On a global scale, the industrial sector is a vital source of wealth, prosperity, and social value. It produces about one-quarter of the global GDP and employment and makes products and materials that are integral to our daily lives. Industries are economic agents of any country and in India, the average job creation by industries remains at 264 lakhs persons per year. In India due to industrialization, the industrial sector's contribution to GDP has gone up to 25.92% in 2021. But the activities of the industrial sector also take a toll on the environment.
Industries are one of the most significant contributors to energy-related carbon dioxide (energy-CO2) emissions in India — the share of industries in the total emissions were 25%, second only to power generation. As per a report on Greenhouse Gases Emission Estimates from the Industries by CEEW published in 2017, the manufacturing (and processing) of iron and steel, and non-metallic minerals (primarily cement) have remained the significant contributors to GHG emissions. Over the years evaluated, emissions from fuel use increasingly contributed to the overall manufacturing industries' emissions. Its share in overall emissions ranges between 65 percent and 75 percent during the period. Coal continues to be the dominant source of energy across the sectors, contributing nearly 70 percent of the total energy use emissions.
Unless the industrial sector can lower its emissions, our country will struggle to reach the GHG reduction target of 45% fewer emissions by 2030 and to achieve net zero by 2070. But Despite particular challenges, companies in specific focus areas could bring down their CO2 emissions with a combination of innovative approaches. The government facilitated technology development and transferred to developing countries, and identifying innovative low-carbon technologies and providing financial support will lay down the path to Net-Zero.
Image Source: Ti2, 2019
The first step in the right direction will be to identify innovative low-carbon technology solutions that address the existing technology gaps in Indian industrial and commercial sectors. Startup Acceleration programs can be helpful here as they can help the startups in realizing their full potential. With the guidance and assistance of knowledge-based institutions, government, industry, and other stakeholders in the innovation arena there will be a strengthening of the innovation ecosystem in the country.
Facility for Low Carbon Technology Deployment (FLCTD) — a project implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is one such program that provides technical and financial assistance to climate change innovators to successfully commercialize their technology with industry partners.
The FLCTD Acceleration Programme provides mentoring support to low-carbon technology start-ups from six technology areas:
Industrial Low Carbon Technology
Commercial and Residential Energy Use
AI, ML, IoT, Deep-Tech
Resource Efficiency
Food and Agriculture
Storage Technologies
This year 23 startups working on low-carbon technology innovations were selected to be a part of the 4th cohort of the program. With this 4th cohort, the Acceleration program has extended support to 90 cleantech start-ups of which 20 are women-led start-ups!
Here is what these startups are working on:
Image: 4th Cohort of FLCTD Acceleration Program
1. Bigwig Innovations: Designing an AI device that can synchronize and control AC and Fan in individual rooms/ offices.
2. Cymbeline Innovations: Making a hyperlocal pollution monitoring and mitigation system.
3. Zodhya Technologies: AI-based tech reduces the energy bills of commercial buildings/ spaces by 30%.
4. Adyaha Ways: Developing highly efficient SUKOI ceiling fans for both induction and BLDC motors.
5. Bodycast Innovators: Designing novel Axial Flux Motor Technology based on Soft Magnetic Composite.
6. Calvem Energy: Designing electric motors and controllers for electric two and three-wheelers to minimize the usage of rare earth magnets.
7. Hivericks Technologies: An AI-enabled, intelligent, green cleantech charging and battery protection solution for Li-ion devices.
8. Medicare Medical Solutions: AI-based tech reduces the energy bills of commercial buildings/ spaces by 30%.
9. Anguki Industries: Converting waste banana pseudostem into engineering composite materials.
10. Black Eye Technologies: Designing and developing AI-enabled IoT devices for smart agriculture and better cultivation for future generations.
11. Ruhvenile Biomedical: Decomposing paddy, stubble, and waste vegetables within 5–10 days at ambient temperatures in open conditions.
12. Rukart Technologies: Electricity and maintenance-free Subjee Cooler which extends the shelf life of fruits and vegetables by 2–7 days.
13. Tapah Mechatronics: Creating a Novel Continuous Process Flow Type Infrared Drying Equipment in Modular Design for faster, cleaner, efficient, and controlled drying of agricultural produce.
14. eGreen Compliance Consultants: Carbon capture technology is based on the adsorption principle using biological media like algae.
15. Exposome: A materials chemistry startup that invents and manufactures reusable molecular filters that help clean industrial wastewater and emissions.
16. UNG Technologies: Developing innovatively designed, ultra-low-head, plug-n-play, pico-to-small-scale hydroelectric modules.
17. Vakapi Vajra Srikavach Greentech: Unique Nano Technology enabling automatic and continuous evacuation of dust and all pollutants from the environment of the data centers.
18. Angirus Ind: Building lightweight and damp roof bricks using 100% recycled waste material.
19. Eco Orbit AI Solutions: Building intelligent robots to transform the waste segregation processes.
20. Malhari Projects: Building a device based on an Infrared Pyrolysis system that can eliminate the waste at the source without any handling and reduce energy consumption.
21. Svakalpan Engineering Designs: Economizer device and circuit for pneumatic applications.
22. MCS Cargar: Providing EV DC fast charging anywhere-anytime supported by their proprietary technology platform.
23. Minimines Cleantech Solutions: Recycling various types of lithium-ion batteries using a Hybrid Hydrometallurgy process with 96% efficiency.
These startups will be a part of the four-month-long journey, where they will be trained and guided with the help of industry experts, and technical and business mentors to validate and commercialize their innovations.
With India looking forward to reducing their total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now to 2030, these startups with their low-carbon technology can lay the way ahead in building a climate-positive society. The planet needs purpose-driven innovators to tackle climate change and if you are one such innovator that can bring a difference in the clean-tech ecosystem of the country, now will be the right time to take it to the next level!
Blog Credits: Shikhita Gupta