Digitization can enable sustainable manufacturing, greener automation

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This is part of a special series of articles by the country's foremost voices, ahead of Union Budget 2024, aiming to draw attention to the critical reforms that can help India in its journey to become a developed nation by 2047. To be a catalyst for India’s ambition of becoming one of the top three global economies by 2050, the manufacturing sector must adopt a sustainable and inclusive model that decouples growth from emissions for a developing economy of this scale. This will lower our total cost of societal development.

Over recent years, Indian manufacturing has successfully undergone a transformation, integrating global technology with local engineering. This evolution has created a foundation for a unique model that can drive significant economic growth.

Here are the key areas pivotal to this model. India ranks fourth globally in renewable energy installed capacity, positioning it well to integrate sustainability into its manufacturing processes.

There is substantial potential in manufacturing sectors like solar photovoltaic modules, battery storage, wind turbines, and various electrification and automation components essential for stabilizing and converting green power. Beyond solar and wind, investments in green hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel, carbon capture and battery storage are expected to reach approximately $35 billion annually by 2030.

By 2031-32, India aims to build 47GW of battery storage capacity, which is comparable to installing nearly 80 of the largest battery storage facilities globally. The infrastructure push by the government is also increasing the demand for sustainable products and solutions such as green steel and cement, energy-efficient motors and drives, resource monitoring, and