Fossil Free: Reimagining Clean Energy In A Carbon-Constrained World

One of the striking characteristics of the Book Fossil Free by Sumant Sinha is its clear, concise, and realistic approach to encouraging the production of renewable energy. The author of the book is an entrepreneur in the field of renewable energy and witnessed India’s transition from being a mere 20 MW green energy producer in 2010 to now becoming one of the top producers with an installed capacity of 90,000 MW. After his brief stint with Suzlon Energy Limited from “2008-10”, Sinha founded ReNew Power in 2010. It has since become the 11th largest in the world with a planned deployment of 10 GW capacity.

Explaining lucidly about energy transitions enabled by Coal and Oil in the past, Sinha underscores the need to make a transition to renewable sources to fulfil the growing energy demands in the country. Noting the gap in the growing demand for energy, Sinha draws attention to a 55% increase in energy demand globally, despite the population of the world has increased only by 20% in the last 20 years. He further emphasizes that even with one-third per capita energy consumption compared to the world’s average, India's energy requirement will grow 70% by the year 2050, making the role of renewables critical in meeting the demand as well as our commitments to climate change and sustainable development.

The premise of the Low-Carbon Future is another distinguishing aspect of the book. Instead of taking a lofty approach to Complete Decarbonization of energy in the near future, Sinha calls for a need to set Realistic and Attainable Goals for renewable energy. He acknowledges that it would take 26 years to meet the global energy demands from 15000 GWh of renewable capacity, thereby recognizing the enormity of the task while presenting policy measures to achieve the same. Further, he observes that India's reliance on coal plants has drastically declined though the country is yet to pick up the desired pace when it comes to the growth of renewable sources. He emphasizes the need to offer a constructive policy framework with a special focus on improving the health of the distribution companies, laying down transmission Infrastructures, improving the stability of grids, and meeting financing needs for renewable projects among others.

Another important policy facet suggested by Sinha is the need to use renewable energy in industrial processes. Solar Energy, according to Sinha, could support up to one-fourth of the heating requirement of the industry and possibly become a $6 Bn market in the country. To that end, legislators need to come up with stringent emissions regulations for the industry along with

offering capital subsidies for players who are interested in foraying in this field. The importance of investing in energy storage infrastructure is also talked about at length and the discussion assumes importance in the wake of intensifying Geo-Political challenges. As China is currently dominating Lithium-ion battery manufacturing, India needs to take proactive steps to meet its domestic demand for batteries offering up to 100 GWh by the year 2030.

Sinha has made an incredible effort to help the world to make a shift towards renewable energy sources. The book is engaging and by presenting data-based expositions and objective assessment of the current scenario and desired future outlook, Sinha has been successful in striking a chord with a wider base of audiences across the globe. By building renewable capacity, improving existing DISCOMs, enhancing grid efficiency, and putting in concerted efforts the collaboration between industry and policymakers can prove instrumental in shaping the future of green energy generation both in India and abroad. Further, all these efforts coupled with Sinha’s focus on developing a constructive policy framework and self-sustainable ecosystem for renewable energy hold the key to meeting India’s future energy needs while fulfilling its target of achieving net-zero emissions. However, some readers might find the Low-Carbon approach of the author a bit unsuitable as the book takes a more realistic approach to building renewable capacity for future generations. In sum, through the book, Sinha offers a realistic vision for cleaner and greener energy that can be realized by the world in a practical and cost-effective manner.

Preeti Dewan Mehta

Guest Author Author is the Professor & Director of Academics at UPES ON