US contingent on nine-city tour to explore renewable energy potential

In an effort to increase the output of renewable energy to the national capacity,a contingent from the American non-profit InvVest is on a nine-city tour along with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The tours objective is to synergise American and Indian initiatives for the expansion of renewable energy while relieving Indias dependence on fossil fuels.

InvVest plans to deploy the knowledge of innovative research from American institutions to help resolve Indias energy dilemmas if the path of thermal dependence remains,said president and CEO Probir Ghosh. Ghosh was in Kolkata today preparing for the inauguration of the PK Sinha Bioenergy Center at IIT Kharagpur on Tuesday,kicking off the tour highlighted by stops in Bangalore,Goa,Kanpur and Delhi. At the core of his keynote speech is the premise that if India cannot harness its rich resource to transition to clean,economical and self-reliant energy then the impact of fossil fuel dependence will likely result in devastating environmental impacts that may become irreversible.

Indias total energy consumption will remain marginal compared to other major consumers putting India in prime position to pursue alternative energies before 2030. Indias energy impact on a global basis is inconsequential,at least until 2030, Ghosh said. Changing the energy sector will require investments from both public and private players,he added.

While citing security and environmental factors as the main catalysts for change,Ghosh pointed to Chinas initiatives to curb its green-house-gas emissions as reason for urgency on Indias part. Among the many constraints China will face while continuing to grow at this rate,transition to clean sustainable energy is going to top their list, reads Ghoshs presentation. If India can execute the groundwork in the next 6-10 years,it will provide a framework and infrastructure for SEI breakthrough scaling.