India Energy Storage Week (IESW) organized by India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) kicked off with an inaugural ceremony in Delhi.
Sunil Barthwal, Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, and Industry along with HE Philip Green OAM, Australia’s High Commissioner to India and HE May-Elin- Steiner, Ambassador of Norway inaugurated the event.
The inaugural session was attended by policymakers and industry leaders including Sudhendu J Sinha, Adviser, Infrastructure Connectivity & E-Mobility, NITI Aayog , Vishal Kapoor, CEO, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), Dr Reji Mathai, Director, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Vikram Gulati, Country Head & Executive V.P. (Corporate Affairs & Governance) Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Rubin Pather, Chief Operating Officer, Reliance Jio-BP, Swadesh Srivastava, Head, Emerging Mobility Business Unit, Hero MotoCorp Stephen Fernands, President, Customized Energy Solutions, Dr. Rahul Walawalkar, President & MD, CES India & President, IESA and Debi Prasad Dash, Executive Director, IESA.
The 10th edition of India Energy Storage Week (IESW) scheduled from July 1-5, 2024, in New Delhi is dedicated to advancing India’s adoption of energy storage, e-mobility, green hydrogen, and other clean technologies in alignment with the country’s Net Zero Goal.
Sunil Barthwal, Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, and Industry said, “We are producing 21 million cars every year. Although, in terms of percentage, the EV vehicle manufacturing may not look very large at the moment, but if you look at 1.6 million EV vehicles, it requires a whole ecosystem, not only of manufacturing of EV vehicles, manufacturing of batteries, manufacturing of charging ecosystem etc. So I think there is a whole gamut of activities which is going to open up through this energy transition. I feel this is one great opportunity which India is offering to the investors from all over the world to invest in this whole value chain. Indian government as a policy maker is trying to create an ecosystem whereby investments can be encouraged. And I was looking at the figures, I think it is very close to, not less than 500 million dollars of potential investment that exists. Now is the time for businesses to apply their mind, to use the youth of India in R&D, in manufacturing, in creating jobs, in creating employment, and in creating a world which is net zero carbon emission free after a point of time.”
Vikram Gulati, Country Head & Executive V.P. (Corporate Affairs & Governance) Toyota Kirloskar Motor added, “By 2037, we are set to be a USD 35 trillion economy if we keep growing at 7 percent. Now, this may seem great but what it also means is that there will be a huge demand for transportation, mobility, road transportation etc. as we are very low in terms of vehicle penetration in the country. We’re going to see something like 4x energy requirement just for cars from today to perhaps 2030. The government has done a tremendous job in terms of looking at supply side, looking at demand side, going to the components level to be able to create an ecosystem in the country that enables us to shift to a sustainable future rapidly. It’s time for other stakeholders to also step up. It’s also time for us from the industry to make that shift happen.
HE Philip Green OAM, Australia’s High Commissioner to India said, “There is no sector more important in the Australia-India bilateral relationship than the green energy supply sector. And so I was truly delighted when we at the High Commission put out the word that we would like to see a strong Australian delegation here. To find that no fewer than 41 Australian firms had decided to showcase here in this story. I believe that may be the largest foreign contingent that is at this conference and demonstrates our level of commitment. Ours is the country with the largest per capita rooftop solar in the world. So we have much that we are able to share in our ability in that field.”
Dr. Rahul Walawalkar, President & MD, CES India & President, IESA commented, “Today we have featured insightful sessions covering India’s electrification journey, the growth of electric vehicles (EVs), requisite EV charging infrastructure, and opportunities in EV powertrain and component manufacturing and more. India EV day also witnessed significant events including MOU signings, product launches in electric mobility and EV charging sectors, technology sessions, and the prestigious IESA Industry Excellence Awards ceremony.”
Reflecting its role as a global platform, IESW 2024 aims to showcase Indian innovations to the international battery and energy storage community while facilitating partnerships for global companies entering India’s burgeoning battery market.