Tag: NITI Aayog

Business World

Energy Storage leaders calls for policy measures for Atmanirbhar Bharat this World Energy Storage Day

Sep 23, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Dr Stanley Whittingham, #Energy Storage, #India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), #NITI Aayog, #WESD Global Conference

New Delhi, 23rd September 2020: Marking the importance of energy storage as part of industrial progress and sustainable lives, the 4th World Energy Storage Day was celebrated today. On this occasion, India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), India’s leading alliance on energy storage & e-mobility organized a unique virtual Global Conference & Expo with the aim to bring together industry leaders, policymakers, academia, researchers, and professionals and deliberate upon the need for nurturing a global ecosystem for energy storage. The participants engaged over insightful discussions on four critical aspects of the energy storage ecosystem, i.e., policy and government initiatives, stationary energy storage, e-mobility, and latest innovations and developments in the sector.

The significance of energy storage as an integral part of the electrical grid has been acknowledged by several stakeholders, including large consumers, renewable developers, utilities, grid system operators, and regulators. Moreover, the Government of India has set a target of installing 175 Gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy capacity by the year 2022 and 450 GW by 2030. A large proportion of this capacity will come from hybrid projects, where energy storage will play a very key role. IESA, thus emphasized upon the importance of building a robust energy storage ecosystem, supported by the policy incentives, business leadership, skilled workforce, and inter-industry collaboration to achieve this vision and make India Atmanirbhar in the energy storage sector.

Advanced energy storage technologies are also critical for the upcoming emobility manufacturing sector. With the advances in various battery chemistries and reducing prices, experts predict that this decade will belong to the electric vehicles. India is a little late to invest in the R&D and manufacturing of these technologies, but with the government support and commitment from industry, we can still catch up within the next 3-5 years. It is estimated that India needs to set up at least 50 GWh of annual manufacturing capacity.

NITI Aayog has taken leadership in drafting the Advanced Chemistry Cell Battery Manufacturing Mission as part of the National Mission for Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage. As part of the already announced Phased Manufacturing Plan, the Government has charted out a roadmap for incentivizing the local players by imposing 10-12% import duties on cells. The Government will also provide up to US$ 30 per kWh as an incentive for advanced chemistry cell manufacturing in the country. Therefore, the first movers in the country are certain to have an assured market opportunity.

At the conference, IESA also highlighted the huge employment opportunity presented by India’s energy storage space. However, to unlock this opportunity, there is a need for skill development, reskilling, and upskilling the existing workforce in the country to make them a strategic fit for the energy storage industry. As the energy storage sector evolves further, it will require interdisciplinary skill sets. To bring in the new skill sets and bridge the existing skill gap, there is a requirement for a more intense industry-academic alliance. IESA, through its IESA Academy, is leading the crusade on this front.

Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, in his letter to IESA said “I am pleased to learn that India Energy Storage Alliances and its partners are holding a digital World Energy Storage Day Conclave and Expo. Energy security and sufficiency are pivotal for self- reliant India. We are constantly striving to ensure that electricity reaches everyone, there is sufficient electricity for everyone, and that our environment remains clean. We are also making sure that our resolve towards clean and renewable energy is taken care of in every aspect of life. For, energy access and energy sustainability, we are focused on building a robust storage capability in the country. Efforts like Global Conclave and Expo strengthen this vision. The presence of policymakers, technical experts, and other participants from various countries reflects mankind’s commitment to sustainable development.”

Summing up the key discussions and insights at the event, Dr Rahul Walawalkar, President, India Energy Storage Alliance says “The world is at the cusp of a 21st-century industrial revolution. Energy storage will be at the epicenter of this revolution. The discussions and insights here have set the tone for many strategic interventions across the world towards building a global ecosystem for energy storage in the power & transportation sector. The event emerged as a catalyst towards highlighting the potential of energy storage for future businesses and sustainable living.”

“There is a lot of innovation taking place in the energy storage ecosystem. India presents a significant opportunity of stationary energy storage technologies. In the next 5 years, we are entering into an unprecedented area, where thermal plants will have to pay down 30 percent which is not an ideal situation. At the same time, we do expect that the market for e-vehicles is set to pick up beyond 2022-24. We are coming up with a new report on e-mobility. Due to persistent efforts by various ministries in the last five years, energy storage has picked up rapidly and the technology advancements have also been accelerated. We must focus on building capacity for integrating existing projects and making India a global hub of innovation and R&D. We urge the Indian business leaders to take a lead in terms of investing in the future. As the event highlighted, there is also a need for the right policy and regulatory support, beyond announcements. These initiatives will boost the local ecosystem, make India a self-reliant economy for energy storage, and become the global benchmark. I am confident about the future.”

Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, said “NITI Aayog is working with the World Bank to pilot various energy storage points and projects across the power sector in India. Battery Storage is the undisputable leader in the overall Energy Storage Portfolio. The potential demand for advanced battery storage applications till 2030 in India is expected to reach 230 GW on a Year Year basis while on a cumulative basis, the domestic market demand of 1116 GWh has been estimated. With high priority accorded to Make in India, the government shall soon launch the incentive schemes to invite global companies through the transparent competitive process to set up Mega Manufacturing plant in advanced technologies areas such as Solar Photovoltaic Cell and Advanced Battery Storage in India. The Government stands by its renewable energy generation target as part of its Paris Agreement. The target is 200 GW by 2022 and 240 GW by 2050. Renewables can become dispatchable replacing fossil fuels.

Moreover, the next wave of job creation will come from energy storage in renewable energy. India has the potential for being the fastest-growing market for electric vehicles and the government is committed to the same with policy framework like FAME II for a smoother transition. The government is set to launch a tender to global companies for developing future solar. India is taking concrete steps to develop a favorable business environment for a greener economy. The coming age is the age of cutting-edge energy storage technology.”

H.E. Upendra Tripathy, Director General, International Solar Alliance (ISA) stated, “One of the most important aspects in energy storage is e-vehicles. In order to promote its adoption, Solar cost should be affordable for the masses. Talking about storage economy, the aim is to solarize the storage to generate employment. ISA is closely working with member countries to understand the kind of storage requirements they have. In a first, the World Solar bank is aimed at infusing around $10 billion toward addressing solar projects in the member countries. Storage will play an important role in realizing the ambitious goal of “One World, One Sun, One Grid’ – a term coined by the Prime Minister of India.”

Shri Ghanshyam Prasad, Jt. Secretary, Ministry of Power added, “The day itself talks about the importance of energy storage. Any disruptions that take place in the electricity sector are an opportunity to grow. Renewable energy was introduced in the electricity sector ten years back along with its drawbacks. The very first goal was to achieve 175 GW by 2022. In terms of the advantages of batteries, as the Ministry of Power, we look at it as a grid element ensuring electricity to every household without any interruptions. There are variations as seasonality to renewable sources of power generation. To maintain the reliability of power supply, there has to be some source to take care of the variability and storage is the answer to the same. The plan is to integrate energy storage at the grid element level in the imminent future.

Prof. Stanley Whittingham, 2019 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in a recorded message said, “Lithium battery is already changing the way we store our future energy. The future is bright for the storage and Li-ion batteries are raring to go. Clearly, the battery is not only the medium, hydrogen, pumped hydro and supercapacitors will also be some active contenders for future energy storage requirements. Let’s make, 2020 the decade of energy storage!”

2019 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Dr Stanley Whittingham, who is currently working as a professor of Chemistry at Binghamton University, State University of New York, delivered the keynote at the event. He shared insights about advances in technology and assured delegates that we are just at the cusp of the decade of energy storage. The event brought together 75+ global thought leaders and policymakers to share insights on the latest developments and trends in the policy, technology, and business landscape. Delegates from over 60 countries keenly attended these sessions.

To celebrate the growing importance of energy storage, the Global Energy Storage Alliance started celebrating 22 September as World Energy Storage Day (WESD) in 2017. Over the past three years, the IESA and its partners celebrated WESD with various national-level events to spread the word within each region. This year, with COVID-19 limiting international travel, all the alliances had decided to opt for a virtual platform to jointly celebrate the WESD with this unique conference. For the first time, a marathon online event dedicated to the energy storage and EV industry was organized on this scale.

WESD Global Conference was supported by over 30 partners including, International Solar Alliance and World Bank- ESMAP. Niti Aayog, Invest India, and the Department of Science and Technology were the Indian partners and the Government of Australia was the partner country. The event received support from global alliances and organizations, such as the Alliance for Rural Electrification; The Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (Assocham), The Australian Energy Storage Alliance; BVES- the German Association of Energy Storage Systems; California Energy Storage Alliance; China Energy Storage Alliance; The US Clean Energy States Alliance; Dii Desert Energy; The US Energy Storage Association; European Alliance for Storage of Energy; European Battery Alliance (EBA250); Green Hydrogen Coalition; Indo German Energy Forum, Innovation Norway; Institute of Management Consultants of India; Irish Energy Storage Alliance, New Energy, and Industrial Technology Development Organization, South Africa Energy Storage Association. Customized Energy Solutions was the presenting partner for the event and Amararaja, Exicom, Okaya, UL, BASF, Keysight Technologies, and Curtis have also joined as partners for this global event. For more details, please check (https://energystorageday.org/event/partners/)

Annexure:

The most eminent speakers at the event included Mr. Praveer Sinha- MD & CEO, Tata Power, Dr Sanjay Bajpai- FNAE, Head (Technology Mission Division: Energy & Water), Department of Science & Technology (DST), Mr. Kaushik Burman, Vice President, New Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, Gogoro; H.E. Shri Upendra Tripathy- Director General, International Solar Alliance, Shri Ghanshyam Prasad, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power, Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog, Mr. Saurabh Kumar, Executive Vice Chairperson, EESL Group of Companies, Mr. Vijayanand Samudrala, CEO, Amara Raja Batteries Ltd and Mr. Anshul Gupta, Director, Okaya Power group to name a few. Coming forward for contemplation are some of the most prominent global speakers such as Dr. Tudor Constantinescu, Principal Advisor, Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission, Mr. Chris King, Senior VP, e-Mobility, Siemens, Mr. David Schlosberg, VP, Energy Market Operations, Global Energy Services, e-Mobility EnelX, Mr. John Zahurancik, COO, Fluence Energy, Mr. Steve Blume, President, Smart Energy Council, Mr David Morgado, Senior Energy Policy Specialist, Alliance for Rural Electrification, Mr. Austin R. Bryan, Senior Director, CLP Holdings Limited, Ms. Carla Peterman, Senior Vice President Regulatory Affairs, Southern California Edison, Mr. Brieux Boisdequin, Vice President, Automotive and Materials, BASF India, Mr. Yoshiro Kaku, Chief Representative, New Energy, and Industrial Technology Development Organization, etc.

Refer to (https://energystorageday.org/event/speakers/) for an entire list of speakers.

Why 22nd September?

The sun – the largest source of natural energy – has held much importance through the ages and people have gathered throughout time to worship the sun during the days of solstice and equinox with special rituals. The Autumnal equinox occurs on 22nd September and the day and night are of approximately equal duration i.e. the day is balanced. Energy storage has played a huge role in grid balancing, power supply-demand management, and frequency regulation, and to acknowledge the balancing effects of Energy Storage, 22nd September was chosen as an apt date for the World Energy Storage Day.

Business World

NITI Aayog and ISPP Come Together to Strengthen Policy Ecosystem in India

Sep 19, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Dr Parth J Shah, #Dr. Sekhar Bonu, #Ecosystem, #ISPP, #NITI Aayog

In order to build collaboration for faster intermediation of knowledge and use within the public system, government’s policy thinks tank NITI Aayog’s Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) signed a Statement of Intent (S0I) with Indian School of Public Policy (ISPP).

Dr. Sekhar Bonu, Director General of DMEO and Dr Parth J Shah, Co-founder and Director of ISPP signed the SoI. Alok Mishra, Director (DMEO), Priyanka Sethi, Deputy Director (DMEO), Luis Miranda, Co-founder and Chairman (ISPP), Dr. Shubhashis Gangopadhyay, Dean (ISPP) and Ram Kamesh JV, Head of Partnerships and Strategic Alliance (ISPP) were among other dignitaries present on this occasion.

Together, DMEO and ISPP will work towards engaging, training, mentoring and capacity building of government officials as well as public policy scholars. For this, both parties will work broadly in three main areas i.e Technical Assistance, Capacity Building and Communication and Outreach.

While virtually signing the SoI, Dr. Sekhar Bonu, Director General of DMEO said, ” DMEO aims to develop the monitoring and evaluation ecosystem in the country. We are delighted about this partnership with ISPP, which is aimed at collaboration in capacity building and joint research, as a step towards realising our broader goal.”

Dr. Shubhashis Gangopadhyay, Dean of ISPP said, ‘Given the type of work that DMEO is doing, ISPP would like to bring the faculty together to deep dive as required to ensure qualitative knowledge is being generated and used within the public system’.

Dr Parth J Shah, Director of ISPP, elaborated that Under Technical Assistance, both parties shall engage in knowledge exchange, joint research studies, impact evaluations, rapid assessments as required based on the sectoral, technological, methodological and/or survey-related expertise of ISPP. Under Capacity Building, activities will be conducted to strengthen the capacity of regional institutions/local researchers in the area of monitoring and evaluation of development programmes, leveraging expert domain areas of ISPP, which are Health, Urban Governance, Education, Technology, Environment, Gender, National Security & Regulation.

While under Communications and Outreach, evidence building exercises, organising joint conferences and podcast series will be conducted wherein ISPP scholars will interact and interview the DMEO and NITI Aayog’s experts on current policy issues, evaluations and perspectives.

Other areas such as Live projects for ISPP scholars, internships, exchange of experts between DMEO and ISPP will also be explored.

For more information, please contact:
Ram Kamesh J V,
Partnerships and Strategic Alliances, ISPP
ram@ispp.org.in/ +91 9100057140

News

At Niti Aayog they have become Rai Sahabs”: Former bureaucrat Anil Swaroop to Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now

Sep 7, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Anil Swaroop, #Kailashnath Adhikari, #NITI Aayog

India, September 2020: Former bureaucrat Anil Swaroop has called for reforms in civil services with a focus on leadership skills and not analytical skills. He has said that expertise and analytical skills can be outsourced but the attitude has to be developed.     

Swaroop, who is the ex-secretary, School Education and Coal and founder chairman ‘Nexus of Good’ movement has said Swaroop, who is the ex-secretary, School Education and Coal and founder chairman ‘Nexus of Good’ movement has said while speaking to media that at present right from selection to the time of retirement handling of civil servants is not worthy of mention. ‘’In our manner of selection of civil servants, there are only accidental leaders. We select people who can write the exam in those three hours. The nature of questions is such that they test analytical skills but not leadership skills.” He was in a webinar with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now  

Responding to a question on if the government allowing lateral entry in bureaucracy and Niti Ayog bringing down the retirement age limit to 60 years at the state and central levels will help improve governance, Swaroop said, ‘At Niti Aayog they have become ‘Rai Sahabs’. The problem in civil services is not about expertise but about the approach and that is critical. The ethos has to change.  Because as you rise up the ladder you need to manage men and women so you need leaders, not experts. I am not against their lateral entry but if they are not brought in a manner that is objective and  transparent  in the process  there could be serious trouble.” He also criticized the fact that no thought is given before postings.   

Swaroop also said that technology must be implemented in government offices to weed out corruption. The unusual situation brought in by COVID has emphasized on the use of technology in all walks of life and the use of time to reinvent. I am talking of using technology and transparency..virtually eliminating corruption.. railways managed to handle corruption through technology.. both the departments of coal and education that I headed, I dispensed with old papers files. Everything was digitized ..what aren’t the ministries  digitizing  their processes and their files because much of the corruption  is on account of .. ….which we call speed money…. since I made the processes transparent the world knew which officer was sitting on which file for how much time.. I am convinced that with use of technology we can mitigate the ill effects of corruption substantially” said Swaroop who has authored two books, ‘Ethical Dilemmas of a Civil Servant’ and ‘Not Just a Civil Servant.’  

Business World

Arogya Setu App attained its desired success due to efficient Telecom Infrastructure in India, Mr. Ajit Pai, Distinguished Expert, NITI Aayog

Aug 11, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #AP Mahesh Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd, #AT&T Global Network Services India Private Ltd, #Deputy Managing Director (Strategy) & Chief Digital Officer, #Distinguished Expert, #Head of IT Department, #Management Director & Chief Executive Officer, #Mr. Ajit Pai, #Mr. Arun Karna, #Mr. Badrinath Kilambi, #Mr. Ravindra Pandey, #Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal, #NITI Aayog, #PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, #Sr. Vice President, #State Bank of India

Investment inflow in infrastructure, logistics and telecom industry is of utmost priority for NITI Aayog, which will also aid India’s economic growth and development deliberated Mr. Ajit Pai, Distinguished Expert, NITI Aayog in a session organized by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry on ‘Role of Telecom Infrastructure in Digital Services during COVID-19’ on 10th August, 2020

Mr. Ajit Pai, mentioned that the Arogya Setu App attained its desired success due to efficient telecom infrastructure in India. While the basics of infrastructure are in place, but we still have a long way to go for state of art-infrastructure in Telecom sector. Telecom, digital technologies, and its penetration in India enabled us to smoothly manage our work during the times of the pandemic. The quality of communication was smooth with less interruption, said Mr. Ajit Pai.

Giving a brief about Bharat Net Project, he mentioned that while we are focusing on infrastructure and technology, focusing on its usage in our daily routine is also of prime importance. The government and NITI Aayog are undertaking collaborative measures for the growth and development of this sector and making it swift, time-saving, and cost-effective.

Mr. Ravindra Pandey, Deputy Managing Director (Strategy) & Chief Digital Officer, State Bank of India in his deliberation discussed the importance of telecom for mobility. He mentioned two things that form the backbone which includes a new vertical that has been created to look after the financial inclusion and developing the agricultural sector by boosting it with digitalization by reducing the footfall of customers in the banks.

He highlighted the need to improve the mobility infrastructure and improving the consistency in the communication channel. Telecom infrastructure needs to be consistent with seamless connectivity. Due to the pandemic, the digitalization of banking services has increased creating an opportunity to uplift the digital and telecom infrastructure to cater to future needs of the Nation. With an increase in the power and telecom consumption, up-gradation of infrastructure is of paramount importance.

Mr. Arun Karna, Management Director & Chief Executive Officer, AT&T Global Network Services India Private Ltd in his presentation discussed that COVID-19 is not a short-term thing, rather it has accelerated the need for digital services and existing trends and made changes for the long term. He also discussed how the priorities of enterprises have changed since COVID-19 by improving operational efficiency; reducing costs; maintaining market shared and competitiveness; increasing consumer satisfaction, accelerating product development, improving supplier relationship etc.

He deliberated on the digital transformation that is delivering edge to edge capabilities, change in the customer expectation and the intervention of Artificial Intelligence network in driving digital future and transformation along with the coming up of 5G network technology, leading the path towards a technology-driven future.

Mr. Badrinath Kilambi, Head of IT Department, AP Mahesh Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd mentioned as to how telecom was the backbone of our ecosystem during COVID-19 and sectors like IT, telecom and infrastructure depend on banks for support. Mr Badrinath Kilambi mentioned that the consistency and reliability of the telecom and digital services are of the utmost importance for the development of the nation.

Video Conferences, business meetings, online education have all been possible from home. The e-servies, OTT platforms, e-commerce and e-governance have increased significantly during the pandemic, said Mr. Kilambi

Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal, Sr. Vice President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in his welcome address while deliberating on the current Covid-19 spoke about how only in these times have we realized the importance, need and stability of telecom infrastructure. Mr. Aggarwal mentioned that the pandemic has demonstrated the critical importance that telecommunications infrastructure plays in keeping businesses, governments, and societies connected and running. The economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic has made people across the globe rely on technology for information, for social distancing, and working from home, added Mr. Aggarwal.

The current pandemic has painted an entirely new image of growth for certain sectors, especially the telecommunication sector, which has played the role of a lifesaver for the companies and individuals during quarantine and lockdown. Given the quick spread of COVID-19 and an increase in countries imposing restrictions on movement, our daily lives had required more time at home and more usage of data for work and leisure, resulting in a significant impact on the Telecom sector, said Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal

Giving an overview of the Telecom sector in these crucial times Mr. Aggarwal said that even as the COVID-19 pandemic is catalyzing digital transformation across business models, channels and touch points. Underlying this shift is the need for greater organizational agility as well as closer ties with customers in changing world order.

Mr. Sandeep Aggarwal, Chairman-Telecom Committee, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in his deliberation mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that digital connectivity is critical to societal resilience and business continuity in times of crisis. We have now gone digital and this pandemic has significantly accelerated the adoption of digital technologies.

India needs to invest heavily in telecom infrastructure. Capital investments need acceleration. Organizations are reimagining their business models, relooking at talent management strategies, and fast-tracking digitalization efforts to be more resilient to disruption. Banking and payments, critical pillars of the economy, are among the core areas that have seen a major uptick in digital offerings and adoption, said Mr. Aggarwal.

While appreciating the Government’s reform in the Telecom Sector in these trying pandemic times Mr. Aggarwal added that the digital payment volumes are also receiving a boost through the Government. They were once a convenience but have become a necessity in these times.

Mr. Alok Mukherjee, Co-Chairman-Telecom Committee, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry while moderating the technical session, gave an overall industry perspective and how it worked during the times of COVID-19. He also deliberated about the need to enhance the Telecom Infrastructure in Digital Services in the country.

Dr. Yogesh Srivastav, Principal Director, PHD Chamber, delivered the formal vote of thanks to all the delegates along with moderating the session. The session also witnessed the presence of Mr. Vinod Jain, Chairman and Mr. Jyoti Prakash Gadia, Co-Chairman of the Banking, Financial Services & Insurance Committee, PHD Chamber along with other industry stalwarts’ pan-India. The session was supported by AP Mahesh Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd and was attended by around 100 participants from the industry.