With passing time, people are becoming more responsible and fulfilling towards the environment. Many companies are taking initiatives towards working entirely for nature’s betterment. This brings us to a major contributor in the formulating environment-friendly methods and plans, which is a Cleantech industry.
The cleantech industry works for the benefit of the environment and improves active performance, productivity, and efficiency. This is done by reducing the inputs, costs, waste, and energy consumption, especially in the factories. And for this, India is known to be one of the biggest Cleantech industries with billions of investments along with Foreign direct investments (FDI).
The Cleantech industry basically includes companies that are allied with energy and water resources, and agriculture and manufacturing. On a side note, it’s also known as the Greentech industry. The Cleantech industry in India utilizes a huge range of technologies like renewable energy (biomass, wind power, biofuels etc), recycling, and others.
In fact, the government of India has taken several initiatives in order to support the Cleantech industry such as Wind bidding schemes, skill development, National Solar Mission, and many others.
In this article, we have dug deep into the history, present, and future aspects of the Cleantech industry. Let’s get started!
When it comes to India, the Cleantech industry has been growing with an uprising graph. India has always been very generous and upfront in supporting the cleantech environment. In fact, our country has great plans for increasing the renewable energy capacity up to 175 GW by the year 2022, said by Miss Gaganjot Kaur, Project Manager at the cleantech initiative at Swissnex India.
However, the government of India has changed this target to 225 GW by 2022 and has various plans ahead.
With this in mind, India has set up the goal to achieve up to 40% of its total energy requirement through the renewal of energy sources. This has attracted some very prominent investors overseas.
A few years back, in the EY Renewable Energy County Attractive Index 2018, India was ranked 4th. The energy market in India is prepared for both domestic as well as international ventures that are starting up to offer products and services in India.
Reasons and Growth Implementation for Cleantech Industry
Shortcoming of Natural Resources
Mostly, the natural resources are available in dense forest locations where mining is forbidden under the current environmental laws. This is causing shortcomings of natural resources which puts huge pressure on available resources. That’s why it’s very essential to protect the available resources.
Regulations by Government
The government of India is putting great effort into developing safeguarding regulations for the environment. Alongside, it has become very active in the implementation of such regulations by active social media and awareness of people.
In fact, India is to adopt a pro-environment standpoint in all the growth strategies.
Advanced technology
One thing that can bring a huge difference in the results of the Cleantech Industry programs is the usage of advanced technologies. This would surely help India in achieving the sustainable growth pathway along with the high growth of the Indian economy.
Latest Trends in the Indian Cleantech Industry
India is known to be the fastest-growing renewable energy sector among all the biggest economics across the world. India has set up the aim to rise to 450 GW in renewable energy sources by the year 2030.
Alongside the number of installed solar capacity has also enhanced with great proportions in the past decade.
In the year 2020, India witnessed great investment offers towards clean technologies especially in the areas of grid management and electric vehicle charging. Today, around 20-25% of startups in India are working towards the advancements of clean electricity.
In the upcoming years, the Cleantech Industry is set up to achieve enormous growth and advancement. With the rapid growth, depletion of resources, urbanization, and climate change the requirement of investments is very necessary for clean technology.
Many companies are being established to take the idea and usage of clean technology up forward and drive growth for clean technologies.
India has been investing billions into the Cleantech Industry that’s why it’s known to be one of the biggest markets in this prospect. The US and Western Europe have been transporting advanced technology for safeguarding the environment in India.
India offers pretty strong business outlooks for its foreign investors because of which some of the top companies are taking interest in the Indian Cleantech Industry.
Conclusion
India is working towards the Cleantech industry with great efforts and investments. The government as well formulating various regulations so that companies can easily purchase renewable electricity from the state distributors. And with the high demand for clean power to boost energy protection and reduction of pollution, India is becoming more developed in the field of clean technology. And that’s the main reason why some of the biggest environment-friendly investors are approaching the Indian Cleantech industry with great interest.
It can easily be concluded that the Cleantech industry of India has earned enormous growth and is expected to achieve more advanced technology and results in all aspects of the environment.
FAQ
What is the cleantech industry?
Cleantech refers to measures taken to reduce pollution or waste in the process to safeguard the environment.
What is the rank of India in renewable energy?
India ranks 3rd in the renewable energy market.
Which state is the largest producer of solar energy in India 2021?
Gujarat is one of the largest producers of solar energy in India, with its total installed solar power generation capacity reaching 4,431 MW as of 31 March 2021.
Cleantech is the future. Clean technology (Cleantech) is a general term used to describe products, processes, or services that reduce waste and require as few non-renewable resources as possible. The ultimate aim of such cleantech startups is to improve environmental sustainability. Clean technologies are not an industrial sector in themselves, and their image is still somewhat scattered.
Cleantech startups in India develop the technologies, business models, products, and services required to deploy and finance cost-effective Cleantech solutions at scale. Any company that develops or offers a technology, product, or service that involves a response to an environmental issue is a Cleantech enterprise. Cleantech in India not only refers to just the generation of renewable energy but also covers Water and Waste Water Management, Electronic Waste disposal, and Recycling. All forms of RE (wind, small hydro, solar, biomass, and waste to energy) have significant potential in India.
What is cleantech?
Clean technology covers the following aspects:
Clean energy and energy storage
Green materials
Energy and resource efficiency
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable transport
Water, land, and air quality
Recycling & waste
The scope of entry into India’s Cleantech market remains high, in a large and industrially-growing country, which will increasingly depend on clean methodologies for generation, transmission, and management of power. Innovative cleantech startups are driving the growth of clean technology. 75% of India’s solar PV capacity is installed by young entrepreneurs. The government is looking at attracting investments in RE of over US$ 200 billion for it to account for 15% of the overall energy basket.
Factors That Drive for Cleantech
The overall population is still expected to increase rapidly, to 9.9 billion by 2050, mostly in developing regions of the world, further increasing pressure on limited natural resources, increasing supply challenges, and creating price instability.
As developing countries industrialize rapidly, global demand for natural resources is predicted to increase dramatically, leading to increased resource scarcity.
Increasing urbanization has a direct impact on consuming resources.
Energy and resource independence have long been strategic imperatives for many countries.
Consumer desire for cleaner, less toxic products has changed purchasing patterns and driven the creation of new environment-friendly materials.
Changing policy and regulatory requirements designed to address the impacts of an increasingly industrialized world.
In the face of growing constraints and increasing prices, corporations and consumers are seeking increasingly efficient ways to cut costs and increase efficiencies, especially in periods of declining revenue.
The number of relatively wealthy people (the middle class, essentially) is expected to increase.
Risk mitigation is also an important driver of Cleantech infrastructure and innovation.
Climate change is a force that will exacerbate many of these drivers.
Husk Power Systems
Husk, Powering Possibilities
Founders: Gyanesh Pandey, Manoj Sinha, Ratnesh Yadav, Charles W. Ransler
Year of Inception: 2007
Husk Power Systems is a startup company based in Bihar, India, that provides power to thousands of rural Indians using proprietary technology that has been developed by the firm that cost-effectively generates electricity using a biomass gasifier that creates fuel from rice husks, a waste product of the rice that separates the husks as chaff from the rice, a staple food in the region. They offer a flexible, 100% renewable energy‘pay-as-you-go’ service, using a mobile-enabled smart metering system. With a 24-hour onsite service team and a maximum four-hour response time when issues arise, they provide reliable, low-cost AC power that matches the aspirational needs of our customers; for households, community services, small businesses, and factories.
ONergy
ONergy
Founders: Vinay Jaju, Ekta Kothari, Piyush Jaju
Year of Inception: 2009
Solar energy generation schemas like solar rooftop powerplant, solar irrigation pumping etc are benefited by ONergy which provides services like design, engineering, manufacturing, and solar consultancy services. Its main goal is to reduce energy costs for customers through its services. It also provides bank financing and OPEC models to make solar energy affordable. Not only does it make everything affordable, but also manages to provide high-quality products. It keeps a strong after-sales service network where it helps in facilitating consumer financing and develops an ecosystem for sustainable development as well as rural empowerment.
ONergy products such as solar TV, solar computer, solar microgrids, and solar irrigation systems are newly launched as an innovative approach. It operates through a network of trained rural entrepreneurs, leveraging the existing networks of local NGOs, SHG’s, and Mathis. Currently, it operates across West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand through a network of RECs that reach out to remote areas. It is spread across 12 states in India.
Karma Recycling
Karma Recycling
Founders: Aamir Jariwala, Akshat Ghiya
Year of Inception: 2012
Karma Recycling based in Delhi, India, is a leading trade-in operator and redistribution of mobile devices in India. Its ultimate stakeholders are consumers, retailers, and OEMs where it helps them manage large-scale buyback and trade-in programs which is why it is known as a consumer, enterprise software, and services solution. India is the second-largest mobile devices market in the world and is rapidly becoming a global nerve center for device commerce, e-commerce, and recycling. Through mobile device re-use, tons of e-waste are continually being diverted from landfills. The aim is to extend the life of a mobile device as much as possible, and when it cannot be extended any further, to recycle it responsibly. Karma Recycling has restored an impressive 95% of mobile devices we’ve collected. The remaining 5% are recycled responsibly according to their zero-landfill policy.
Surya Power Magic based in Coimbatore empowers the Indian farming community by offering them a reliable and durable solar irrigation solution. Power has always been a problem in India which is even so for the average Indian farmer. The company makes affordable solar water pumps for farmers in power deficit regions. Surya Power Magic in 36 startups from India and five startups from the US for companies that are building products for a social cause.
Green India Building Systems and Services (GIBSS)
Green India Building Systems and Services
Founders: Arun Shenoy, Mandar Kaprekar
Year of Inception: 2009
Green India Building Systems and Services is Mumbai-based, has headquarters in Mumbai, and has offices in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Singapore, Cleantech startup that specialized in geothermal air conditioning technologies for cooling. Other than this, the company also provides ultra energy-efficientinnovations like Hot Water Co-generation andLED lighting Systems. The company claims a 50%-60% reduction in cost for users and proportional reduction in carbon footprint for buildings. As of 2015, the company’s technology is used in 400 buildings across India.
At GIBSS, corporate conduct is inseparable from the conduct of individual employees in the performance of their work. Every GIBSS employee is responsible for adhering to business practices and ethical principles that reflect the highest standards of corporate and individual behavior. GIBBS recently won the Sankalp 2012 award winner for the Most Innovative & Sustainable Company in ‘The Clean Tech & Clean Energy Sector’.
Some impacts of GIBBS
saved over INR690 million for buildings
saved over 19 million electrical units
reduced 77% in energy consumption
saved 350 million liters of water consumption
reduced 19,000 tonnes of carbon footprint (equivalent to planting 5 lac fully grown trees)
Greenway Grameen Infra Pvt. Ltd.
Greenway
Founders: Neha Juneja, Ankit Mathur
Year of Inception: 2011
Greenway Grameen infra Pvt. Ltd, being a product-based startup provides home energy appliances for rural Indians by engaging in the design, manufacture, and distribution of fuel-efficient, smoke-reducing affordable products like smart cookstoves and jumbo stoves. It focuses on retail shops including Paytm. It reduces smoke by 70%, fuel by 65%, and GHG emissions by 1.5 tons/year. Its aim is to become a globally recognized brand of choice.
GreenObin
GreenObin
Founders: Saurabh Jain, Utsav Sharma, Nitin Goel
Year of Inception: 2009
Services provided by GreeObin: Waste Audit, Training Program, Recycling Bins, Eco Fair, Recycled Paper products, etc.
GreenObin cleantech startup provides a range of independent recycling and waste paper management facilities to industrial and commercial consumers as well as local authorities. Its mission is to become the premier scrap collection service. Its purpose is to establish a profitable well-managed company while contributing to the environment. They are ultimately known for Recycling waste products in order to save the environment and create awareness among the community. It also works towards cultivating environmental awareness among the workers who consume large amounts of paper.
Gram Power
Gram Power
Founders: Yashraj Khaitan, Jacob Dickinson
Year of Inception: 2010
Since its inception, Gram Power has stood out because of its innovative technology, and ambitious projects, starting from rural microgrids to one of the country’s largest smart meter installations. The startup provides cutting-edge Smart Grid technologies to address the electrification challenges in developing nations. The startup has brought smart grids to 30 remote areas in rural India through its Smart Microgrid solution. It’s now bringing its technology to the national grid by managing power distribution with its technology for India’s biggest private power distribution company.
OORJAN
OORJAN
Clean-tech + Financing + IoT technologies = A million solar roofs
Founders: Gautam Das, Roli Gupta, Hrishikesh Deshpande
Year of Inception: 2014
India’s rooftop solar market is exploding. India added more solar capacity in 2016 than all previous years combined. The Indian government has an ambitious target of 100GW (~USD 100 Billion) solar capacity deployed by 2022, out of which 40% is the rooftop. Today, Oorjan is one of the most innovative and fastest-growing platforms for rooftop solar in India.
Oorjan directly partners with the best solar brands in India and globally to get volume discounts and pass them on to you. It has direct agreements with nationalized banks to provide low-interest loans for homes, housing societies, businesses, and non-profit institutions.
Log 9
Log 9
Founders: Akshay Singhal, Kartik Hajela
Year of Inception: 2015
Log 9 Materials is a nanotechnology company headquartered in Bangalore, India, unleashing sustainable energy and filtration benefits. It is a nanotechnology company specializing in Graphene. It was awarded ‘Most Innovative Technology Company of 2018’ by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. It has developed Aluminium fuel technology for stationary and automotive applications. Log 9 has determined a team of scientists and engineers working on commercializing Graphene. Recently, Log 9 Spill Containment has developed an indoor air purifier named ‘Sorbene’ UV Air Purifier.
OXY Garden
Oxy Garden
Founder: Abhishek Gupta
Year of Inception: 2019
OxyGarden is an IoT-enabled garden that purifies indoor air naturally by eliminating viruses, bacteria, dust particles, and harmful chemical pollutants like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, benzene, etc. The idea Of Oxy-Garden came from a vision of a happier and healthier lifestyle for humanity. Oxygen the most fundamental element of life is what it offers. Most of us remain indoors for 90% of our daily life, breathing in air that is impure, contaminated, and polluted which is where OxyGarden plays a vital role. Customer relationship is its first priority, it always drives towards providing the best service to the customers.
Skilancer Solar
Skilancer Solar
Founders: Neeraj Kumar, Manish Kumar Das
Year of Inception: 2017
Skilancer solar is India’s fastest-growing solar Module Cleaning System (MCS) provider. It focuses on solar cleaning types of equipment for solar panels of commercial parks and establishments. It employs an autonomous robotic cleaning system capable of cleaning the solar panels without water or any manual intervention. The robot is equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) in order to work according to weather conditions and power generation.
AirOK
AirOK
Founders: Deekshit Vara Prasad, Yasa Pavan Reddy, Vanam Sravan Krishna
Year of Inception: 2018
AirOk works towards helping people adopt clean and efficient energy as part of their lives with their innovation and technology that also transforms India’s economy. It develops industry-specific technologies instead of generic technologies to control pollution in industrial and residential environments. The Delhi-based startup launched an indigenously developed smart air purifier called Vistar 550 for the B2B segment. Using EAGPA, the purifier can filter out particulate matter, microbes, fungus, and gaseous substances (carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide).
Due to the covid-19 pandemic, they have also released their own AirOk Breath Safe Face Mask which is crafted using a breathable fabric that is capable of shielding from viruses and bacteria.
Conclusion
The Cleantech startups in India are growing year on year, seeking to produce environment-friendly products which should benefit the natural environment by adopting clean production technology and using harmless or less harmful new techniques, energy resources, and technology. As such, it is an integral concept in sustainable development. India needs to develop green technologies that will help the country to produce cleaner energy and to consume it more efficiently. Clean-tech startups are seen by the country’s leaders as future pillars of Indian Sustainable Development.
Pratyusha Srivastava
