Ariel Cooper, Program Assistant, San Francisco
As India's ambitious clean energy targets continue to capture headlines, the central government has released its 2015 Union Budget. This budget includes the doubling of tax on coal
to Rs. 200 ($3.25) per metric ton (which goes to the National Clean
Energy Fund to potentially fund clean energy projects) and the
development of the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).
However, some domestic solar and environmental
groups expected to see more broad support in the budget for the
country's environmental causes and clean energy goals of developing 100
gigawatts (GW) of solar energy by 2022, and a 60 GW Wind Mission. With
this new budget announced on the heels of RE-Invest 2015,
India's first renewable energy financing summit, the hope is that
momentum between industry and government will build to actualize a clean
energy future for India, ultimately increasing energy access across the
population and creating climate-friendly jobs - over a million of them
according to a recent analysis conducted by NRDC and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).
Huge Employment Opportunities
This
interim report analysis illustrates that 1,000,000 full-time equivalent
(FTE) jobs would be created if India reaches its solar energy goal of
100 GW by 2022, and another 183,500 FTE jobs would be generated by the
wind sector if it reached its 60 GW target. According to NRDC-CEEW
estimates, the majority of these clean energy jobs would be in
non-technical (semi-skilled and unskilled) roles, providing training
opportunities for a growing climate-conscious population and aligning
with one of Prime Minister Modi's government priorities to facilitate
job creation. As momentum grows for the solar and wind markets, the
message is simple: clean energy production creates jobs.
Looking Ahead
In order to support the enormous job creation potential of India's 2022 renewable energy development goals, NRDC and CEEW's report released at RE-Invest last month has three key recommendations:
- Currently, the full range of economic benefits of employment generated by India's clean energy industries are largely unknown due to a lack of reporting by solar and wind companies. Solar and wind energy companies in India can match international business practices by reporting a project's job creation numbers.
- Availability of job creation numbers can guide policy decisions as the framework is developed for how India will achieve targets through its Solar and Wind Missions. Along with solar parks and large-scale projects, targeted policies could aim to promote distributed generation technologies such as rooftop solar projects which are more labor-intensive and can create more jobs. Government agencies and local companies could also collaborate on skills development to train this growing workforce.
- Indian government and business leaders can support the enormous job creation potential of its 2022 renewable goals by prioritizing the availability of affordable capital through innovative financing interventions such as green banks and green bonds.
India is primed to scale up the renewable energy
sector and reap the benefits of a stronger economy, energy access, and
cleaner air, all while helping combat global climate change. With clean
energy companies coming forward with commitments totaling 266 GW
at RE-Invest, a Union Budget that potentially offers some clean energy
support for clean energy through the increased coal cess and
infrastructure fund, needed momentum for the solar and wind markets can
continue to grow.
http://theenergycollective.com/nrdcswitchboard/2203601/will-india-budget-clean-energy-development-green-job-creation
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