Spending on green IT and sustainability initiatives in India is expected to increase 17.6 per cent to reach $29.2 billion in 2013, from $24.8 billion that was spent in 2012, according to NYSE-listed IT research and advisory company Gartner’s report titled ‘Hype Cycle for Green IT and Sustainability in India 2013’.
“Many Indian organizations still lack the strategic focus that comes with clear understanding of the core issues and key technologies that bring about real change in the vision for sustainability and green IT in an organization,” Ganesh Ramamoorthy, research director at Gartner, said in a release recently.
Policy initiatives and regulatory measures of the Government of India will be the key drivers for the implementation of some of the technologies (such as advanced metering infrastructure, carbon capture and sequestration, intelligent transportation system) necessary to usher in low-carbon sustainable growth.
According to the report, a few leading organizations in India are beginning to implement green IT and sustainability solutions and incorporate them into business operations. The report, however, said that this was through a piecemeal approach that relied more on the hype surrounding the solutions than on the real benefit of the solution to the organization’s sustainability and green IT vision.
“However, the unique challenges faced by India, such as an unreliable power infrastructure, a growing urban-rural divide and increasing population migration to urban areas, will also provide businesses with the opportunity to innovate and test new cost-effective approaches and green technology solutions that may then be adapted elsewhere — in other developing, or even developed nations,” Ramamoorthy said.
In the report, Gartner has included six new technology areas and profiled 41 technologies in all. The new technologies added to this year’s Hype Cycle include hybrid electric vehicles, micro-grids, machine-to-machine communication services, liquefied natural gas, biomass electricity and wind power generation.
“The recent policy and regulations announcement by the Indian government with regards to e-waste handling has heightened the hype around this set of technologies, leading Gartner to push this particular technology to the peak of the Hype Cycle. We expect Indian organizations to frame their strategy for e-waste handling in line with the government regulations, leading to mainstream adoption over the next five to 10 years,” he added.
