New Delhi, April 9: Greenpeace, an international environment organisation, today released a plan of action for India to meet half of all its energy needs from the sun, wind, and other renewable energy sources by 2050.

Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council have jointly outlined a set of energy strategies, legislative steps and timelines to get India to increase its renewable energy contribution from 4 per cent of all energy now to 50 per cent by 2050.

“This is a vision grounded in reality, based on existing, proven technologies,” said Anantha Padmanabhan, executive director of Greenpeace India. “This roadmap will allow India to maintain economic growth, and move away from inefficiency and conventional fossil fuels.”

Indian energy experts said the ministry of new and renewable energy has its own set of proposals to boost renewable energy use in the coming decades which has been submitted to the Planning Commission.

“India has one of the best track records in renewable energy,” said an energy expert. “But technologies still have to be made cost-effective.”

Since the mid-1980s, India has steadily increased investments in renewable energy. Solar energy is used in lighting and heating. India is the world’s fourth largest producer of wind energy.

The joint report from Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council has urged the Indian government to enact a renewable energy law by 2010 that will provide incentives such as preferential tariffs for “green energy”.

It has also called for legislation to gradually phase out or eliminate inefficient lighting technologies, inefficient automobiles, and inefficient appliances — steps aimed at reducing the carbon dioxide emissions from India.

It has urged legislation to regulate fuel efficiency of cars — ensuring that all new cars deliver a fuel efficiency of at least 100 km for 5.5 litres for petrol cars, and 100 km for 4.5 litres for diesel cars — by 2012.

Renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, and small hydro, which could together contribute to over 50 per cent of electricity production by 2050 are already mature today, said Srinivas Krishnaswamy, a Greenpeace official in India.

He said the Indian plan is part of a global effort to outline energy scenarios for different regions of the world. “We’re seeking 50 per cent cut in carbon dioxide emissions from the developed countries by 2050, but only a marginal 4 per cent from India,” he added.