India's Green Electricity, or Self-Deception?
Acharya Prashant: So, of late, we have been congratulating ourselves. It is everywhere in the papers and in the media that we have done a lot on our climate goals, specifically in the area of renewable energy generation. We are patting our backs that we have achieved the target of having 50% installed capacity from renewable sources five years ahead of schedule. We were supposed to reach there in 2030 as per our climate goals and international obligations, but we have done that ahead of time in 2025.
Now, why is that significant? Because we are staring at the horrible spectre of climate change. Climate change happens due to the accumulation of excess CO2 in the atmosphere. And that excess CO2 is released not due to natural reasons but because of man-made reasons. This is called anthropogenic climate change — climate change happening because of what man is doing, what our species is doing.
This carbon dioxide is released primarily due to energy generation, and that includes electricity generation. When it comes to the sources that release the maximum carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, energy generation comes first and animal agriculture comes second. When you want to generate electricity and if you are doing it through fossil fuel — gas, petrol, diesel, coal, all of these constitute fossil fuels. If you burn fossil fuel to generate electricity or energy, then you are bound to release CO2 into the atmosphere.
So we pledged that we would not generate our electricity using fossil fuels. We said we would rather use non-fossil fuels. That is then counted as renewable energy or green energy or clean energy. It looks good that now India has 50% of its installed electricity generation capacity coming from non-fossil sources. Sounds really good.
So, does that mean that we are doing well? Are we suddenly green and sincere towards the climate? Let us see.
First thing, installed capacity is not the same as generation. Installed capacity means what our electricity plants could potentially produce, not what they actually do. Now, what is actually happening? The fact is coal still generates 72% of India's electricity. And as you know, coal is the dirtiest fuel when it comes to the environment and the climate. 72% of our actual electricity generation still comes from coal. Solar and wind barely 12 to 13%. Hydro 10%. Nuclear less than 3%. So I ask you, can we call ourselves a renewable energy nation when coal is still the king?
Point two, non-fossil is not always clean. Non-fossil does sound attractive, but do you know what it includes? Solar and wind, yes. But also nuclear and large hydro dams. Hydro, as you might know, has displaced millions of villages, drowned entire forests, and even emits methane. And the greenhouse potential of methane is twenty times that of carbon dioxide. Should all of this be called green, or is it just convenient labeling?
Point three, India's emissions are actually rising fast. In 2023, we released three billion tons of carbon dioxide, making us the third largest emitter in the world. And yet, look at our vulnerability. Heat waves last year hit twenty-three states. Floods now displace tens of millions every year. Agriculture, on which more than half of India still survives, is at the mercy of the climate. I ask you, is this a victory or rather a warning?
Point four, even as we want to celebrate our theoretically installed renewable or green capacity, the horrible fact is that coal in India is actually growing. Coal is not declining. India consumed a record 1.2 billion tons of coal in 2023. What is more, hold your breath, over 20 GW of new coal plants are still being built (source: PowerLine). Then tell me, does that milestone in installed capacity change our coal addiction?
Yes, the 50% target has been theoretically reached early, but the real challenge remains untouched. The real challenge was to cut dependence on coal, and we have hardly done anything on that. The real challenge was to actually reduce carbon emissions. The real challenge was to actually protect ourselves from the climate crisis that is already burning our fields and flooding our homes. Otherwise, these numbers that we want to brandish are just entertaining statistics, and the punishment to my beloved country will only keep getting harsher.
