Panjab Pushes Solar Energy; Households Emerge As Major Polluters

Panjab has made a major push toward sustainable development by amending its intra-state open access regulations, aiming to replace fossil fuels with affordable solar power and spurring a green energy revolution. Under the 10^th Amendment to the state’s 2011 regulations, published on 5 Jun 2023 by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission, the govt. has adopted an inclusive approach that eases bureaucratic barriers and embraces consumer-centric measures. As a result, solar energy production in Panjab surged from 1,493 million units (MUs) in 2021-22 to 2,729 MUs in 2022-23, with expectations of reaching 3,629 MUs by 2024-25. Concurrently, the price of solar energy is projected to drop to INR 4.24 per unit by 2024-25 from INR 6.59 in 2021-22, reducing the state’s reliance on fossil fuels. Meanwhile, two recent studies have revealed that Indian households, generally overshadowed by transport and power sectors, are significant contributors to urban air pollution, particularly Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5). The first study, conducted by Pune’s Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and Roorkee’s Indian Institute of Technology, examined 53 cities during 2015-16 and identified residential activities as the main source of PM2.5 in 29 urban centers, including Srinagar, Kanpur, and Allahabad, while transportation emerged as the biggest contributor in nine cities, notably Delhi, where vehicles accounted for 55% of PM2.5. The second study, from Berhampur University and Bangalore's Indian Institute of Science, produced a high-resolution emission inventory for 2020. Both studies highlight a multi-sectoral pollution landscape across India: in northern cities like Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Ghaziabad, transport is responsible for up to half of PM2.5 emissions, whereas domestic activities cause 68% of PM2.5 in Srinagar and similar high levels in Kanpur and Varanasi.