NEW DELHI (PTI): As a self-driven and environmentally responsible force, the Indian Navy has always been committed towards environment protection and has undertaken several green initiatives, officials said on Sunday.

On the eve of World Environment Day, the Navy shared some of the noteworthy initiatives towards a 'Clean and Green Navy'.

As guardian of the seas, the Navy employs a number of ships, submarines and aircraft that have high energy intensity, thus increased energy efficiency is paramount in every operation and process the force undertakes, according to an official statement.

The Navy has commissioned solar power with a cumulative capacity of 15.87 MW which is in line with its objective of fulfilling the Government's 'Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM)' mission.

These plants are grid-connected utilising single-axis sun tracking technology with computerised monitoring & control. Additionally, 16 MW capacity of SPVs are at various stages of execution, officials said.

Also, towards combating oil spills at Naval harbours, eco-friendly marine bio-remedial agents have been indigenously developed through NMRL. The state-of-the-art technology is unique in the maritime domain.

The product consists of a combination of micro-organisms and their growth stimulant, which consume various types of oils such as diesel, lubricating, and dirty oils, thus cleaning the seawater from any oil contamination and its consequent damage to the marine ecosystem, it said.

The Navy said in collaboration with IISc, Bangalore, it has operationalised a first-of-its-kind 100KW capacity AC plant in the country based on the natural refrigerant carbon dioxide.

To reduce the overall carbon footprint and enhance environmental sustainability, the Navy is "geared up and committed" to march towards pursuit of green initiatives, realising the national aim, to ensure a ‘greener and cleaner future for our next generations,’ it said.