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EARTH DAY REVIEW
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Earth Day 2020: IESA unites clean energy and transportation leaders on one platform
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s countries haul through lockdown in the wake of COVID19 pandemic, a positive after effect is seen in the form of the nature reclaiming its space. This more than ever has forced us to rethink about how we can sustain the environmental gains and reduce climate impact in a post-lockdown world.
India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) in an international collaboration with the Earth Day Network (EDN) commemorated the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2020, by bringing together leaders, policymakers and top industry voices on Clean Energy and Clean Transportation: Key to Fight Climate Change.
“The concept of conserving Earth is not new in the Indian tradition. India has historically witnessed various people’s movements like the ‘Chipko’ movement, which emerged from the same vein of thought. We must take suo moto action towards environmental protection wherever possible. We should take effective steps towards a cleaner environment, it could be as simple as taking cycle to work, walking, spending an evening without power under the moon or any other means that could reduce emissions. We should also take the time to think of ways we can promote fewer polluting startups and innovations in the industry.”
Arjun Ram Meghwal MoS Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises | May-June 2020
The speakers discussed the progress that has been made so far, immediate and longterm impact of the pandemic on renewables and clean transportation industry, and the challenges and opportunities ‘new normal’ offers to industries and individuals.
“In India, the penetration of renewables is going to lead the way in the next decade with the target of 450GW. Our endeavor is to not only bring in plain vanilla (business) models of wind and solar but also bring in those business models that will now supply 24x7 renewable power. We are also doing innovative modelling. We are looking at uniformity of policies and combining RE power with thermal power, so that asset utilization is brought to its maximum. The amendment brought in through the latest draft Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill, 2020, is encouraging for the power sector and we want stakeholders to give comments on the same.” Dayanand Jagdale Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)
