Definition: 

• The term “green  technology” refers to devices, services, or processes  that emit no or very  few greenhouse gases (GHGs), are safe to use, and encourage a healthy and better climate for all  forms of life.
• It aims at reducing electricity and natural resource consumption and also encourages the  use of natural energy.
• These technologies  are crucial in addressing global environmental  challenges such as climate change and resource  scarcity, marking a significant shift from traditional  practices to sustainable alternatives.

Advantages of Adopting Green Technology:

Environmental Benefits:

• Reduced Carbon Emissions: Significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels, helping to mitigate climate change.
• Energy Efficiency: Improved energy efficiency in buildings, transportation, and industrial processes, reducing overall energy consumption and environmental impact.
• Resource Conservation: Efficient use of resources such as water, land, and raw materials, promoting sustainability.
• Biodiversity Preservation: Protection of natural habitats and reduction of habitat destruction, aiding in the preservation of biodiversity.
• Improved Air and Water Quality: Reduction in pollutants and adoption of cleaner energy sources, enhancing air and water quality.
• Climate Resilience: Contribution to resilience against climate change impacts such as extreme weather, sea-level rise, and drought.
• Mitigation of Environmental Degradation: Addressing issues like deforestation, desertification, and habitat destruction through innovative solutions.

Economic Benefits:

• Job Creation: New job opportunities in renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste management, and sustainable transportation.
• Innovation and Competitiveness: Fostering technological advancements and gaining a competitive edge in the global market.
• Cost Savings: Long-term operational cost savings through energy-efficient buildings, renewable energy systems, and sustainable transportation.
• Energy Independence and Security: Reduced reliance on imported fossil fuels, enhancing energy independence and security.
• Market Opportunities: Capitalising on the growing demand for environmentally friendly products and services.

Social Benefits:

• Health Benefits: Improved public health outcomes by reducing pollution from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes.
• Access to Clean Energy and Services: Addressing energy poverty and promoting social equity through equitable access to clean energy.
• Community Empowerment: Rural communities can be provided with business and employment opportunities through green waste technologies, small hydro power plants and other small scale green technology units.
  • Eg: Hasiru Mane project in Karnataka trains women from marginalised communities to produce compost from organic waste thus helping in their livelihoods.
• Affordability and Cost Burdens: Policies to make green technology affordable and accessible to low-income individuals and communities.
• Resilience to Climate Change: Building resilience in vulnerable communities to climate impacts such as sea-level rise and extreme weather.
• Environmental Justice: Fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in environmental decision-making, addressing environmental injustices and disparities.

Applications of Green Technology: 

Energy Efficiency:

• Energy-efficient Appliances: Appliances designed to use less energy for the same or improved performance, reducing overall energy consumption and costs.
• Lighting Systems: Implementation of LED lighting and other energy-saving lighting solutions to reduce electricity use and increase lifespan.
• Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems: Advanced HVAC systems that consume less energy while maintaining optimal indoor climate control.

Sustainable Transportation:

• Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Hybrid vehicles: Vehicles powered fully or partially by electric batteries, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and lowering emissions.
• Public Transit Systems: Development and enhancement of mass transit options like buses, trains, and subways to reduce the number of private vehicles on the road.
• Alternative Fuels: Use of biofuels and hydrogen as cleaner alternatives to traditional fossil fuels, reducing the carbon footprint of transportation.

Waste Management and Recycling:

• Advanced Recycling Technologies: Innovations that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of recycling processes, enabling more materials to be reused.
• Composting Systems: Systems that convert organic waste into valuable compost for agricultural use, reducing landfill waste.
• Waste-to-energy Facilities: Facilities that convert waste materials into usable energy, reducing landfill usage and generating power.

Water Management:

• Drip Irrigation Systems: Efficient irrigation systems that deliver water directly to the roots of plants, minimising water use and enhancing crop yield.
• Rainwater Harvesting: Techniques for collecting and storing rainwater for reuse, reducing demand on traditional water supplies.
• Wastewater Treatment Plants: Facilities that treat and purify wastewater, making it safe for reuse or release into the environment.
  • Deep Tunnel Sewerage System(DTSS) in Singapore is a sustainable water management system created using green technologies like bio reactors. 
• Water-efficient Appliances: Devices that use less water while maintaining performance, helping to conserve water resources.

Green Building Design and Construction:

• Passive Solar Design: Architectural designs that maximise natural heating and lighting through strategic placement of windows and materials.
• Green Roofs: Roofs covered with vegetation, providing insulation, reducing urban heat islands, and improving air quality.
• High-performance Insulation: Materials that enhance building insulation, reducing the need for heating and cooling.
• Energy-efficient Lighting and HVAC Systems: Integrated systems that reduce energy consumption in buildings while maintaining comfort.

Agricultural Sustainability:

• Organic Farming relies on ecological processes to enhance soil fertility and  productivity while minimising negative impacts on the  environment and human health.
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) offers an  eco-friendly alternative to chemical pest control,  a sustainable method promoting the utilisation of  natural pest control mechanisms to cultivate robust  crops while minimising disruption to ecosystems and  environmental risk.
• Biogas technology utilises agricultural waste to  produce renewable energy and fertilisers, making  it environmentally friendly.
• Agroforestry is environmentally sustainable, utilising  natural resources to ensure a healthy farming  environment as it enhances food supply, income, and  health.
  • Windbreak trees, live fences are some of the examples.
• Green nanotechnology in agriculture is an eco-friendly and cost-effective technology that enhances  productivity while reducing pesticide usage. Its  applications include pathogen detection, targeted  delivery of nano-pesticides, and improved nutrient  absorption in plants.

Smart Grids:

• Smart Grid Technologies: Advanced systems that enhance the efficiency, reliability, and sustainability of electricity distribution by integrating renewable energy sources and allowing for real-time monitoring and management.
• Renewable Energy: Solar Power, Wind Power, Hydroelectric Power and Geothermal Power are promising fields which can serve as a stable and sustainable energy source.
  • Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact(PERC) solar cells produce 6 to 12 percent more energy than conventional solar panels. 
• Empowering Rural Communities 

Challenges in adopting Green technology:

• Costs and Investment: High initial investment is required for implementing new green technologies or upgrading existing infrastructure. This cost barrier affects businesses, governments, and individuals, making it difficult for them to adopt green technologies despite long-term savings and environmental benefits.

• Inadequate Financial Incentives: Inadequate financial incentives such as tax credits, rebates, feed-in tariffs, or low-interest loans can demotivate investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency upgrades.

• Technological Challenges: Some green technologies face performance issues or scalability constraints.

• Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are intermittent and require advanced energy storage solutions for reliability.

• Advanced recycling and waste-to-energy technologies need further development to become economically viable at scale.

• Infrastructure Constraints: Transitioning to green technology often requires substantial upgrades to infrastructure, such as electricity grids, transportation networks, and water supply systems.

• Market Barriers and Competition: Established Industries’ Resistance and vested interests in fossil fuels may resist green technology adoption, creating market barriers.

• Subsidies and regulatory frameworks favouring fossil fuels can disadvantage clean energy alternatives.

• Monopolies or oligopolies in energy markets may restrict competition and innovation in renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors.

• Policy and Regulatory Challenges:Unclear or inconsistent policies, regulations, and permitting processes can create uncertainty and deter investment.

• Complex permitting processes can slow down the implementation of renewable energy mandates, carbon pricing mechanisms, and environmental standards.

• Social and Equity Considerations: The costs and benefits of green technology adoption may not be equitably distributed, raising concerns about social justice.

• Low-income communities, marginalised groups, and developing countries may face difficulties accessing clean energy and sustainable transportation, exacerbating existing inequalities.

Government Measures for promoting Green technology:

• National Solar Mission (NSM) was launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) to promote solar energy and it aims to achieve 100 GW of solar power capacity by 2022, including 40 GW from rooftop solar.
• National Wind Energy Mission aims to enhance the capacity and efficiency of wind power installations. It supports research and development, infrastructure development, and policy support for wind energy projects.
• FAME India Scheme (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) provides financial incentives for the adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles. It supports the development of charging infrastructure and the promotion of clean mobility solutions.
• Green Energy Corridors aims to strengthen the power transmission network to accommodate renewable energy. It also facilitates the integration of large-scale renewable energy projects into the grid.
• Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) encourages the use of solar energy in agriculture by installing solar pumps and grid-connected solar power plants. It also aims to increase farmer incomes and promote sustainable irrigation practices.
• PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijlee Yojana is a scheme that aims to provide free electricity to one crore households in India, who opt to install roof top solar electricity units.  The households will get a subsidy to overcome the high initial cost burden associated with solar energy systems.
• National Biofuel Policy promotes the production and use of biofuels, including ethanol and biodiesel. It targets to achieve 20% ethanol blending in petrol and 5% biodiesel blending in diesel by 2030.

• Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) implements various programs to enhance energy efficiency across industries, buildings, and appliances.
• The Perform, Achieve, and Trade (PAT) scheme encourages industries to reduce energy consumption through market-based mechanisms.
• Swachh Bharat Mission promotes waste-to-energy projects and the adoption of advanced waste management practices. It also aims to improve sanitation and solid waste management in urban and rural areas.
• National Water Mission focuses on water conservation, efficient water use, and sustainable water management practices. It encourages the adoption of technologies for water recycling and reuse.
• Green Building Guidelines and Rating Systems promotes energy-efficient and environmentally friendly building practices through rating systems like GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) and IGBC (Indian Green Building Council).

Steps for tackling the challenges in this sector:

• Robust Policy and Regulatory Framework: Develop clear and consistent policies to support renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable practices.
  • Simplify and expedite permitting processes for green technology projects to reduce bureaucratic delays.
  • Create supportive regulatory frameworks that prioritise green technology over fossil fuels, including stricter emissions standards and carbon pricing mechanisms.
  • Setting targets for companies to adopt green technologies like renewable energy sources in their daily operations.
• Infrastructure Development: Invest in sectors like grid modernisation, charging systems, water management systems and waste management systems. 
• Research and Development: Increase funding for research and development of advanced green technologies, including energy storage, smart grids, and waste-to-energy solutions.

• Public-Private Partnerships: Encourage public-private partnerships to foster innovation and commercialization of new green technologies.
• Market Reforms and Incentives: Redirect subsidies from fossil fuels to renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
  • Provide market-based incentives for clean energy producers, including renewable energy certificates and carbon credits.
  • Encourage Competition: Promote competition in energy markets to encourage innovation and lower costs in the renewable energy sector.
• Inclusive Policies equitable distribution: Ensure that green technology policies are inclusive and consider the needs of low-income and marginalised communities. Also ensure that the costs and benefits from the sector are equitably distributed.
• International Collaboration: Facilitating international collaboration can help in technology transfer and financial resources to develop advanced green technologies to India.
  • International  collaboration is essential for advancing global climate  diplomacy and negotiating international agreements  such as the Paris Agreement. Through these, countries commit to collective action in creating better green technology systems.
  • International collaboration can help in harmonised policies, regulations, standards related to green technology development.

Conclusion:

• Case studies from Germany’s renewable energy transition and Costa Rica’s agro-ecological farming practices  showcase the transformative potential of green technologies in achieving environmental, social, and economic  objectives on both local and global scales. Advancement in technologies like Artificial Intelligence(AI) give enhanced opportunities for India to build better green technology systems which benefit not only the current generation but also future generations.