College of Military Engineering Pune: The First Carbon Negative Garrison of India

College of Military Engineering Pune: The First Carbon Negative Garrison of India

Subject : Environment

Section: Climate change

Context:

The College of Military Engineering (CME), Pune has achieved the status of India’s first carbon-negative military unit by adding a 5 MW solar plant, increasing its total solar capacity to 7 MW.

College of Military Engineering (CME) 

• Founded in 1948, CME stands as a prominent training institution catering to the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, and Friendly Foreign Countries.
• CME specializes in providing technical and tactical training, equipping personnel to adeptly respond to changing warfare tactics and strategies.

Carbon Footprint Reduction at CME

• The Military Engineering Services, through the office of GE(CME) Khadki, initiated various projects at CME to combat climate change and reduce carbon footprint.
• Key Projects:
  • Implementation of a 7 MW Solar Power Plant in two phases.
  • Solar steam cooking plants for community cooking for troops.
  • Retrofitting Emission Control Devices (RECDs) on DG Sets.

Indian Armed Forces’ Environmental Responsibility

• Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Worldwide, militaries contribute 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions (Conflict and Environment Observatory Report, 2022).
• Indian Armed Forces’ Initiatives: The Indian armed forces are actively reducing their carbon footprint, showcasing their commitment to the motto “Service before Self“.

National Solar Mission

• Also known as Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), is a joint initiative by the Central and State Governments of India.
• It focuses on advancing solar power within the nation and is part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) strategy.
• Introduced in January 2010, the mission has undergone two revisions.
• The ambitious goal is to achieve 100 GW of solar PV capacity by 2022.
• The 100GW solar power capacity has been divided into the following 4 parts:
  • The rooftop solar energy generation of 40 GW.
  • Large and medium-scale grid-connected solar projects of 60 GW.
  • To achieve 15 million square meters of solar thermal collector area by 2017 and 20 million by 2022.
  • To deploy 20 million solar lighting systems for rural areas by 2022.

Other initiatives:

• Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) Scheme:
  • Distribution of off-grid solar pumps, installation of solar panels on barren land, and DISCOMS purchasing excess solar energy.
• International Solar Alliance (ISA):
  • A joint initiative of India and France to promote solar energy globally.
• One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG):
  • Proposed global electricity grid to distribute solar power worldwide.
• Rooftop Solar Scheme:
  • Ministry’s program promoting rooftop solar installations.
  • Offers subsidies for solar panels, cost-sharing with residential customers, and vendor incentives.
  • Sustainable Rooftop Implementation of Solar Transfiguration of India (SRISTI) initiative
• Solar Park Scheme:
  • Aims to establish solar parks with around 500 MW capacity in various states.
  • Focuses on aggregating solar power generation through large-scale parks.