National Consultation on SDG 7 “Affordable and Clean ...niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/National... · Changes in energy efficiency, transport, RE take-up will occur when they make

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National Consultation on SDG 7

“Affordable and Clean Energy”

Venue – Juniper Hall, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

Date – 23rd February, 2017

Session Name: Inaugural Session

Panelists:

Welcome Address - Shri Anil Kumar Jain, Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog

Special Remarks- Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi, DG, RIS

SDGs and Energy Scenario- Dr. Ajay Mathur, DG, TERI

Keynote Address- Dr. Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog

The Session started with a welcome address by Shri Anil Kumar Jain. In his special address,

Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi, specifically highlighted the issue of metrics to monitor progress

with respect to the SDGs. Dr Ajay Mathur addressed the issue of energy scenario in India in

the context of SDG 7. His key observations were as follows:

Remarks by Dr. Ajay Mathur

SDG7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) + eradicating poverty+ access to water are at

the heart of the challenges but fit into India’s development goals very well because of

the schemes which already exist.

The main Goals under SDG7 are:

o Universal Access to Clean Energy

o Improvement in energy efficiency

o Increase in the use of RE

India uses .6 TOE/ person/ year which is drastically less than developed countries

(HDI>.9) which use 4TOE/person/year

As we develop the .6 number will increase but due to technological development,

competition, increase in efficiency standards, good quality of life (comparable to that

in developed nations) is achievable at less than 4 TOE. It may even be possible to

achieve those living standards at less than 3TOE

Presently, there is a lot of excess installed capacity in the power sector.

The current supply will be able to satisfy the increase in future demand even when

transport electrification is taken into account (these numbers are greater than the

ones mentioned in the 19th EPS) at least till 2026. That is when coal PLF is projected to

reach 80%.

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This presents a 10 year window to make RE as competitive as coal so that all new

capacity additions are RE

The costs of solar and battery are coming down drastically. New generation Lithium-

ion batteries have a lower lifetime cost than lead batteries and will contribute in the

effort to make solar competitive.

Therefore, competitive procurement, incentive to build, enhancement of volume and

decreasing prices will be required to take advantage of the 10 year period.

By 2030 buildings with ACs will use half as much energy as today. This can be

ensured through:

o Regulations (although important, will play less important role)

o Establishing a new, efficient method of construction

o Supplying materials required for efficient buildings

o Making efficient construction the new norm

In transportation, the focus should be on urban planning, public transportation, and

on electric vehicles

Changes in energy efficiency, transport, RE take-up will occur when they make

business sense.

Metrics will be required to measure the outcome of these models

Remarks by Dr. Arvind Panagariya

The SDGs (like: 0 hunger, gender equality, access to education, health, clean water)

are subsumed in our national goals

India’s national goals have already included what we now call SDGs

Elimination of poverty has been a goal since independence

SDGs include both goals and instruments. Instruments embedded in the SDGs are

helpful eg: growth is not a goal in itself. Rather, it acts as a tool which can help attain

SDGs. Similarly, job creation is an instrument that helps strive for better health,

education standards and also plays an important role in promoting gender equality.

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Session I: Ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services

Chair: Shri S. Vijay Kumar, Distinguished Fellow, TERI

Panelists:

Shri Arun Verma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power

Shri Abhishek Jain, Senior Programme Lead, Council on Energy, Environment and

Water (CEEW)

Shri Ashok Sreenivas, PRAYAS Energy Group

Mr. M.P. Singh , Deputy General Manager, Punjab Energy Development Agency, Govt.

of Punjab

Remarks by S. Vijay Kumar

Sustainable development goals (SDGs) fit with India’s development agenda and

more than one goal has direct relationship with SDGs.

There is a linkage between clean energy and forest conservation as 49% of cooking

energy comes from fuel wood. Hence, any solution which provides clean energy

solution has an impact on forest conservation as well.

There is need to follow inclusive approach and to develop further on work already

being done in this field. There is need for integrated cooking and lighting energy

policy which will address the differences.

Each state needs to look at its pattern of cooking and lighting and analyze what

needs to be done at state level. Central government needs to have a policy with

customization at state level. Involvement of states becomes very crucial to achieve

SDGs.

Remarks by Arun Verma

There is need to ensure access to electricity by household and access doesn’t imply

just connectivity to household rather there is need to ensure sustainable supply of

energy as well.

To ensure sustainable supply of energy, there is need to engage multiple

stakeholders including consumers.

Within the country there is a lot of variation in access to electricity as the Northern

and Southern parts are much better off as compared to eastern and north-eastern

states such as Bihar, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Jharkhand etc.

There are various enabling acts/ policies such as Rural Electrification Policy 2006,

National Electricity Policy 2005, National Tariff policy 2006 etc., schemes such as

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UDAY, DDUGJY etc. The Government is also promoting renewable energy by

setting a target of 175 GW by 2022 and promoting energy efficiency interventions

such as PAT, UDAY etc., technology advancement through promotion of smart

grids, digital India etc.

To achieve the objectives set in these initiatives, there is need for strong political will,

enthusiasm and engagement with power utilities, consumer groups and panchayats.

There is need to improve on the quality of supply over and above providing

connectivity to household. To achieve this, there is a need to look for solutions by

managing demand and supply such as providing electricity to farmers only for the

hours that they need it instead of 24 hours.

The majority of the states have joined UDAY initiative with the overall consensus to

promote sustainable DISCOMs. States are becoming more and more focused towards

promoting cleaner energy and developing roadmap to ensure connectivity.

Government has considered various initiatives such as GARV, URJA, Vidyut Pravah

etc. to improve transparency, accountability and outreach.

The main problem is not of availability rather affordability. There is a need to use

differential tariff structure to overcome the problem of affordability as cant charge at

commercial rate from household who have even difficulty in paying for initial

connection. Also the Government has made it mandatory that large companies spend

at least 2 percent of their profits every year on corporate social responsibility (CSR)

which acts as cross subsidy. Also state governments are providing subsidies to make

it easily accessible to households.

Earlier clean energy was considered to be costly but this has changed with the price

of solar energy per unit going down.

The main questions are about the delivery of energy to people, the issue of free

riding, the financial health of DISCOMs and consumer awareness.

Remarks by Ashok Sreenivas

India faces a paradoxical situation as supply exists but still there is problem of

electricity access. One of the key challenges which India faces with regard to

electricity is the issue of distribution.

The major problem is to ensure the quality of supply even though households have

been electrified as in December 2016, 41 % of household experience power cut for

more than 15 hours per day even though considered as electrified. Thus, electricity

access doesn’t get automatically translated into better quality of livelihood.

There is need to promote universal access to energy at affordable prices. There is

diversity in the level of development within states so there is need to follow different

approach with tailor solutions to state realities.

Most of the states do not need to sign new power purchase agreement rather need to

use existing low cost power to prioritize access. In most of the cases, PPAs have been

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signed but not been able to utilize it properly and results in unnecessary payment of

high fixed costs.

There is need to undertake more realistic demand estimation by taking into account

latent demand, on-site generation, price elasticity of demand etc. To improve

accountability, there is need to undertake several initiative such as publish 11 KV

feeder level data, enhance the role of regulators etc.

The problem of cooking access is not primarily an energy access problem rather it

also have health and gender related dimension. The second highest DALYs are due

to household air pollution which is primarily result of use of traditional fuels. By

making the shift towards modern fuels, we can avert more than 10 million DALYs

due to just five diseases (IHD, COPD, LC, Stroke, and ALRI) by 2030. Also the shift

to modern fuel is highly cost effective. Presently, there are initiatives to increase LPG

connections such as PMUY, Ujjawala program and also shift away from merely

improving stove efficiencies.

India is a diverse country and hence neither one solution can solve problem nor one

fuel. With regard to Biogas, there are options available for cattle rich states but there

is need to develop sustainable business model for community sized plants. PNG is a

feasible option for urban areas with high density and other uses by making

improvement in regulatory regime, infrastructure and availability of gas. Promotion

of LPG requires viable distribution networks, reliable supply, easier cash flow for

consumers (such as introduction of smaller cylinders) and effective subsidy delivery.

There is need for coordinated multi-ministerial approach involving MoHFW,

MoWCD and MoRD and strategy to address multiple issues. Also there is need to

bring out detailed annual status report.

Remarks by M. P. Singh

Punjab has a renewable energy mix including biogas, solar power and small hydel

except wind power, in its energy portfolio. It has increased solar power generation

from 9W in 2013 to 1000MW in 2017 through smaller decentralized power generation

capacity project. Punjab is progressively carrying out smaller rooftop solar power

project and biogas project as there is lot of issues faced due to open burning of

biomass. Punjab is also opening bio-ethanol board in collaboration with Verbio and

CVC infrastructure.

There is need to promote a liberal Goods and Service Tax regime for New and

Renewable Sources of Energy (NRSE). Also there is need to strongly enforce RPO

through penal mechanism by regulator and State RPO fixation as per latest amended

tariff policy. There is a need to upgrade the grid for assimilating higher renewable

energy power share. Also need to promote a regime for third party interstate open

access for RE power.

Remarks by Abhishek Jain

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Energy access has various facets and aspects such as affordability, accessibility,

reliability, quality and health & safety. Even though the number of household

electrified is 96% but meaningful access is only 37%. The problem faced in states like

Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh is of connectivity while in case of Madhya

Pradesh issue is of reliability and quality. In these states, some household don’t have

connection due to unavailability of grid. While majority of population have grid in

the vicinity but they have not taken connection due to lack of affordability. 50% of

the population is not getting more than 8 hours in a day in these states. In case of

Bihar, even though micro-grid are being used but they predominantly use diesel and

provide supply primarily in evening hours to households.

There is a shift from village electrification to household electrification but eventually

need to move towards 24*7 power supply in which monitoring plays a crucial role.

There is need to incentivize better supply through reliable reflective tariff. Also there

is a need to look beyond household towards community services such as education,

healthcare etc. and towards productive applications i.e. towards income generating

activities.

6% of household have to curtail their cooking due to insufficient access to fuel. Even

though 22% have connection but primarily only 5% household use it.

Cooking access remains low in all six states. 78% of rural households in states don’t

have LPG due to high upfront cost and recurring cost. Less than 1.1 % rural

households used improved cook stoves. To improve cook stoves, there is need to

boost R&D, and increase standardization of fuel etc.

Session II: Enhancement of share of clean and renewable energy to meet NDC commitments

Chair: Shri Manu Srivastava, Principal Secretary, Renewable Energy, Govt. of Madhya

Pradesh

Panelists:

Shri. Santosh Kumar, CCF & Director, S & T and Renewable Energy, UT Chandigarh

Mr. James Mathew, Director (SSD), Ministry of Statistics and Programme

Implementation

Mr. Shirish Garud, Director, Energy Environment & Technology Development

Division, TERI

Shri. A H Salman, Power Corporation Limited, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh

Introductory Remarks by Shri Manu Srivastava

Introduced REWA project

Solar Park Development under REWA project

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SECI and state entity joint venture for setting up the solar park

RPO targets for Madhya Pradesh

Previous solar bids results

Rajasthan Badla solar park – lowest cost of Rs. 4.34 per KWh

Participation of all 20 major bidders totaling upto 7500 MW

Bidding went on for 33 hours, 10 AM 9th Feb until 7:00 PM 10th Feb

Power to Delhi metro from REWA project

Direct PPA’s with end consumers

3 tier payment security to ensure proper payment against electricity supply

REWA project – the only solar park to take World Bank and VGF funding

Internal and external evacuation infrastructure to be ready much before the project.

No direct penalties – penalties based on cash retention only, if project completes on

time then cash would be given back.

24% power supply to Delhi Metro using Optimum Supply Arrangement

DMRC pays Rs. 6.5 per KWh

Remarks by Shri. Santosh Kumar:

Chandigarh leading solar city in terms of solar rooftops installations

Concept of solar city

TERI prepared master plan for Chandigarh

Solar power installation target increased from 10 MW to 50 MW by 2022

Chandigarh already installed Grid tied solar rooftop plants of 9.8 MW as on 31st

December, 2016

Sector - wise energy consumption

Chandigarh: Solar RPO (filling RPO obligations)

Major achievements in solar installations for Chandigarh

Future Strategies: UT Administration Intervention: 35 MW, Private Sector: 15MW

Promotion of Solar Energy in Residential/ Commercial/ Industrial Sector

Solar tariff in FY 2016-17, 2017-18

Initiatives taken to promote solar power in private sector

Awards and recognition which Chandigarh received in terms of solar installations

Displayed and described about major solar installations in Chandigarh

Remarks by Mr. James Mathew

SDG follow up and review: 3 levels of follow up and review

Global Indicator framework: India a member country in IAEG – SDG representing

South Asia

IAEG – SDGs prepared a list of 240 indicators

National Indicator framework: NITI Aayog has allocated a nodal ministry for each

goal

Remarks by Mr. Shirish Garud

Energy consumption – one of the indicators of development

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India still lagging behind

Implementation models under REWA project – how cost can come down

Exist clause of investors – one major concern

Agricultural sector – special measures, initiatives to be taken by MNRE and Ministry

of Agriculture

Spoke about post harvest processing unit

Solar rooftop – distribution companies not comfortable

Distribution companies asking about more open access

Strengthen regulatory framework w.r.t Renewable Energy

Issue of micro-grid integration

Micro-grid will be very helpful in realizing solar energy goals

Solar thermal completely forgotten – only discussed in the form of solar water

heaters

Solar thermal needs to be strengthened

SECI can take up LED type of initiative for the same

Use of agro waste whose management is a huge problem

Decentralized model can work – pellets and briquettes

Remarks by Shri. A H Salman

Vision 2030 – target should be fixed for 60000 MW solar

Threw light on present scenario

Annual per capita consumption of electricity is nearly 600 units

More than 99% villages have been provided with electricity under DDUGJY scheme

Solution lies in strengthening of network and off-grid renewable energy

Proposed targets for Renewable Energy by various government departments in Uttar

Pradesh

Detailed discussion about vision 2030 and its targets.

Session III: Energy Efficiency

Chair: Shri Anil Kumar Jain, Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog

Panelists:

Dr. Manoj Singh, Advisor, Transport, NITI Aayog

Shri Satish Kumar, Chairman, Alliance for Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE)

Shri Girish Sethi, Senior Director, Industrial Energy Efficiency, TERI

Shri Arup Hazarika, General Manager (NRE), APDCL, Guwahati

Introductory Remarks by Mr. Anil Jain Mr Anil Jain, Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog was the Chairperson of the session on

Energy Efficiency. Mr Jain set the tone for the session and mentioned that energy efficiency

(EE) in different end-use sectors needs to be coordinated closely with involvement of

different states and other key stakeholders. He also mentioned that energy costs play an

important role in the uptake of energy efficiency. He put forth two important aspects in

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adopting energy efficiency viz. (1) how energy efficiency can be imbibed at individual level

(behavioral changes) and (2) mode of implementation of government programs/ schemes

that can influence EE as mass mobilization. For example, LED adoption model in residential

sector being implemented by EESL and the proposed pump set program in agriculture

sector leading to mass procurement of EE products at country level.

Remarks by Mr. Satish Kumar (Energy efficiency in building sector)

Mr Satish Kumar, Chairman, Alliance for Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE) started his

presentation by referring to the UN target of doubling the global rate of improving energy

efficiency by 2030. He mentioned that about 237 million people and 19,706 villages do not

have access to electricity. Improvements in energy efficiency will help in accelerating the

pace at which energy can be made available to these un-electrified households/villages. With

regard to renewables, there is an ambitious target of 175 GW set up by the Government of

India. The power generation through renewables today stands at 16% of total power

generation capacity whereas the energy efficiency programs of the Government of India

(primarily the Ministry of Power supported initiatives) have already resulted in 36 GW

savings, equivalent to 11% of avoided total power generation capacity. Therefore, he

emphasized that energy efficiency should be considered as the first fuel which would result

in eliminating wastage and lead to resource conservation.

The residential and commercial sectors account for a significant share in the energy

consumption of the country. A rapid growth in building sector is projected and a significant

potential exists in the sector to improve its energy performance. The ‚Energy Performance

Index‛ (EPI) of commercial buildings in India stands at 250 kWh/m2/year. There exists an

energy saving potential of 2000 MW per year considering a target of 125 kWh/m2/year for an

area of 100 million m2. This would require three distinct strategies viz. (1) Moving towards

lean (adopting building energy codes such as ECBC, LEED, etc., implementing better

building design), (2) Adoption of energy efficient appliances and other means (e.g. use of

star labeled equipment, automation & controls) and (3) Shift to green (use of renewables,

solar cooling, etc.)

In his address, he further highlighted issues such as (1) lack of energy consumption data for

different end-use sectors, (2) non-availability of quantifiable mechanism to track the impacts

of ECBC (e.g. regular reporting, survey on energy consumption, etc.) and (3) lack of data

collection and dissemination laws. Thus, there is a need for establishing energy data

framework for building sector to strengthen institutional and implementation capabilities.

The existing policy framework needs to be complemented through EE financing, ESCO led

programs, end of life policies, building awareness, energy use disclosures, etc. for

accelerating implementation of energy efficiency in the building sector.

Remarks by Mr. Arup Hazarika

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Power sector (focusing Assam)

Mr Arup Hazarika, General Manager (NRE), APDCL, Guwahati provided an overview of

the electricity demand supply situation for the state of Assam, which showed a gap of about

18,632 million units (MU) by 2030. He explained about different challenges facing the

electricity sector in Assam. These include (1) high dependence on electricity imports leading

to insecurity in supply (2) low level of private sector investments in power projects (3)

inadequate coal block linkage and natural gas (NG) supply (4) insufficient supply of

electricity to remote areas which witness increased habitations and (5) lack of business

models for renewable energy projects

Mr Hazarika presented different strategies to overcome the existing issues to meet the gaps

in power sector in Assam. The important strategies include (1) Exploring business models

and strengthen implementation mechanism to attract private sector investment in renewable

energy sector and (2) Developing policy and regulatory framework for energy efficiency

improvements in different end-use sectors. Some of the activities identified to address

energy efficiency include enhanced awareness among public, promote energy efficient

lighting in all social housing projects of government and facilitate development of financing

schemes for energy efficient lighting products.

Remarks by Dr. Manoj Singh

(Transport sector)

Dr Manoj Singh, Advisor (Transport) from NITI Aayog talked about various strategies

needed to reduce the energy consumption in the transport sector. He stressed on developing

integrated approaches to promote ‚Non-Motorised Transport‛ (NMT). This involves

development of appropriate infrastructure in urban centres for pedestrian movement and

cycling. He also highlighted about the importance of mass rapid transport system like BRT

and metro for large and emerging cities. Efficient use of water ways for freight movement

was also mentioned as a possible option as it would be 10 times more efficient than rail

mode of transport. He also raised concerns towards declining use of freight movement

through rails. There was about 7% reduction in rail-mode of freight transport in 2016-17 as

compared to 2015-16.

Remarks by Mr. Girish Sethi (Industry sector)

Mr Girish Sethi, Senior Director, Industrial Energy Efficiency Division from TERI presented

about energy efficiency possibilities in the industry sector. Indian industry sector accounts

for about 45% of commercial energy consumption and would remain as the major energy

consumer in 2031 as well. Indian industry sector comprises large industries and MSME

(micro, small and medium enterprises). Many large industries have adopted state of the art

technologies. The MSME sector is an important sub-sector in terms of social-economic

perspective. Various studies indicate an energy saving potential of 10-25% exist in various

systems within the industry sector. Adoption of EE technologies in industry sector include

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following approaches: (1) Process specific technologies, (2) cross cutting options, (3) fuel

switch and (4) recycling and use of secondary materials.

The ‚Designated Consumers‛ (DCs) under PAT (Perform, Achieve and Trade) cover about

50% of energy consumption in the industry sector. The key industries covered under PAT

include cement, iron & steel and fertilizers. Under the PAT-1 cycle, majority of the DCs have

been able to meet the target set by BEE. Mr Sethi presented the case study on cement

industry which has adopted state of the art technologies and is one of the most efficient

globally. He explained about the reasons such as steady growth in infrastructure, push by

international technology suppliers, technology acceptance by large Indian private players,

trained human resources, etc. The energy efficiency of Indian cement is one of the best in the

world although there exists a range of energy efficiency performance by different cement

plants. He also stressed about the existing barriers such as high costs and institutional and

regulatory issues for further technology up-gradation in cement sector.

Mr Sethi presented the importance of MSME sector and the presence of energy intensive

MSME clusters in India. There are close to 200 energy intensive clusters in India and most of

these use obsolete technologies and unskilled manpower. There is a significant scope for

enhancing energy efficiency of MSME sector through adoption of EE technologies,

renewable energy technologies and best operating practices. He presented two successful

case studies in MSME sector. The case study on Firozabad glass industry covered successful

adoption of energy efficient melting furnaces in the cluster. The SIDBI-WB-GEF project in 5

different types of clusters showed successful adoption of energy efficient equipment in

various utilities, which showed an impressive payback period of about one year. He

concluded that for large industries, there is a need to expand PAT scheme. There are huge

opportunities in MSME sector but needs to address barriers such as financial and technology

barriers. It is also important to have focused RDD&D programs and appropriate business

models for up-scaling energy efficiency in MSME sector.

Discussions

The aspect regarding increased use of NMT was raised during discussions, which

necessitates development of suitable infrastructure in urban areas. It was agreed that city

planning needs to be integrated with transport systems. It was further stressed that

enhanced use of public transport system is essential for reducing the pace of growth of

energy consumption in the transport sector.

Availability of energy related data is an important issue in end-use/ demand sector and

needs to be addressed through appropriate institutional mechanisms. More surveys at

state/local levels are needed to develop robust and comprehensive database, which would

help the planners in devising realistic prospective energy plans. Mr Satish Kumar stressed

on the need for Minimum Energy Performance Code (MEPC) for the building sector. On a

query related to re-cycling in the industry sector, it was mentioned that recycling not just

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helps in reducing the energy consumption at the factory level, but is also useful in terms of

improving the local environment and resource conservation. In a number of industries like

glass, aluminium, steel, etc., recycling of materials takes place but its effectiveness can be

enhanced.

There was a discussion on energy usage in pumps in agriculture sector. It was felt that

appropriate business models are needed in this sector since electricity prices for farmers are

subsidized and there are no incentives for adopting efficient pumps. It was mentioned that

subsidies provided on government programs such as solar irrigation pumps require huge

resources. State Government representative from Andhra Pradesh talked about a different

business model for adoption of 10,000 agriculture pump sets in his state. Another successful

model adopted in the state of Gujarat, which also led to increased income generation for

farmers, was shared by one of the participants from Gujarat.

Mr Anil Jain concluded that energy efficiency is an ‚unsung hero‛ as can be seen from the

achievements under f PAT and other schemes of BEE in terms of avoided power generation

capacity. He concluded the session by stressing on the need to further increase focus and

prioritize on energy efficiency options in different end-use sectors.

Session IV: Way Forward and Valedictory

Panelists: Overview of the Deliberation: Dr. P. K. Anand, Sr. Consultant, NITI Aayog

SDG 7 and Global Perspectives: Shri Yuri Afanasiev, UN Resident Coordinator,

India

Way Forward: Mr Krishna Kumar, DDG (SSG), MoSPI

Closing Remarks: Dr. Ashok Kumar Jain, Adviser (Rural Development & SDGs),

NITI Aayog

Remarks by Dr. P. K. Anand

SDG Goal 7 has direct connect with Goal 12: Sustainable Consumption and

Production (SCP), therefore, it is imperative to understand this linkage and act on

them in an unified manner to achieve the SDG’s.

Talking in terms of efficiency means improvement in the rate of energy efficiency i.e.

raise energy efficiency means increased utility to consumers from the same amount

of electricity.

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Access and affordability are key to SDG-7 however; they are different from each

other i.e. access o electricity does not mean it is affordable. Access to energy can be

achieved through providing free electricity to the people however electricity will be

affordable when people are in the capacity to pay for the electricity they use.

Price is an important instrument and it can be used to rationalize misuse of electricity

in India. E.g. free electricity till 500 MW and then charging a minimal price for its use

can be an efficient mechanism for promoting sustainable consumption of energy.

Increase in power supply means increased use of natural resources especially rare

earth materials.

India is at its infant stage for SDG’s and proper planning, revamping of national

policies, clear setting of goals and priorities, identifying specific roles for each

stakeholder (government, civil bodies, NGO’s, panchayat’s, public and private

sector) and focusing on sustainable development as its national agenda would help

India achieve the SDG’s by 2030.

Villages in India are more sustainable in their lifestyle and urban areas can learn

some of its best practices to achieve the SDG-7 and SDG-12 goals.

‚Fusion Energy‛ is the mother of solar energy and it is more efficient, sustainable

and clean energy. It can be a game-changer in the power and energy sector in India.

Mixing of policies together is essential to ensure that all SDGs are in line with each

other and that one policy does not have negative externalities on the other. E.g.

Mixing drip irrigation along with providing solar pumps o rural areas would be a

good mix of policies.

There is a paradox which is being observed in India at present like share of railways

in freight is declining and coal is being transported by road using diesel and on the

other hand India is subsiding diesel. Therefore, there is an urgent need to increase

the share of railways in freight services so as to reduce the burden on road &

highway sector.

In this hour, there is need to develop a ‚Multi-model system‛ which would

encompass all sector including R&D. The system needs to focus on responsible

consumption along with efficient utilization of resources.

Remarks by Shri Yuri Afanasiev

Energy efficiency is the major topic of talk in India because of following reasons:

technological development worldwide in energy sector;

political will of Government of India;

fast pace of economic development or growth in Indian economy

Energy efficiency needs to be linked with other topics like economic development,

business model development (private & public sector), health sector, human

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development, community welfare, infrastructure development and disaster

management.

Cutting edge competition for technology development for energy efficiency is a

bright light for India

India needs to come up with innovate business models (like LED & solar-roof tops)

for promoting energy efficiency in construction sector, transport sector, power grid

supply & distribution sector, etc. Apart from this, there is a need to re-vamp building

codes to incorporate energy efficiency policies into them.

As per UN, India is on track to achieving the SDG-7 goal because India comes up

with new, innovative and challenging business models to achieve energy efficiency

like the concept of micro-grid which acts as a business opportunity to local

enterprises in rural areas.

Urbanization is both an opportunity and a challenge for GoI in aspect of energy.

Therefore, the GoI needs to focus on sustainable migration, transportation, building,

etc. All these should be in line with SDG-7 (affordable and clean energy).

India needs to tweak its railway policy to ensure energy efficiency in this sector.

India can learn from Russia and China’s railway reform policy which had focused on

energy efficiency through railway improvement and infrastructure development.

The priority of UN SDG-& is to ‚leave nobody alone‛ i.e. each and every individual

has access to clean energy. (This goal includes access, affordability and quality).

Remarks by Mr Krishna Kumar

SDG’s most difficult task is to identify indicators which are measurable and then

data capturing is another major challenge.

Measurement of SDG-7 is difficult and more difficult is identifying indicators and

data for them. As per IEG, indicators need to be developed for access, affordability

and reliability.

Access can be measured in some way through ‘number of connections’, however

access does not imply affordability and reliability. This highlights a gap that exists

between target and indicator which dilutes the main agenda of the goal.

In India, there is no data on energy efficiency and LED is used as a proxy for energy

efficiency (EE) which holistically does not cover the entire EE concept.

Therefore, there is a need to re-look and re-vamp some of the targets and indicators

so that they are measurable and they are in link with the goal.

Remarks by Dr. Ashok Kumar Jain

Focus on: Low cost housing and integrated electricity power scheme in India

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Implement and Up-scale schemes like Green Housing Scheme of Tamil Nadu to

other states of India

Alternate energy solutions should be thought and implemented where grid cannot

reach like solar energy, hydro-energy, off-grid solutions, etc.

Differentiated treatment and solutions should be adopted for energy sector across

varied states depending upon their geographical status, climatic conditions and their

energy needs & utilizations. Like in Punjab, the energy demand varies a lot due to

agricultural on and off season (peak demand for electricity varies according to their

agricultural activities in Punjab).

National Policies and schemes like UDAY, Energy for All, DDUGJY, etc.

Along with access and affordability of energy even ‚reliability and voltage‛ needs to

be focused else the essence of Goal 7 cannot be fully achieved. Even ‘equity’ needs to

be taken into consideration.

Bio-Energy (producing from paddy residue) needs to be developed and up-scaled as

an alternative source of energy in rural areas

There is an urgent need to develop indicators that are holistic, measurable and

reliable.