Reducing air pollution through smart energy management in industrial clusters of India

Abstract

AbstractSmart energy management, along with clean technologies and advanced pollution control measures has proven to be an effective strategy for reducing air pollution in both developed and transitioning economies and holds significant potential to reduce emissions from industries and power plants—two of the major sources of air pollution in many of India's urban areas.This manuscript presents the results from a project and provides a critical proof of concept to show that developing country cities can achieve significant, measurable reductions in air pollution, Volatile Organic Compound emissions and greenhouse gas emissions through investing in smart energy management and advance control technologies. Achieving this goal, however, requires addressing two key challenges: (1) lack of a demonstrated link between smart energy management and air quality improvements in India; and (2) the need to scale up development, financing, and implementation of smart energy solutions, including energy efficiency and clean technology measures that can help address air pollution in industrialized urban areas, critically polluted areas by offsetting fossil fuel use for diesel‐ and coal‐fired electricity generation.