India, Germany forge partnership on climate change

New Delhi: India and Germany on Monday decided to forge an Indo-German Climate and Renewable Alliance, a partnership to harness technology, innovation and finance in order to make affordable, clean and renewable energy accessible to all and foster climate change mitigation efforts.

According to an Indo-German Joint Statement on Climate Change and Energy Technology Cooperation, issued after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Climate and Renewables Alliance will intensify cooperation on climate and energy technology issues, including within the already existing Indo-German Energy Forum.

It shall foster stronger integration of all actors concerned with bilateral cooperation on climate and energy technology issues, and for this purpose will encompass progressive public and private sector entities from both countries, said the statement.

Trilateral assistance programmes involving Indo-German collaboration to address development challenges in third countries regarding climate and solar technology application may also be established within this framework.

India and Germany acknowledged that climate change responses and solutions generate new opportunities and co-benefits by creating jobs, spurring economic development and improving air quality.

Both countries will intensify their ongoing cooperation on climate and renewables technology under the new Indo-German Climate and Renewables Alliance, including inter alia on:

(1) Next generation solar technology; (2) Renewable energy storage; (3) Climate-friendly space cooling technologies; (4) Super-efficient appliances and buildings; (5) Zero emission passenger and freight vehicles; (6) Energy-efficient rail and water infrastructure; (7) Off shore wind.

Germany welcomed India's intention to transform its energy sector by increasing the share of renewable energy, in particular solar energy, in electricity generation consistent with its goal of 175 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2022.

It also welcomed India's aim to consistently increase efficiency gains in the use of electricity by 2030.

Germany and India welcomed each other's climate mitigation efforts.

India and Germany will continue to intensify their cooperation in developing climate-friendly and sustainable solutions for India's expanding energy needs.

The implementation of the Green Energy Corridors Partnership with an overall German commitment of 1.15 billion euros in the last two years is progressing well.

Both countries welcomed the memorandum of understanding on an Indo-German Solar Energy Partnership based on concessional loans in the range of 1 billion euros over the next five years.