Thiru Dr. T.R.B. Rajaa, Minister for Industries, Investment Promotion & Commerce, T.N, inaugurated India’s First Energy Festival

Chennai, 4th Jan 2024: In an endeavour to position India as a driving force in the transition towards a cleaner, more sustainable future, IIT Madras Research Park along with India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) flagged off EnVision – India’s First Energy Festival today. The two-day conference will be attended by 500+ delegates, bringing together energy experts, industry leaders, policymakers, academia, researchers, and students to ideate, share perspectives to accelerate technology led energy transformation in India.

Minister for Industries, Investment Promotion & Commerce, Government of Tamil Nadu, Thiru Dr. T.R.B. Rajaa, inaugurated the two-day event. Former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India, Padmavibhusan Dr. Anil Kakodkar and Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman Axilor Ventures and Co-founder, Infosys also graced the event.

Speaking at the inauguration Dr. TRB Rajaa said, “Tamil Nadu is 50% green, with 40% solar energy and 50% wind energy. We are now pushing ourselves to go up to 75%. Green Hydrogen is something that is extremely promising. Pump storage is a key part of the entire green hydrogen initiative that we are taking up in Tamil Nadu. Offshore wind energy is also something which Prof. Jhunjhunwala and I are very keen on. Now we are looking for 10 GW of initial deployment. Climate change is very close to my mind, and I have always said that people should have climate common sense. This is something the government of TN is also trying to inculcate into every single mind, from school to college. We are trying to make this a part of the society. We do know that climate consciousness does not come easily in a day. It’s time that as a society all of us should come together and be the change that we want to see.

We have a TN green fund which is a 1000 Cr fund to develop green products. I would love to have this team here and the energy festival come up with ideas to help the Tamil Nadu government and India reach its sustainable energy goal.”

“Is the earth moving towards Pralay (destruction)? The December 4th cyclone in Chennai and the cyclone in Southern Tamil Nadu, on 17th December certainly points towards this. India is number three in the world in terms of total GHG emission, even though its per capita emission is small. As India’s GDP grows, our GHG emissions will continue to grow. We need to reverse this as soon as possible. Also, when a climate-change event occurs, the low-income people in countries like India are the worst sufferers. We need to move urgently towards fossil-free energy. The best way to do it is to make Green Energy economically viable. This is already happening, but more is needed,” said Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala, President of IIT Madras Research Park, IITM Incubation Cell & RTBI.

“With this in mind, we have curated EnVision as a unique platform that brings together key stakeholders in energy – industry leaders, startups, researchers, policymakers and the wider community. We have some brainstorming events, which will take place in parallel to the conference. One is brainstorming on tomorrow’s solar technology, while another is on micro-nuclear energy. In a third brainstorming session, we look at Heating and Cooling, a primary source of GHG emissions today. The fourth such workshop is focusing on CSIR Labs and is titled Lab to Market for Net-Zero technologies. By sharing ideas, forging partnerships, and exploring critical energy themes over the next three days, I am confident that EnVision will serve as a catalyst to accelerate India’s transition to clean energy”, he added.

Across the two days, EnVision features an impressive line-up of 50+ top energy voices from industry, academia & government including: Dr. Milind Kulkarni (Chairman & CEO, Renaissance Solar & Electronic Materials), Mr. Sujoy Ghosh (Vice President & Country Managing Director, First Solar), Dr. Chock Karuppaiah (CTO, Ohmium, Founder & Chairman of the Board, Vetri Labs) etc ; Dr. N. Kalaiselvi (Director General of CSIR), Ms. Lise Talbot Barré (Consul General of France in Pondicherry and Chennai), Mr. Oliver Ballhatchet MBE (Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, representing the UK in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry), Dr. Anil Kakodkar (Chancellor, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Chairman, Rajiv Gandhi Science & Technology Commission & Former Chairman, AEC), Dr. Vijayan P. K. (Former Director, Reactor Design and Development Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre) and more.

The conference delves into 10+ thematic areas aligned with the overarching theme of techno-economic readiness and commercialization of renewable energy technologies. These themes include:

  • Green buildings
  • Solar manufacturing
  • Electric mobility
  • Energy storage
  • Nuclear energy
  • Climate finance
  • Heating & cooling
  • Climate Policy
  • Green hydrogen
  • Waste to energy
  • Motors & controllers

 

With these key energy themes in focus, delegates will attend 25+ curated keynotes & panel discussions, 4 brainstorming sessions bridging R&D to commercialisation and an exhibition showcasing the latest climate tech solutions essential for the Net-Zero energy transition from India’s leading industries, startups, and innovators.

EnVision builds upon the success of its inaugural edition, which attracted over 400 energy delegates and featured over 30 sessions on diverse energy themes. Aligning with IITM Research Park’s 10X vision to drive India’s Net-Zero ambitions, EnVision aims to amplify its role in establishing and initiating a nationwide movement towards a sustainable energy future.

Find the links to the featured publications below:

The Hindu | Times of India | UNI | ET Energy World | Energetica | ETV Bharat |