On the occasion of World Environment Day, Indian Navy announced the initiatives it has taken as part of the  ‘Clean and Green Navy’ program to promote environmental protection and imbibe green technologies.

According to a government news release, the Navy has commissioned solar energy with a total installed capacity of 15.87 MW, in keeping with its goal of fulfilling the government of India's Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) project. These plants have computerized monitoring and control and are grid-connected using single-axis solar tracking technology.

Eco-friendly marine bio-remedial chemicals have been produced locally by Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL) to prevent oil spills at naval harbours. Moreover, the Indian Navy and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru have collaborated to operationalize a first-of-its-kind 100KW AC plant in the nation that uses carbon dioxide as a natural refrigerant. The plant has successfully operated for 850 hours so far.

The Navy is also pursuing the use of hydrogen as a viable alternative fuel source. After completing successful shore experiments, a hydrogen-aspirated diesel engine has improved clean combustion and dramatically reduced CO emissions. Additionally, a development project on hydrogen fuel cell-powered ferry craft is being explored with shipyards in keeping with the GoI initiative, Make in India. To reduce automotive emissions, the use of alternative fuels has advanced in the past year, including biodiesel based on used cooking oil. The Navy's motor transport vehicles have consumed 192KL of B-7 blend biodiesel in total.

The release noted that the Indian Navy is "geared up and committed" to march towards pursuing green initiatives to reduce overall carbon emissions and improve environmental sustainability, realizing the national goal of ensuring a "greener and cleaner future for our next generations."