New Delhi: With projections showing India as the world’s third-largest economy by 2030, the country is not just an emerging powerhouse but also a sustainable one.
Supporting India’s ambitious net-zero carbon emission goal, Clean Energy experts and manufacturers from over 25 countries gathered onWednesday in the national capital at the India Energy Storage Week (IESW) 2023 organised by India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA). Marking the beginning of a new era of clean energy transition in India, one of the world’s biggest green energy expo, IESW 2023, kicked off with a dazzling opening ceremony at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
Tarun Kapoor, Advisor to Prime Minister of India. inaugurated IESW 2023 expo and addressed the need for all the sustainability and clean energy stakeholders to come together and support India in becoming a world leader in green energy transition. “The transition to electric vehicles, including four-wheelers and two-wheelers, requires large-scale storage solutions. We must be self-reliant and manufacture everything in India, while also investing in R&D to innovate and develop products that suit our requirements and materials available in the country.
We already have production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for batteries manufacturing in India. There could be another phase of the PLI scheme and going forward we can think of some other support (for batteries manufacturing) if required. We hope that manufacturing comes into India and if manufacturing comes to India, the price will certainly go down. We also need to secure minerals and raw materials required for manufacturing, such as lithium. Although we currently have limited reserves of lithium in India, we have only explored 8% of our country so far. We are confident that if we explore more, we will discover lithium and other minerals as well.”
The event witnessed the presence of eminent dignitaries and clean tech leaders including Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Vijayanand Samudrala, President – New Energy, Amararaja Batteries; Stephen Fernands, President, Customized Energy Solutions (CES); Anurag Tiwari, President – Industrial & Supply Chain, SAR Group; Nashid Chowdhury, Investment and Trade Commissioner, Government of Western Australia; Debi Prasad Dash, Executive Director, IESA, Dr. Hanif Qureshi, Joint Secretary, Department of Heavy Industries; Mayur Karmarkar, Managing Director, International Copper Association India; Dr Ashok Saraswat, Sr. VP – Battery Technology, Reliance Industries and many more.
Commenting on the event, Dr Rahul Walawalkar, President of IESA, said, “India is strongly focused towards clean energy transition aiming high for the growth of e-mobility as well as renewable energy. With the vision set by the Prime Minister, we have a wonderful opportunity to make India a global hub for manufacturing, R&D and adoption of advanced energy storage, e mobility and green hydrogen technology within the coming decades. We have a long way to go but we have a very strong believe that India has tremendous capability and a ecosystem that can contribute for this transition. And through IESA and IESW, we are looking at providing a platform for collaboration as all the stakeholders need to come together to create a robust ecosystem for making India a global hub”.
“Li-ion battery manufacturing is a critical aspect of the energy transition, and India has the potential to become a global leader in this sector. With the right policies, investments, and collaborations, we can create a robust Li-ion battery manufacturing ecosystem that will not only support the country’s transition towards clean energy but also create employment opportunities and contribute to the economy,” Vikramadithya Gourineni, Executive Director – New Energy Business, Amara Raja Batteries, said.
Demonstrating the country’s commitment to sustainable and green solutions more than 500 world-class organisations from over 25 countries, including the UK, USA, UAE, Australia, China, Germany, Singapore, France, Italy, Israel and Sri Lanka, and 60+ CXOs from the e-mobility and green hydrogen ecosystem, 100+ start-ups, 50+ women energy leaders, and 8+ ministries are participating at IESW 2023.
Emphasising on the significant investment potential in the EV and energy storage sector in India, Rakesh Malhotra, SAR Group, says “India’s energy storage market is poised to grow exponentially in the coming years, driven by increasing demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy integration. As a result, it presents a massive opportunity for investors to participate in the country’s green energy revolution and contribute to its sustainable future.”
IESW 2023 also witnessed the signing of various MoUs including MoU between IESA and Singapore Battery Consortium (SBC), MoU Exchange between IESA and The Electronics Sector Skills Council of India (ESSCI) and more.
The inaugural session was followed by a series of informative and insightful sessions on advanced battery manufacturing, skill development round table, CXO round table, investment round table, and startup showcase. The sessions saw the participation of various experts and industry leaders, who shared their experiences and insights on the latest trends and technologies in the energy storage sector. With two more days of exciting sessions, exhibitions, and networking opportunities ahead, the event promises to be a pivotal platform for shaping the future of India’s clean energy transition.
