India, EU collaborate to power energy access and affordable renewable storage

Recently, a meeting was held to discuss cooperation under the EU-India Clean Energy and Climate Partnership.

Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President, European Green Deal, European Union, and R. K. Singh, Minister of Union Power and New & Renewable Energy, met in New Delhi. The conversation covered energy efficiency, renewable energy, including solar and offshore wind, green hydrogen, energy storage, diversification of the world’s energy supply chain, the International Solar Alliance, India’s G20 presidency, and how India and the EU can work together on the transition to clean energy.

“Looking for Partners who believe in going Green as fast as possible”

The minister of electricity and new and renewable energy stated the visiting EU team that as India’s economy develops, the demand for power is increasing. While India’s installed capacity is currently 416 GW, by 2030 it will have doubled. As a result, India is rapidly increasing its capacity for producing electricity. Even though India’s per capita and total emissions are among the lowest in the world, the minister emphasised that the country has become a global leader in the energy transition and climate action.

“Need to Add Manufacturing Facilities for Energy Storage, to Bring Down Storage Cost”

The minister briefed the delegation from the European Union on the numerous measures India is taking to boost its capacity for renewable energy. The most cutting-edge solar cell and panel manufacturing capacity is expanding, and by 2030, 80 GW of total manufacturing capacity will be available. This will satisfy India’s needs and provide a surplus for exporting. This will deal with the global supply chain problems. Storage is necessary for the shift to net-zero and the provision of renewable energy around-the-clock.

The government is putting out bids for more storage as a result of recognising the need to increase storage capacity. The Indian government has previously submitted a bid for a production-linked incentive for energy storage, and it intends to submit another one. He sought for the EU’s assistance in encouraging other nations to build more factories for energy storage so that the cost of storage would decrease.

“Journey to Green Hydrogen needs to be on the basis of free and open trade”

The industry is converting to green hydrogen, and if this transition is to continue, it must be based on free and open trade with no restrictions. Protectionism must be guarded, and if we want to use green hydrogen more frequently, we must boost the capacity of the factories that make electrolysers. He stated that India would submit a PLI bid on that matter.

The Executive Vice President of the European Green Deal praised India for its innovation in renewable energy and energy efficiency and recommended that the two sides work together to discover ways to advance the cause of energy efficiency on a global scale and contribute to the establishment of global energy efficiency goals.

The necessity of global goals for the introduction of renewables and the importance of considering how to build industrial ecosystems that promote renewables. New solar panel generations are being developed in the EU, and green hydrogen is also gaining traction, making Europe a genuine global market. He believed that the locations producing green hydrogen would attract industrial investment due to the high costs of transportation.

Grid-Scale Battery-based Energy Storage Systems

India has created a unique production-linked incentive for batteries for green mobility, creating the possibility for collaboration in batteries for grid-scale storage. One of the major markets for green mobility will be India, where by 2030, 80 percent of the country’s 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, and roughly 50 percent of its 4-wheelers are expected to be green.

Given the increasing demand for cooling and heating, a lot of innovation is anticipated in the field of heat pumps. In the EU, there is strong consensus that renewable energy adoption and the green transition are necessary.

Need to Detoxify Agriculture

The Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister expressed the government’s goal of detoxifying agriculture, by making a transition away from chemical fertilisers in the times to come.

“Need to Support Energy-Populations in Getting Energy Access”

It was discussed that 800 million people worldwide lack access to energy. The Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister highlighted that although India and the EU progress through this partnership, a substantial portion of the global population, particularly in the continent of Africa, suffers from inadequate access to energy.

The two sides talked about the International Solar Alliance’s role in providing solar energy to the millions of people in Africa without access to energy. According to the Minister, we must assist them in obtaining clean energy and encourage nations to collaborate with the International Solar Alliance in order to advance clean energy.