Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

India Seeks Greater Cooperation With France In Clean Energy Field

February 23, 2023
clean energy

India has called for greater cooperation with France in the field of clean energy and highlighted its plans for green transitioning to EVs and hydrogen energy. Indian renewable sector ranks fourth on the list of the world’s most attractive renewable energy sectors and solar energy is the most abundant source of renewable power in the country.

Inaugurating the Indo-French Workshop on Clean and Sustainable Energy Technologies (INFINITE) at CSIR – National Physical Laboratory, Dr. S. Chandrasekhar, Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology said that the Government in 2022 had set a target of installing 100 GW of solar energy.  He added that using the Thar Desert as a site for solar power generation, India is estimated to generate up to 2,100 GW of solar energy.

Dr Chandrasekhar referred to another initiative of the Govt. of India and that is the National Biofuel Policy, which aims to achieve a 20% blending of ethanol in petrol and a 5% blending of biodiesel in diesel by 2030.

Dr Chandrasekhar pointed out that an area to focus upon is Carbon Capture and Storage and as estimated by NITI Aayog, theoretically, India has a total geological CO2 storage capacity of 400-600 Gt considering the depleted oil and gas reservoirs, un-mineable coal seams, saline aquifers, basalts, etc. He said, the government has designed policies, programs, and a liberal environment to attract foreign investments to ramp up the country in the renewable energy market at a rapid rate.

Department of Science and Technology is also interested in encouraging international collaborations on clean energy research. “I hope the process and technologies that will be discussed in this workshop will be of enormous potential in mitigating the impact of climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions”, Secretary added.

In her address, Dr. N. Kalaiselvi Director General, CSIR and Secretary DSIR, said that India needs huge augmentation in the manufacturing of renewable energy technologies and infrastructures. She underlined that partnership with France and other G20 countries are required for green energy generation, storage and conversion, particularly green hydrogen, green ammonia, and energy storage infrastructures. India and France have long standing bilateral research co-operation specially to augment research on clean and renewable energies, she added.

Pr. Antoine Petit, CEO of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) expressed appreciation for the strong partnership between the two countries and emphasized the importance of collaboration in achieving a sustainable energy transition through new bilateral programs.

The objective of the workshop is to bring together experts, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders from both countries to exchange knowledge, ideas, and best practices on the development and deployment of clean and sustainable energy technologies. The workshop will feature a range of presentations and discussions on various topics related to Solar Energy, Hydrogen Energy, Carbon Capture Utilization & Storage, Electrochemical Energy Storage, and Clean Fuels.