India is set to replace diesel and fossil fuels with renewable green energy in agriculture by 2024
These measures are being taken as part of country's fight against Climate change and Global warming, along with India's commitments at SOP.
India is hoping to cut diesel use by farms to zero and migrate the agriculture sector to renewable energy as early as 2024, the Power Ministry said on Friday, as a part of its broader plan to transition to cleaner energy sources.
“India will replace diesel with renewables to achieve target of zero diesel use in agricultural sector by 2024,” the ministry said in a statement.
Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy R K Singh on Friday (11 February) chaired a virtual meeting with the central as well as State and union teriritory officials to discuss the role of states and UTs towards energy transition goals of India.
The meeting was held to discuss the country’s commitment in COP26 towards reducing carbon intensity and ensuring participation of states through energy saving targets.
Addressing the meeting, Singh stressed the need for collaborative efforts between the Central and State Governments towards the large-scale deployment of energy efficiency measures in potential sectors of the economy.
At the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November 2021, India committed to achieve 500 Gw non-fossil energy capacity by 2030 and meeting 50% of energy requirements through renewable energy.
He emphasised the need to have state specific agency dedicated for energy efficiency and conservation. He urged that the states should develop action plan to achieve the assigned targets.
The minister further said, “We are working for a new and modern India, which cannot happen without modern power systems, and we look forward to working with all States and UTs to achieve this”.
Diesel accounts for about two-fifths of India’s overall refined fuel consumption, and the farm sector is one of the largest users of the fuel, according to government data.
India is the world’s third largest oil importer. Government data shows that motor fuel sales have picked up in the recent months, but growth in gasoil sales has lagged the demand for gasoline.
