Is India Going Green?

According to a story in today’s NY Times,  India is making a major push toward renewable energy:

“We need to get our act together,” said Gauri Singh, joint secretary in India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, which was set up 26 years ago, “because India is growing faster than anyone can imagine. Renewable energy will have to supplement conventional power supply.

“Our priority is to achieve energy security and self-reliance. Climate change is not the main driver for renewable energy in India, it is a co-benefit,” she added, echoing a debate in the United States, where renewable energy is being sold less as a way to save the planet than as a way to create new “green collar” jobs.

The government is moving toward the adoption of renewable portfolio standards, but in the meantime, off-grid efforts at the village level are thriving.  The move toward renewables in India seems to be at a very early stage, however.  We’ll see whether the ambitious goals translate into reality.

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