Renewable energy is only solution to tackle climate change: RK Singh

New Delhi: Renewable energy is not only a solution to tackle climate change but also a viable substitute for fossil fuels, said Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy R K Singh.

“Renewable energy is the best alternative and we need to expand it in every possible way” the minister said this, while speaking at the inaugural session of new technologies for clean energy transition at the fifth ongoing International Solar Alliance (IAS) Assembly in New Delhi today.

Raising concerns over the storage capacity, RK Singh said, though it is expensive, the government is setting up more storage manufacturing capacities to meet such challenges.

The Minister also urged the world leader to build more storage capacities and said once the storage capacities are enhanced the prices of energy automatically come down.

“To meet such challenges we need to add more volumes of Renewable energy and the government is working in this direction to make it possible” he added.

Speaking at the event, Secretary in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi said that the case for international cooperation is very strong in building resilient and diversified solar supply chains and cross-country trade in hydrogen technologies to accelerate renewable energy worldwide.

“Renewable energy is an evolving area and it will see rapid changes for several years going forward” he said.

The secretary said governments across countries have done a remarkable job in both promoting Renewable Energy and building awareness about RE.

Dr Ajay Mathur,DG, ISA said that Solar energy is increasingly becoming the preferred energy choice for a number of reasons including cost-competitiveness.

“To accelerate the pace, India would need the right information to reach the right leadership and this conference is intended to do exactly that” he said.

ISA’s work is focused around three key strategic priority areas: Analytics and Advocacy, Capacity Building, and Programme Implementation.

The focus of ISA’s programmes is to set up solar projects in countries most impacted by climate change, specifically in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

India has released $ 27 million to the ISA and is extending further financial support. Other countries that have made financial contributions to ISA include France, UK, USA, Sweden, Japan, Australia, European Commission.