PIB Summaries 15 July 2025

Content :

1. India’s Renewable Rise: Non-Fossil Sources Now Power Half the Nation’s Grid
2. Noise brings quantum surprise from Indian Scientists

India’s Renewable Rise: Non-Fossil Sources Now Power Half the Nation’s Grid

Historic Milestone Achieved

• India now generates 50.08% of its installed power capacity from non-fossil sources—five years ahead of the 2030 Paris NDC target.
• This includes renewables (38.08%), large hydro (10.19%), and nuclear (1.81%), totaling 242.78 GW of clean energy out of 484.82 GW installed capacity.

Relevance : GS 3(Energy Security , Environment and Ecology)

Key Drivers of the Achievement

• Policy Push: Flagship schemes like PM-KUSUM, PM Surya Ghar, Solar Parks, and the National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy have accelerated clean energy adoption.
• PM Surya Ghar (2024): Enabled 1 crore households to install rooftop solar, promoting decentralised and citizen-owned energy.
• PM-KUSUM: Empowered lakhs of farmers with solar pumps, also pushing agrovoltaics and feeder-level solarisation.
• Bioenergy boom: From marginal role to mainstream contributor in rural livelihood and clean energy matrix.

Sectoral Impact and Co-benefits

• Wind energy continues to support peak demand—especially in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
• Solar parks have driven record-low tariffs in utility-scale installations.
• Co-benefits include:
  • Enhanced rural incomes
  • Reduced air pollution and improved public health
  • Job creation in green sectors
  • Stronger local energy access and equity

Global Climate Leadership

• India remains one of the few G20 nations on track to meet or exceed its NDC commitments.
• Advocates climate equity and low-carbon development at platforms like G20 and UNFCCC COPs.
• Low per capita emissions, yet high ambition—demonstrates growth with responsibility.

Next Priorities for Energy Transition

• Universal access: Double per capita clean electricity access, especially in rural areas.
• Grid modernisation: Invest in a digitally integrated smart grid to handle:
  • High RE variability
  • Two-way power flows (prosumers)
  • Real-time demand management
• Storage solutions:
  • Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
  • Pumped hydro for round-the-clock reliability
• Circular economy focus:
  • Recycling of solar panels, wind turbine blades, and batteries.

Green Hydrogen Push

• Seen as a future-ready industrial fuel.
• Critical to sectoral decarbonisation—especially hard-to-abate industries (fertiliser, steel, refining).

AI & Digital Transformation in Clean Energy

• AI’s role: Demand forecasting, predictive maintenance, automated grid control, and real-time market operations.
• Rise of ‘Prosumers’: Rooftop solar, EVs, and smart meters to integrate into AI-driven energy marketplaces.
• Cybersecurity: Increasing digital dependence demands robust data protection and infrastructure resilience.

Installed Electricity Capacity by Source (as on 30.06.2025)

(RE + Large Hydro Combined)

Challenges in India’s Clean Energy Transition (Crisp Version)

1. Grid Bottlenecks
   1. RE-rich states face grid congestion; slow Green Energy Corridor expansion limits power evacuation.

• Storage & Intermittency
  • BESS and pumped hydro remain underdeveloped; 24×7 RE still needs subsidies or hybrids.

• Access Divide
  • Rooftop solar uneven due to low awareness, poor rooftop ownership, and rural financing gaps.

• Land & Ecology Issues
  • Utility-scale RE projects face land conflicts; threaten biodiversity in ecologically sensitive zones.

• Offshore Wind & Green Hydrogen Lag
  • Offshore wind untapped; green hydrogen hampered by high costs and weak demand ecosystem.

• Job Transition Gaps
  • Fossil sector workers face reskilling issues; most RE jobs are informal and low-paid.

• Financing Hurdles
  • High capital needs unmet; DISCOM dues delay payments, lowering investor confidence.

• Policy Instability
  • Frequent changes in net metering/import duties; state-level inconsistency hampers scale-up.

Road Ahead: Bold, Inclusive, Resilient

• Target: 500 GW non-fossil installed capacity by 2030 and Net Zero by 2070.
• Emphasis on:
  • Equity in clean energy access
  • Resilience in system design
  • Quality and reliability of supply
• India’s clean energy leadership is now a global benchmark for combining development + decarbonisation.

Noise brings quantum surprise from Indian Scientists

What’s the Discovery?

• Scientists found that quantum noise, usually seen as harmful, can sometimes help.
• It can create or restore a special kind of quantum link called intraparticle entanglement—a big surprise in the quantum world.

Relevance : GS 3(Science and Technology)

Key Concepts Made Simple

• Quantum Entanglement: A mysterious connection between particles, even far apart. Used in quantum computers and secure communication.
• Intraparticle Entanglement: A link within a single particle (like between its spin and path), not between two particles.
• Quantum Noise: Disturbance from the environment that usually breaks down entanglement (called decoherence).

What Did the Scientists Find?

• Noise can sometimes create entanglement, not just destroy it.
• This happens especially in intraparticle entanglement (within one particle), not between two separate particles.
• Under amplitude damping (a type of energy loss), noise can:
  • Create entanglement in a particle that had none.
  • Revive entanglement that had faded.

Who Did the Research?

• Team from Raman Research Institute (RRI) with IISc, IISER-Kolkata, and University of Calgary.
• Supported by India’s Department of Science & Technology (DST) under National Quantum Mission.

What Tools Did They Use?

• A mathematical formula to exactly predict how entanglement behaves when noise hits.
• A visual way (geometry) to understand how entanglement changes.

Why This Matters

• Makes quantum systems more reliable in the real world, where noise is unavoidable.
• Could lead to better:
  • Quantum computers
  • Quantum communication
  • Sensors and secure systems
• Works on different platforms: photons, trapped ions, neutrons—not limited to one lab setup.

Types of Noise They Studied

What’s Next?

• RRI is now testing this with real photons in experiments.
• Future goal: use this idea in practical quantum machines.

Challenges to Keep in Mind

• Still early stage—mostly theory so far.
• Only some types of noise help (like amplitude damping).
• Needs to be tested on large-scale systems for real-world use.
• Most current quantum tech uses interparticle entanglement, so applying this will take time.

Why It’s Important for India

• Shows India is doing cutting-edge quantum research.
• Supports India’s push under the National Quantum Mission to lead in future tech.
• Can help build more robust quantum devices for global use