New Delhi: Australia and India are deepening cooperation on renewable energy, particularly in solar power, green hydrogen and workforce training, as the two nations aim to expand the use of non-fossil energy sources to power their economies.
Under the India-Australia Renewable Energy Partnership signed in 2024, both countries are working to build resilient and self-sufficient clean energy supply chains and align their industrial strategies with renewable energy targets to boost investment and jobs in the sector.
“The India-Australia Renewable Energy Partnership provides more opportunities to unlock new supply chains to support our transitions and create new prosperity for our nations,” Australia’s Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said in a statement.
While there are several areas of cooperation between Australia and India, Bowen emphasized that solar photovoltaic (PV) modules and hydrogen technologies are critical to the future. Bowen is visiting India and will meet New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi and Power Minister Manohar Lal, among others.
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Solar cooperation
Australia, a world leader in the use of rooftop solar panels, is positioning itself as a key partner in India’s solar journey. With one in three Australian homes already fitted with solar panels and more than 400,000 home batteries in use, he argued Australia was a pioneer in solar innovation.
“The Renewable Energy Partnership with India provides a great opportunity for Australia to share our solar expertise with India,” Bowen said.
In 2024, India launched the world’s largest domestic rooftop solar initiative, under which 10 million households would be incentivized to install solar panels to reduce carbon emissions. According to the government, as of March 10 this year, there were one million households using solar energy.
India is targeting 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy by 2030, of which solar would account for 280 GW.
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The minister also highlighted that Australia and India were joining forces to unlock the potential of green hydrogen, which is seen as a key element in decarbonising hard-to-dilute industries such as iron, steel and aluminium.
“Our country has a number of renewable hydrogen capabilities. Capabilities that can support India’s national green hydrogen mission,” Bowen added. India aims to establish itself as a global hub and produce 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030.
The Australian government is investing heavily in hydrogen through programs such as Hydrogen Headstart, which supports projects such as the 50 MW electrolyser at Orica’s Newcastle plant outside Sydney, which is expected to produce 4,700 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.
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Workforce training
Manpower development is becoming a key pillar of bilateral cooperation. The Australia-India Rooftop Solar Training Academy, soon to be launched at Pandit Deendayal Energy University (PDEU) in Gandhinagar, will train Indian youth in solar installation and maintenance using Australian curriculum and expertise.
“I understand the renovation of the PDEU campus is nearing completion, with the academy expected to be operational within the next month, providing a skilled workforce for India’s growing rooftop solar market and supporting your goal of installing solar power in 10 million homes,” he added.
On the global stage, Australia has reaffirmed its commitment to climate leadership by bidding to host COP31 (Conference of the Parties) in partnership with Pacific nations – a first-of-its-kind model. The official highlighted the importance of shared leadership with India, which aspires to host COP33, in building momentum for global climate action. The COP is an annual climate summit organized under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
“Australia sees this as an opportunity to bring the voice of the Pacific to the fore and build on major initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance launched by India ahead of COP21,” Bowen said.
The minister emphasized that global climate and energy challenges cannot be solved in isolation. “Success will come from like-minded countries working together – in the spirit of bharosa (trust), maryada (respect), gyan (knowledge) and kalyan (prosperity),” Bowen said.
