Prime Minister Narendra Modi today described India's thrust towards renewable energy production as an effort to ensure universal energy access for the poor and made a strong pitch for a focused add-on in solar, wind and biomass energy.
At the inauguration of "RE-INVEST 2015", India's first Renewable Energy Global Investors' Meet and Expo, the PM observed that India had now graduated from Megawatts to Gigawatts in terms of renewable energy production. "However, our stress on green energy is not aimed at impressing the world, but to meet our own people's requirements," he said.
The PM said the fruit of development would not reach the common man until energy reached the last household of the country. He referred to thermal, gas, hydro, nuclear, solar, wind and biomass as "seven horses of energy". "So far India has focused on thermal, gas, hydro and nuclear power, but now we need to add solar, wind and biomass energy to the list," he said.
Modi said India was working on building a consortium of 50 countries, blessed with abundant solar radiation, to pool research and technological advancements in solar energy to improve accessibility to the poor and in remote areas.
He suggested setting up of hybrid energy parks harnessing solar and wind energy to maximise benefit. He encouraged installation of solar panels over water bodies to harness solar energy besides stressing the need for harnessing rooftop solar power.
For farmers, the PM talked of installing solar pumps to reduce input costs, micro-irrigation to conserve water and enhance crop yield. "Living in harmony with nature is a part of our DNA but we cannot merely rely on our culture and traditions to carry us through," he said.
Minister of New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal termed it a historical opportunity for India to leverage the new paradigm in the global energy sector and define its own path of development and energy security goal.