Some of the emerging themes that would be discussed at ACE include, rapid advancements in offshore wind technology, enabling it to become cheaper, and possibly viable for larger swathes of global populations. In India, the waters off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu alone are expected to hold over 70 GW of wind energy capacities. WRI India’s research, and those of its partners, on pathways to scale offshore wind, as rapidly as solar, within the Indian context would be discussed.

Financing alternatives to fossil fuel has long been a challenge, but green taxonomies, and central bank directives to the entities they govern are beginning to change lending practices globally. In India, expanding access to electricity into sectors like agriculture, fisheries and allied activities has received much attention, but financing these new technologies, broadly under the rubric of Decentralized Renewable Energy, would require a multi-pronged approach of public and private financing. ACE would facilitate a discussion on this as well.

We would also discuss how the Association of Renewable Energy Agencies of States, or AREAS, could better serve the new and fast maturing renewables ecosystem in India. AREAS was registered as a society under the patronage of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy almost a decade ago, when nascent renewable energy (RE) technologies were being piloted across the country in diverse settings. Much has changed since, and the needs of the RE sector has rapidly evolved as well, requiring a shift in gear on state-support,

In its third edition after a break during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, we at WRI India’s Energy Program, are looking forward to these discussions and much more, to ensure India achieves its ambitious goals of carbon neutrality by 2070 and lives up to its pledges on renewables and Sustainable Development Goals.

Agenda

DAY 2 – Wednesday, 19TH OCTOBER 2022

Enablers of Energy Transitions Session 3: Applying data to understand the impending change in energy demand from EVs on the electric grid

Estimates suggest India would require about 400,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, up from a mere 1742 in less than five years if the country is to meet the charging demand from about two million EVs expected to hit Indian roads by 2026. But the country’s power grids are under-equipped to meet this demand since there is no data or knowledge about how much demand would change by, and where. It is important that we gather better data, so that utilities can make better decisions on investing in EV charging infrastructure, and better managing the increased and changed demand. This session will attempt to comprehend the current EV environment in India and the sector’s long-term objectives. We will hear perspectives from distribution utility representatives in India, and peers in other parts of the world on the research and a pilot programme attempted by the municipality of Utrecht, The Netherlands. WRI India’s research that culminated with the production of a data-driven tool to assess real-time EV charging demand, will also be presented.

Panel discussion

Moderator: Sudhendu J Sinha, Adviser (Infrastructure Connectivity – Transport and Electric Mobility), NITI Aayog, Government of India

Speakers:

• Akshima Ghate, Managing Director, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) India
• Sunil Sharma, Deputy General Manager – Sustainability & Cleantech, BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL)
• Matthijs Kok, Project Leader/Senior Policy Advisor, Electric Transport and Charging Infrastructure, Municipality of Utrecht, Netherlands
• Dr. Maria Xylia, Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
• Akansha Saklani, Manager, Energy, WRI India.