NEW DELHI, Apr 22: Sunkonnect, a renewable energy management consulting firm, on Wednesday announced plans to reduce 15 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions from educational institute campuses over the next four years.
It is a targeted reduction of approximately 34 million tonnes of COâ‚‚, an unprecedented effort in the industry and a move that positions India’s education sector as a frontrunner in the national climate action, a company statement said.
India’s education sector stands among the largest in the world, comprising over 248 million students, 1.47 million schools, more than 43 million university and college students, and nearly 10 million teachers.
This vast network of educational institutions generates a significant environmental footprint, with buildings alone producing an estimated 230 million tonnes of COâ‚‚ every year, a number that continues to grow as the sector expands, it noted.
Recognising the urgent need to address this challenge and make India’s educational campuses energy-efficient, Sunkonnect has announced an ambitious plan to cut 15 per cent of these emissions in the next four years, according to the statement.
Most educational institutions in India operate primarily during daylight hours, taking full advantage of the abundant sunshine.
This creates a unique opportunity to harness renewable energy by integrating solar power, paving the way for truly net-zero campuses with real-time carbon footprint monitoring, it pointed out.
Capitalising on this potential, Sunkonnect, through its Sunsol solution, aims to install solar rooftops on more than 5,000 schools across India over the next 7 to 10 years.
Rohit Sikkewal, Sustainability and Climate Change Solution Expert at Sunkonnect, said, “Our educational institutions are more than just infrastructure; they are the breeding ground for the next generation of thinkers and leaders”.
Sunkonnect has recently partnered with a private university as part of its broader decarbonisation strategy.
Through such collaborations, the company will roll out greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint assessment and craft a comprehensive sustainability roadmap for campuses, establishing a benchmark for environmental stewardship in academia.
This initiative also marks Sunkonnect’s strategic entry into India’s USD 35 billion education market, meeting the rising demand for world-class sustainability standards.
With electricity usage accounting for 78 per cent of campus emissions globally and Indian higher education institutions averaging 2.67 tonnes COâ‚‚ emissions per student, the path to meaningful reduction is clear — renewables, energy efficiency, and smarter resource management.
Sunkonnect’s plans include energy audits and retrofits, LED lighting upgrades, waste segregation, and elimination of single-use plastics.
The next phase (one to three years) will include rooftop solar PV installations, rainwater harvesting, EV charging stations, and biogas plants.
Long-term strategies include net-zero pledges, vehicle-free zones, biodiversity monitoring, and advanced water systems, all focused on reducing emissions per student and per square foot. (PTI)
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