The ‘International Workshop on Renewable Energy and Storage Devices for Sustainable Development’ was inaugurated today at Amity University. Jointly organized by Amity Institute for Advanced Research and Studies (Materials & Devices), Amity University Uttar Pradesh & Centre for Science and Technology of the Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries (NAM S&T Centre), the three-day virtual programme will host sessions by exemplary speakers from across the globe.
Various deliberations in the workshop will provide an opportunity and unique platform to discuss research activities, the latest developments in clean energy generation, its storage, harnessing and policy-related issues; and to explore avenues of collaboration with top experts from various countries.
Dr. Ashok. K. Chauhan, Founder President, Amity Education Group during the inaugural ceremony welcomed the guests, delegates, speakers, and participants from NAM countries for the deliberations. He stated that renewable energy has a tremendous scope and how scientists & researchers at Amity are working towards contributing in this segment.
Dr. Atul Chauhan, Chancellor, Amity University talked about the passion, dedication and excitement showcased by researchers & scientists at Amity led by the Hon'ble Founder President. He congratulated all the partners and guests for their presence and the ideas shared by them for the future of the renewable energy sector. He averred that research and innovation are the fundamentals of initiating change, making the world a better place.
Chief Guest Ms. Gauri Singh, Deputy Director-General, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) stated that there has been a substantive movement in the field of renewable energy and how the National Solar Mission is helping this cause. She added that renewable power generation has become increasingly competitive with or in many situations less costly than fossil-based or nuclear power. She shared that the energy that the world is looking for must be sustainable, resilient & climate-safe and how transforming the energy scenario will lead to the creation of 22 million more jobs. She averred that for a sustainable & carbon-neutral future, there is a need to have technologies transforming energy scenario. Ms. Singh shared that there is a whole ambit of ideas and innovations for storage solutions in the future and how the pandemic has also led to the governments across the globe announcing stimulus packages for a green recovery. She talked at length about the utility-scale battery storage systems and the increased flexibility they offer in power systems, calling for creating an ecosystem of battery deployment and manufacturing.
Guest of Honor Dr. R.K. Kotnala, Chairman, NABL averred that Amity Group is working towards the upliftment of education in the country. He added that the discussions will enable the discovery of ideas on new green energy.
Guest of Honor, Prof. Vikram Kumar, IIT Delhi stated that the workshop is being held at the right time to find the ways to become Atmanirbhar in solar energy production and called for giving a much-bigger push in R&D in production of solar cells. He shared that increasing deployment of solar power will make it more affordable.
Dr. Amitava Bandopadhyay, Director General, Centre for Science & Technology of the Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries (NAM S&T Centre) called upon the need for developing cleaner sources of energy and increase the share of renewable energy in the future. He stated the importance of leveraging clean energy for sustainable living.
Dr. W. Selvamurthy, Chairman, Amity Science Technology and Innovation Foundation talked of the various research initiatives of Amity University to contribute towards renewable energy mission of the country and to assist in fulfilling the SDG 7 that aims to "Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”.
Dr. V. K. Jain, Professor, Amity Institute of Advanced Research Studies (Material and Devices) in his inaugural address shared the vision behind organizing the conference as aligned with the national task to strengthen its renewable energy mission, especially solar energy further contributing to the economic growth of the country.
Dr. Anjan Ray, CSIR-IIP, talked about ‘City Gas Distribution in India - Supply-side and demand-side interventions for economic and ecological benefits’ during the inaugural plenary session. Dr. A. Subrahmanyam, IIT Madras shared insights on ‘Recycling of renewable energy waste for sustainable future – Challenges and opportunities’ and how it is a big business opportunity and development is possible with innovative technology. In the technical sessions on day 1, Dr. P. K. Bhatnagar, Delhi University elaborated on ‘An Efficient MEH-PPV/ZnO Nanorod Based OLED’ while Dr. Kuldeep Singh, CSIR-CECRI shared his views on ‘Manufacturing of Next Generation Indigenous Lithium-ion Cells: Innovation and challenges for Electric Vehicles & Energy Storage Systems’.
An abstract e-book of the workshop was also released during the occasion that witnessed participation from over 25 countries across the globe along with thousands of students, staff, and faculty members.