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InnoBlog: How India’s energy transition encouraged me to pursue a masters in sustainable energy
With a population of 1.3B people, I come from a country with rising energy needs. India, with one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and a fifth of the world’s population, is pioneering a new model for development. An approach that avoids the carbon-intensive route towards growth.
I had the chance to first-hand witness the execution of this model, which in turn triggered the need for further education and formed the basis of my master’s selection. In this article, I am going to share some insights about the clean energy transition underway in India, my core motivation for pursuing a master’s with EIT InnoEnergy and my learnings here until now.
Energy and emissions in India
India is a developing country, and its rapid economic growth has led its annual CO2 emissions to become the third highest in the world. But there are some key facts to note so that we have some context.
First, India’s per capita energy consumption is half the world average. Similarly, CO2 emissions per person put it near the bottom of the world’s emitters. Though lower per capita energy consumption feels good to hear, it signals the scope for growth or lifestyle improvement.
Second, India is aggressively adding renewable energy capacity. For example, investment in renewable energy hit a record level in the last fiscal year. While solar was a whopping 78% of all new capacity additions in the year. Even though as of now, coal accounts for more than 50% of the energy mix (also the reason for higher carbon intensity). The good news is that its dependence on coal is declining extremely fast.
Virtual Open Day: 23 February 2023
EIT InnoEnergy Master School Virtual Open Day is the best way to get a real taste of university life and one step closer to finding your ideal programme in sustainable energy engineering!
Meeting EIT InnoEnergy Master School team, learning about career prospects and interacting with our universities, will give you the confidence and clarity you will need to thrive from day one! The event will close with a Q&A session offering you an opportunity to directly interact with all presenters!
