The green supply chain is profitable for all stakeholders, whether internal or external. This has been proven to be true in the manufacturing sector. —Alok Singh

There are occasions when it’s time to be vocal to ensure an idea is presented with full throttle for execution.  The green energy transition is among such ideas. All stakeholders will defend and amend the policy based on their level of understanding. The businessmen will seek to maintain their comfort zone undisturbed. Visionaries will look for opportunities to progress. Customers will conduct their rational search. Electoral politics will force the opposition parties to mine their errors. The social media influencers will produce episodes for loudspeakers tailored to their audiences’ tastes.

Any policy is fruitful if the policy formulators, the policy executors, and the public synchronize together to move it forward. Energy security is again an endangered species despite a huge jump in renewable energy production. The transition in the mobility sector requires the full attention of all stakeholders. The resistance to change will identify all the speed bumps. All the odds need to be even.

The energy has emerged as the core of the global economy. Energy has replaced the talk that data is the new oil. Energy is now in a mode to replace oil. Data has arrived, and the data centers are under construction. Artificial intelligence, with its backward and forward integration, demands land, water, and the current, i.e., power. Power is a form of energy, and its biggest emerging customers are data centers and computing systems. The biggest emerging consumer of water resources is the semiconductor fabrication units. The pink papers are full of opinions of new drivers of the economy. Traditional benchmarks like current account deficit, fiscal deficit, and foreign exchange reserves are equally important, as are concerns such as self-reliance, supply chain disruptions, and inventory holding sizes for energy constituents, including crude, gas, and battery storage. The weaponization of energy, currency, trade, transaction systems, and many more  is acknowledged in this world that is full of war zones.

Bharat imports approximately 22 lakh crores of petroleum products annually. The quantity of energy imports is fluctuating, but the actual demand is rising. The decline in petroleum product imports, measured quantitatively, is due to supply-side logistical hurdles. The demand is rising. The decline in imports of petroleum products can become a permanent trend only if we march at speed towards self-reliance in the energy sector.

The mobility sector has developed a variety of alternatives to petroleum products as road fuels. Customers can choose from electric, hydrogen, and biofuel vehicles.  The last quarter-century has witnessed significant changes in the communication system. From fixed line, to pager, to handheld, to voice, to text, to video, to speed, and so on. The handheld manufacturers, the telecommunication service providers, the OTT platforms, the revenue sharing models, the data pricing, the voice pricing, and so many webs of interactions, not only in terms of usage but also in terms of revenue sharing and usage billing points, have witnessed disruptions.

The mobility sector has already demonstrated the profile of emerging manufacturers of electric three-wheelers and electric two-wheelers. Electric vehicles in three-wheelers and two-wheelers are presenting a decentralized manufacturing model. The electric vehicle market has dwarfed the entry barriers. These are the patterns that can be relied upon to visualize the impact of biofuels in the mobility ecosystem.

The biofuel economy is outdated because policymakers derailed its implementation. The biofuel is like old is gold. We had it, we knew it, but we delayed it.

Various think tanks and pressure groups may have delayed its implementation to benefit their stakeholders. Institutions able to invest in solar faced policy paralysis. Despite available technology and funding, solar panel installations were limited to common areas and faced many constraints. Academic institutions and hospitals with significant fixed-income investments could have adopted solar decades ago, but stakeholders in power generation and financial institutions funding such projects saw solar as competition. Now, solar farming is a viable method of electricity generation.

The story of telecommunications is relevant to drawing syllogisms about solar energy, biofuels, and alternative mobility fuels. The electric vehicle sector is visible, with many brands in the two- and three-wheeler markets. Battery swapping for these vehicles is a separate line, giving customers multiple choices. Mobility is shifting from car ownership to service use. The EV’s main component is its battery. Automobile manufacturers are repositioning: they act as service providers for batteries and as goods sellers for vehicle bodies. It’s hard to predict what disruption biofuels will cause in the ownership and distribution of mobility energy.

Disruption in telecommunications over the last three decades has led to a shift in the ownership paradigm. In a similar way, solar energy policy is now disrupting ownership of power generation. Both sectors have operated more as decentralized models rather than following the traditional monopoly model. Likewise, the rise of biofuels will empower farmers, enabling food suppliers to become fuel suppliers. This idea is gaining traction. However, opponents and businesses whose control is threatened will employ various tactics—with support from think tanks and narrative-shaping efforts—to create hurdles under the pretext of vehicle safety, biofuel availability, and economic value during the transition.

Although disruptions in telecommunications and the solar sectors didn’t directly impact farmers, the move toward biofuel requires broad acceptance. Moreover, farmers’ waste can be more valuable than food itself, making this the true turning point for our rural economy.

Biofuels with farmer ownership in the energy sector are a crucial and transformative policy for the future. This approach benefits everyone: it keeps food affordable for consumers, shifts foreign exchange challenges away from fuel imports, and empowers farmers to own energy assets. This marks an unprecedented, large-scale change for the rural economy. Biofuels will lead to prosperity for all.

The green supply chain is profitable for all stakeholders, whether internal or external. This has been proven to be true in the manufacturing sector. Green energy supports a sustainable climate, environmental stewardship, prudent management of foreign exchange reserves, self-reliance, rural livelihoods, a decentralized growth model, localization, and green income for our farmers.

(Alok Singh has a doctorate in management from the Indian Institute of Management Indore and is a promoter of Transition Research Consultancy for Policy and Management.)