India is well-suited to lead energy transformation: US official

Washington: As the world moves towards renewable energy, India is "well-suited" to lead energy transformation to a clean and renewable energy future, a top US energy official has said.

"The world is at a historic period of transformation in energy because of the rapid changes across the spectrum," Amos Hochstein, US Special Envoy for International Energy Affairs said in his address at the sixth annual India-US Energy Partnership Summit organised by TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute).

"I believe India is well-suited to lead this energy transformation and this process," Hochstein said, "has to be not just about lowering greenhouse gas emissions, but rather about access. "How do you create transformation in a country when you look at both the on and off grid broad spectrum of all things that need energy - when it comes to India? Because the size and diversity of India it requires us to look at the full range of options," Hochstein said.

Therefore, he said that India can be a "laboratory for innovations" and more so because of the diversity of issues that it faces. In its endeavour to attain a clean energy future, he said, the US is "the best partner" that India can have, given the shared experience of being federal democracies and innovations, especially in the financial sector that the US is leading in.

Ajai Malhotra, distinguished fellow, TERI, said India has the challenge of alleviating poverty while dealing with climate change issues. India may be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, behind the US and China, but its per capita output is only one-third of the world average, he said. "While India has made advances in developing infrastructure and communications, it has to take huge strides in developing clean energy," Malhotra said.