On Friday, India will host a key conference as part of the International Climate Summit (ICS) 2020-21 to build a dialogue on India’s clean energy transition. The climate summit will bring together policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, experts, and scientists from all over the world. Some of the prominent participants include Union ministers Bhupendra Yadav and Jitendra Singh, NITI Aayog member Dr VK Saraswat, and Sturle Harald Pedersen, chairperson of Greenstat India, Norway.
Dr. Ashish Kishore Lele, director of the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), said the key conference on Friday is especially important for India and, by extension, the rest of the world because it will mark future climate change mitigation strategies. He emphasised the importance of adopting these alternative strategies, highlighting the issues that have arisen as a result of reliance on conventional fuels.
Hydrogen power, one such ‘alternative’ strategy for India’s energy signature, has been in the news since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a ‘National Hydrogen Mission’ for the country in his Independence Day speech on August 15. Green hydrogen, which is created by splitting the water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen constituents using an electrolyzer powered by renewable energy resources, is expected to be a game-changer for India in terms of meeting its annual energy needs. The country, which currently imports 85% of its oil and 53% of its gas, is said to spend around $12 trillion per year on energy.
While announcing the hydrogen policy, Prime Minister Modi stated that India aspires to become a global hub for green hydrogen production and exports. The International Climate Summit on Friday will, among other things, discuss strategies for powering India’s burgeoning hydrogen ecosystem.
A major climate change conference, known as COP26, will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 31 to November 12, 2021. Last month, COP26 President Alok Sharma stated that this is the last chance to ensure that global temperature rises do not exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius, the Paris Agreement’s lower limit.
The ICS 2021 climate summit will be co-hosted by Invest India and will focus on ‘Powering India’s Hydrogen Ecosystem.’ The environment committee of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), a non-government industrial development organisation, is organising the event.
