Importance for India
As increasing urbanisation follows, the buildings contribute more than 30% of the total energy consumption in India, NZEBs can provide:
- Less relied on fossil fuel and electric power.
- Very high reductions in carbon emissions up to 80 per cent as opposed to traditional buildings.
- Costs of operation will be lower in the long-term, even though the initial investment will be more.
- Better materials and intelligent ventilation ensure better indoor air quality.
Leading Net Zero Projects
1. Indira Paryavaran Bhawan (New Delhi): The first government net-zero building in India, which combines passive solar architecture with PV panels on the roof and which has received the highest green ratings (GRIHA 5 Star and LEED Platinum).
2 . CEPT University NZEB Lab (Ahmedabad): A student and professional demonstration and learning centre.
3. Infosys campuses: Head office executives involved in NZEB policies in mass, energy-saving operations.
4. Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University: The East Campus is intended to be a net-zero energy campus, where it will supply itself with power generated by solar energy, sewage discharge will also be zero, and minimum water will be used, and this will result in a net-zero energy building.
Technology and Innovations
The development and operations of NZEBs, to be effective, will depend on the advancement of building products and technologies to include:
- Low-E glass, green concrete, phase change materials (PCMs) for insulation and energy savings unrelated to electricity
- Battery storage connected with solar PV to deliver energy when there is a grid outage
- IoT-enabled smart energy management operating controls for efficient resource utilization
Government Support and Policy
India’s policy infrastructure is rapidly evolving to accommodate various scales of buildings into market-available NZEB developments:
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in conjunction with the Ministry of Power, has begun developing the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) and ECBC+, which provide building energy efficiency guidelines for commercial building structures.
Financial incentives to include lower property tax on properties that are green building certified, and financing programs for the adoption of renewables.
State governments and national missions such as the National Hydrogen Mission, are also looking into plans to ramp up sustainability practices across sectors.
Challenges and Opportunities
While NZEB initiatives have emerged in India, the country continues to face barriers to adoption on a broad basis, including:
- The cost of materials and technology is often perceived as prohibitively high at this time
- Skills and competencies of professionals engaged with the design are lacking, especially public awareness of resources
- Public policy gaps require regulatory firms to comply, and should incentivise building and retrofitting renovation possibilities
On the positive side, the vast majority of the buildings to be built in the foreseeable future have yet to be built, and there the opportunities to expand NZEB design is endless, as India urbanises.
In closing, Net Zero Buildings are vital to India’s sustainability future. Through energy-efficient design, renewable energy generation, and supportive policy, India can catalyse the adoption of NZEBs, leading to healthier and more resilient cities. The journey is not easy, but as the environmental and economic value becomes visible, the smart choice for India’s growing cities is NZEBs.