In a major development, Union Minister explained that during the bilateral meeting on US-India Civil Nuclear Commerce at the level of high-ranking delegates from the two countries, the Green Hydrogen Mission of India assumes a lot of relevance. It presents a commitment toward decarbonizing heavy industries, transport, and power generation of India with new clean technologies.
Dr. Singh said that the Green Hydrogen Mission is an integral contribution of India to the overall global climate targets and innovation for clean energy. The move will make a big reduction in the carbon footprint brought by hard-to-decarbonize sectors. According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr. Singh said that with the right policy frameworks and international partnerships, India was well-placed to lead the global transition in sustainable energy solutions.
India: Leadership in Clean Energy Transition
Dr. Singh further added to the list and announced a big leap in Indo-US space cooperation: an Indian astronaut, part of India’s Gaganyaan Mission, will soon fly to the International Space Station. It would mark a new chapter in the bilateral relationship and underline India’s enhanced capabilities for space research.
Discussion also touched upon India’s work towards the development of clean energy technologies, mainly through international collaborations and investments in significant research and development activities. Dr. Singh has cited the regulatory frameworks that the government is developing in helping reach deployment goals for Small Modular Reactors. According to him, these reactors are critical to India’s clean energy transition for they will be highly supporting in achieving the goal of energy self-sufficiency and enabling it to meet the promises of changing climate.
SMRs are smaller, more flexible forms of nuclear fission reactors, potentially delivering reliable low-carbon electricity. Their development forms part of India’s wider ambition to diversify its energy supplies and cut its dependency on fossil fuels. Dr. Singh pointed out that these reactors could play a prominent role in India’s energy landscape, especially on a larger scale and in far-flung areas where conventional energy infrastructure is not feasible.
Collaboration on Science and Technology
D. Singh compared the “Anusandhan” National Research Foundation (NRF) in India to that of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States. There are wonderful similarities, and it is an indication of the importance of the NRF and NSF in building or creating scientific research and producing innovation. The ERAF serves different scientific disciplines, but it acts as a foundational stone for India to gear up its scientific potential and face the challenges of climate change.
Dr. Singh reiterated India’s commitment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Panchamrit” plan of climate action. These are some of the ambitious targets: to increase India’s non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW, reducing carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. These goals align with India’s bigger strategy of switching to a low-carbon economy and occupying a lead role in global climate efforts.
Emerging Technologies Progress
The other speakers were other senior officials of India who shared different aspects of the clean energy and technology initiatives of the country. His Excellency, Dr. AK Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, said that this Indo-US partnership would come to combat future challenges by jointly developing innovative solutions. He shared that all these would go beyond exchange of knowledge to create new pathways for sustainable development and economic growth.
Dr. Ravi Chandran, Secretary, Earth Sciences, brought to the notice the progress on ocean energy and CCUS technologies that assume a critical role in lowering greenhouse gas emissions and thereby arresting climate change. Dr. Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology highlight India’s progress on converting biomass into energy and successful deployments of biofuels are critical to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
Another key name at the meeting was Professor Abhay Karandikar, who spoke about some of the work India has done in emerging technologies, especially in the space of data analytics and artificial intelligence, inter alia, which are being considered a root for strategic economic growth and national security.
Dr. N Kalaiselvi, Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), highlighted in her intervention the work done regarding lithium-ion batteries and the efforts in establishing indigenous manufacturing of batteries, the quest being for green and circular energy storage solutions to power the energy transition towards clean sources of energy.
Strengthening US-India Collaboration
The meeting concluded with both nations extending their commitment to further enhance cooperation on emerging technologies. It is this standpoint that was welcomed and highly appreciated through the visiting senior delegation from the United States, which was headed by John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the US President for International Climate Policy, and David Turk, US DOE Deputy Secretary. This is what came out from the discussions which had a strong thread of commonality in increasing economic growth, strengthening national security, and staying ahead of others in technological innovation.
The bilateral consultation articulates the deepening partnership of India and the United States in trying to unfold global issues like climate change and energy security. As both countries work on clean energy initiatives, the potential exists for tremendous advances in these areas.