Renewable electricity needs to grow 55-fold to achieve zero-emission in India by 2050: Study

Renewables in electricity must increase 55-fold for India to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, according to a report by Council on Energy, Environment and Wate (CEEW).

India will need to generate at least 83 per cent of its electricity from (non-hydro power) renewable energy sources by 2050 to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century, according to the study.

This would mean a massive 55-fold increase in the use of non-hydro renewables in electricity generation within the coming three decades, from only 160 Terawatt-hour (TWh) (10 per cent) in 2019, CEEW said in a statement.

Further, to achieve net-zero by 2050 the share of electricity in India’s industrial energy use must rise three-fold, from 20.3 per cent in 2018 to 70 per cent in 2050, the study –