniel Yergin, one of the delegations in a group of CEOs of top 20 American firms, who had a round table interaction with PM Modi, &nbsp;has already discussed matters related to the need for increasing LNG exports to India with Indian Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan during his Houston trip for the CERA Week. Moreover, Dharmendra Pradhan met with his counterpart Rick Perry to explore investment propositions in LNG and shale gas and should be seen as a groundwork to Modi-Tump Summit.</p>

<p>Earlier this month, as noted by Sean Spicer, Trump is expected to make U.S. produced LNG one of the key talking points when he meets Modi. According to Spicer, &ldquo;U.S. energy and technologies, including natural gas, are helping to build Prime Minister Modi&#39;s vision for a new India in creating thousands of U.S. jobs in the process.&rdquo;</p>

<p>From March 2018, the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) is gearing up for its first LNG imports from the U.S. For the purpose, the Company is tying up for 2.3 million ton LNG supplies over 20 years from Cove Point in 2013. It has also signed a contract for 3.5 million ton of LNG with Cheniere Energy Inc&#39;s Sabine Pass project in Louisiana, US, the supplies from which will begin in December 2018.</p>

<p>LNG is the main component of India&rsquo;s gas-based economic vision. The Indian government plans to increase the share of natural gas from 7 per cent at present to 15 per cent by 2030, the U.S. can emerge as a significant player to meet India&rsquo;s natural gas demand. India is already one of the biggest drivers of global LNG demand and with flexible floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) coming up, the supply of LNG from the U.S. will provide flexibility on the supply side. This can be a beneficial solution for both the countries. Development of an integrated LNG market is key for unlocking the gas potential for India, and U.S. can work closely with India in this regard. India would like to take a clue from recently concluded LNG deal between the U.S. and China, wherein China would receive more LNG from the U.S., while jointly developing liquefied natural gas facilities and gas transport.</p>

<p>According to the Congressional Research Service report of the U.S., some members of the U.S. Congress are looking forward to bills related to India-U.S. energy cooperation but these bills were not enacted into laws as yet. The issues that are to excite the US Congress include prospects, such as natural gas exports from the U.S., U.S. energy companies&rsquo; investments in India and Indian investment in the U.S. energy sector. Both Modi and Trump would like to deliberate on some of these issues to deepen India-U.S. energy ties.</p>

<p>However, Trump&rsquo;s pulling out from Paris Climate agreement would neither impact India&rsquo;s march towards cleaner source of energy nor it has much impact on the U.S. India bilateral energy relationship. That the Paris agreement will be inconsequential for the bilateral relationship is clear from the announcement of $7.5 million financial aid from the Trump administration ahead of Modi&rsquo;s visit to the U.S. The aid, as part of US-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE), is meant to help advance India&#39;s power grid. It will deepen the collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) and India. Moreover, according to the DoE, the US-India collaboration for a smart distribution system with storage was selected as the new consortia for Smart Grid and Energy Storage under the US-India Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center. This underlines the significant role that clean energy will play between India and the U.S. in future diplomatic relations.</p>

<p>Thus, Trump-Modi Summit would look forward to expanding the scope of energy cooperation with more deliverables and outcomes.</p>


Energy sector is crucial in overcoming US's trade deficit as well as help build PM Modi's vision for a new India

Last night Prime Minister Modi arrived in the U.S. Capitol on his three-day visit to the U.S. during which he would meet with President Trump at the White House for the first time. Deliberations on energy cooperation would hold the key in the Modi-Trump Summit. According to the White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, “The President and the Prime Minister will discuss ongoing cooperation, including counterterrorism, defence partnership in the Indo-Pacific region, global cooperation, burden-sharing, trade, law enforcement, and energy. I think it's going to be a very robust discussion”. While the U.S. lawmakers have already urged President Trump to raise the issue of growing trade deficit with India due to its failure to enact market-based reforms, Indians in the U.S. expects Modi to voice their concerns H-1B visa issue with Trump. Besides these concerns, energy would be the key to any discussions on Indo-U.S. strategic ties. This is inevitable considering how well the U.S. fits into India’s Energy Security goals. Both the countries have established their energy relationship with the launch of India-U.S. Energy Dialogue in May 2005. Ever since then India and the U.S. has closely worked with each other on a vast expanse of energy-related issues, including trade and investments in hydrocarbons, electricity generation, cooperation in clean energy technologies, promoting energy-efficiency and renewable energy resources. However, India-U.S. civil nuclear deal which formed the basis of India-U.S. Strategic Partnership continues to be a non-starter because of the recent bankruptcy of Westinghouse and the absence of a functional reference atomic plant. In the current Modi-Trump summit too, signing of a nuclear reactor pact is unlikely, but a discussion would surely be on the current impasse. Another area of India-U.S. energy cooperation is natural gas imports from the U.S. to India, which can significantly address the trade deficit concerns of the U.S. Persistently low global oil prices have resulted in a glut in the supply of LNG (Liquefied natural gas) in the international market. The U.S. which is expecting to become a net gas exporter in 2018, would like to see LNG as a means to address bilateral trade deficit. According to Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman, IHS Markit, “The Obama administration was generally supportive of the development and export of LNG but did not see it as a crucial element in trade strategy…. The Trump administration, with its focus on bilateral trade deficits, sees LNG as a way to address them.” Daniel Yergin, one of the delegations in a group of CEOs of top 20 American firms, who had a round table interaction with PM Modi, has already discussed matters related to the need for increasing LNG exports to India with Indian Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan during his Houston trip for the CERA Week. Moreover, Dharmendra Pradhan met with his counterpart Rick Perry to explore investment propositions in LNG and shale gas and should be seen as a groundwork to Modi-Tump Summit. Earlier this month, as noted by Sean Spicer, Trump is expected to make U.S. produced LNG one of the key talking points when he meets Modi. According to Spicer, “U.S. energy and technologies, including natural gas, are helping to build Prime Minister Modi's vision for a new India in creating thousands of U.S. jobs in the process.” From March 2018, the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) is gearing up for its first LNG imports from the U.S. For the purpose, the Company is tying up for 2.3 million ton LNG supplies over 20 years from Cove Point in 2013. It has also signed a contract for 3.5 million ton of LNG with Cheniere Energy Inc's Sabine Pass project in Louisiana, US, the supplies from which will begin in December 2018. LNG is the main component of India’s gas-based economic vision. The Indian government plans to increase the share of natural gas from 7 per cent at present to 15 per cent by 2030, the U.S. can emerge as a significant player to meet India’s natural gas demand. India is already one of the biggest drivers of global LNG demand and with flexible floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) coming up, the supply of LNG from the U.S. will provide flexibility on the supply side. This can be a beneficial solution for both the countries. Development of an integrated LNG market is key for unlocking the gas potential for India, and U.S. can work closely with India in this regard. India would like to take a clue from recently concluded LNG deal between the U.S. and China, wherein China would receive more LNG from the U.S., while jointly developing liquefied natural gas facilities and gas transport. According to the Congressional Research Service report of the U.S., some members of the U.S. Congress are looking forward to bills related to India-U.S. energy cooperation but these bills were not enacted into laws as yet. The issues that are to excite the US Congress include prospects, such as natural gas exports from the U.S., U.S. energy companies’ investments in India and Indian investment in the U.S. energy sector. Both Modi and Trump would like to deliberate on some of these issues to deepen India-U.S. energy ties. However, Trump’s pulling out from Paris Climate agreement would neither impact India’s march towards cleaner source of energy nor it has much impact on the U.S. India bilateral energy relationship. That the Paris agreement will be inconsequential for the bilateral relationship is clear from the announcement of $7.5 million financial aid from the Trump administration ahead of Modi’s visit to the U.S. The aid, as part of US-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE), is meant to help advance India's power grid. It will deepen the collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) and India. Moreover, according to the DoE, the US-India collaboration for a smart distribution system with storage was selected as the new consortia for Smart Grid and Energy Storage under the US-India Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center. This underlines the significant role that clean energy will play between India and the U.S. in future diplomatic relations. Thus, Trump-Modi Summit would look forward to expanding the scope of energy cooperation with more deliverables and outcomes.

Building an energy partnership is key to PM Modi's visit to the US

<p>With the economy growing in India, the country&#39;s energy demands are also spiraling up. India&rsquo;s energy demand is set to accelerate because of&nbsp;its energy-intensive economic activities, particularly, in the industrial sectors, such as iron and steel, cement and petrochemicals. International Energy Agency expects India to overtake China as the single largest source of global energy demand by the mid-2020s.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>One of the biggest challenges India faces in the energy sector is to ensure energy access to all at affordable prices.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In its march towards energy transition, India is expected to build upon its dependence on fossil fuels, which meets 92 per cent of India&rsquo;s energy demand, with coal having the largest share at 58 per cent followed by oil and natural gas at 28 per cent and 6 per cent respectively.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>But the energy scenario in India, and all over the world, got even more complicated with three major developments: Paris Summit, Donald Trump and the Vienna deal.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>For the first time, both developed and developing countries agreed in the COP 21 Paris Summit to take some mitigation action to reduce emission levels. Based on this agreement India has set its emission targets for 2030 too. The Paris Summit gives us some hope that there is a chance to revive the global climate.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Donald Trump&#39;s victory in the US election early November could negatively impact&nbsp;the global efforts towards climate deal. Trump has called global warming a &lsquo;hoax&rsquo; and threatened to cancel COP 21 Paris Summit. India could feel the pinch with insufficient investments pouring in for its clean energy initiative.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The third major development was the Vienna Deal that came at the end of November; the OPEC members and non-OPEC countries agreed to cut their production to ease global oil glut. This so far has helped oil prices to rebalance significantly to the highest level since June 2015 when West Texas Intermediate crude settled at $52.83/bbl in the New York Mercantile Exchange. With the price of oil rising, it could really put to test India&rsquo;s growing dependence on imported crude. &nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>While all these events have implications on India&rsquo;s energy strategy, the country is expected to move ahead with its energy agenda as set at&nbsp;COP 21 Summit in December 2015.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the inauguration of Petrotech 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi specified the importance of the four pillars of India&rsquo;s energy vision, namely, energy access, energy efficiency, energy sustainability and energy security. The prime minister identified hydrocarbon as a mainstay of India&rsquo;s energy future without destabilising India&rsquo;s renewable energy targets set at 175 GW by 2022. &nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>One of the biggest challenges India may face is the availability of finances for investments across its entire energy value chain</h5>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Accordingly, while efforts would be there to increase domestic production of hydrocarbons with reduced dependence on imported energy, greater emphasis would be given to increase the share of natural gas in the energy front. In its bid to move towards a natural gas-based economy, India plans to increase the share of natural gas from the current 6 per cent to 15 per cent.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Similarly, with the renewable energy goals set at 175 GW by 2022, efforts should be made to increase the capacities and take advantage&nbsp;of falling prices of solar energy, for instance. India&#39;s&nbsp;objective is to produce&nbsp;40 per cent of power from non-fossil fuels by 2030.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In pursuit of its energy goals, as highlighted by Prime Minister Modi, another big challenge&nbsp;India may face is the availability of finances for investments across its entire energy value chain. Such investments are not only important for enhancing domestic production of hydrocarbons but also towards smoother energy transition in the future.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the case of hydrocarbons, low global oil prices have resulted in significant cuts in capital investments in hydrocarbon sectors, resulting in a sharp fall in domestic production. In the latest Global Petroleum Survey 2016, carried out by the Fraser Institute, India continues to rank low in the Policy Perception Index score; this makes India look as somewhat less attractive to investors in comparison to those with scores in the first and second quintiles. The major challenge in this sector, according to the index, has been the delay in getting environmental clearances and bureaucratic hurdles.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Addressing the above challenges in both the conventional and non-conventional hydrocarbons should be the topmost agenda which could improve the investment climate.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>The amount of gas within the world&rsquo;s gas hydrate accumulations is estimated to greatly exceed the volume of all known conventional gas resources</h5>
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<p>The plans to look for natural gas hydrates - an icy form of the fuel - have been initiated by Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIl) with the support of Ministry of Petroleum &amp; Natural Gas. The GAIL, in collaboration with the United States Geological Survey and Japan, has discovered highly enriched accumulations of gas hydrate in the Bay of Bengal region. The amount of gas within the world&rsquo;s gas hydrate accumulations is estimated to greatly exceed the volume of all known global fossil fuels combined.</p>

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<p>Hydrate Energy International has estimated that the gas hydrate potential in India is 933 trillion cubic feet, which is quite significant. If developed and tapped economically and in an environmentally safe manner, this could be a global energy game changer.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>It is, therefore, important for the government to push harder for gas hydrate research through sufficient funding and active participation of the hydrocarbon industry. But given the early stage of research and development of gas hydrates across the globe, India shall have to wait for at least a decade and a half for any commercial production to start.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Therefore, it would be prudent for Indian lawmakers to address in advance the emerging challenges that are bound to rise in due course while moving ahead with effective implementation of the energy policy. Only this would help India to move towards sustainable energy future.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>(Disclaimer: Views are of the author&#39;s and not of WION)</p>


One of the biggest challenges India faces in the energy sector is to ensure energy access to all at affordable prices

With the economy growing in India, the country's energy demands are also spiraling up. India’s energy demand is set to accelerate because of its energy-intensive economic activities, particularly, in the industrial sectors, such as iron and steel, cement and petrochemicals. International Energy Agency expects India to overtake China as the single largest source of global energy demand by the mid-2020s. One of the biggest challenges India faces in the energy sector is to ensure energy access to all at affordable prices. In its march towards energy transition, India is expected to build upon its dependence on fossil fuels, which meets 92 per cent of India’s energy demand, with coal having the largest share at 58 per cent followed by oil and natural gas at 28 per cent and 6 per cent respectively. While efforts would be there to increase domestic production of hydrocarbons with reduced dependence on imported energy, greater emphasis would be given to increase the share of natural gas in the energy front × But the energy scenario in India, and all over the world, got even more complicated with three major developments: Paris Summit, Donald Trump and the Vienna deal. For the first time, both developed and developing countries agreed in the COP 21 Paris Summit to take some mitigation action to reduce emission levels. Based on this agreement India has set its emission targets for 2030 too. The Paris Summit gives us some hope that there is a chance to revive the global climate. Donald Trump's victory in the US election early November could negatively impact the global efforts towards climate deal. Trump has called global warming a ‘hoax’ and threatened to cancel COP 21 Paris Summit. India could feel the pinch with insufficient investments pouring in for its clean energy initiative. The third major development was the Vienna Deal that came at the end of November; the OPEC members and non-OPEC countries agreed to cut their production to ease global oil glut. This so far has helped oil prices to rebalance significantly to the highest level since June 2015 when West Texas Intermediate crude settled at $52.83/bbl in the New York Mercantile Exchange. With the price of oil rising, it could really put to test India’s growing dependence on imported crude. While all these events have implications on India’s energy strategy, the country is expected to move ahead with its energy agenda as set at COP 21 Summit in December 2015. In the inauguration of Petrotech 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi specified the importance of the four pillars of India’s energy vision, namely, energy access, energy efficiency, energy sustainability and energy security. The prime minister identified hydrocarbon as a mainstay of India’s energy future without destabilising India’s renewable energy targets set at 175 GW by 2022. One of the biggest challenges India may face is the availability of finances for investments across its entire energy value chain × Accordingly, while efforts would be there to increase domestic production of hydrocarbons with reduced dependence on imported energy, greater emphasis would be given to increase the share of natural gas in the energy front. In its bid to move towards a natural gas-based economy, India plans to increase the share of natural gas from the current 6 per cent to 15 per cent. Similarly, with the renewable energy goals set at 175 GW by 2022, efforts should be made to increase the capacities and take advantage of falling prices of solar energy, for instance. India's objective is to produce 40 per cent of power from non-fossil fuels by 2030. In pursuit of its energy goals, as highlighted by Prime Minister Modi, another big challenge India may face is the availability of finances for investments across its entire energy value chain. Such investments are not only important for enhancing domestic production of hydrocarbons but also towards smoother energy transition in the future. In the case of hydrocarbons, low global oil prices have resulted in significant cuts in capital investments in hydrocarbon sectors, resulting in a sharp fall in domestic production. In the latest Global Petroleum Survey 2016, carried out by the Fraser Institute, India continues to rank low in the Policy Perception Index score; this makes India look as somewhat less attractive to investors in comparison to those with scores in the first and second quintiles. The major challenge in this sector, according to the index, has been the delay in getting environmental clearances and bureaucratic hurdles. Addressing the above challenges in both the conventional and non-conventional hydrocarbons should be the topmost agenda which could improve the investment climate. The amount of gas within the world’s gas hydrate accumulations is estimated to greatly exceed the volume of all known conventional gas resources × The plans to look for natural gas hydrates - an icy form of the fuel - have been initiated by Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIl) with the support of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. The GAIL, in collaboration with the United States Geological Survey and Japan, has discovered highly enriched accumulations of gas hydrate in the Bay of Bengal region. The amount of gas within the world’s gas hydrate accumulations is estimated to greatly exceed the volume of all known global fossil fuels combined. Hydrate Energy International has estimated that the gas hydrate potential in India is 933 trillion cubic feet, which is quite significant. If developed and tapped economically and in an environmentally safe manner, this could be a global energy game changer. It is, therefore, important for the government to push harder for gas hydrate research through sufficient funding and active participation of the hydrocarbon industry. But given the early stage of research and development of gas hydrates across the globe, India shall have to wait for at least a decade and a half for any commercial production to start. Therefore, it would be prudent for Indian lawmakers to address in advance the emerging challenges that are bound to rise in due course while moving ahead with effective implementation of the energy policy. Only this would help India to move towards sustainable energy future. (Disclaimer: Views are of the author's and not of WION)

World Energy Day: Towards sustainable energy policy for India

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Zee News Rajasthan

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Manish Vaid

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