India and the USA are strengthening
their relations in clean energy sector. While recognizing the need to work
towards a just, orderly and sustainable energy transition, which prioritizes
access to reliable, affordable, and clean energy supplies, the sides welcomed
the important role that energy trade plays in supporting the national
priorities of both countries during the U.S.-India Strategic Clean Energy
Partnership Ministerial meeting held in Washington D.C. on 16th September
2024.
U.S.-India Strategic Clean Energy
Partnership is based on the five technical pillars under the SCEP, including
Power & Energy Efficiency, Responsible Oil & Gas, Renewable Energy,
Emerging Fuels & Technologies, and Sustainable Growth. This partnership is
giving momentum for cooperation between the two countries for clean energy
innovation, strengthen energy security, and accelerate clean energy
transitions, including through more focused efforts on clean energy
manufacturing and building resilient, responsible, stable, secure and
diversified supply chains.
The two countries have made progress
to accelerate development and deployment of emerging clean energy technologies,
advancing renewable energy deployment and reliable grid integration, promote
energy efficiency, and advance decarbonization of high-emitting sectors like
industry, buildings, and transport.
India and the USA have launch
of the Renewable Energy Technology Action Platform (RETAP) in August 2023.
It is aimed at developing actionable roadmaps for hydrogen, long duration
energy storage, offshore wind, and geothermal, through R&D, pilots and
demonstration, and incubation-investment-industry networks.
The two countries are now
collaborating on the new National Centre for Hydrogen Safety in
India. Bilateral expert exchanges between the two countries on clean hydrogen
R&D, cost reduction efforts, and implementation of hydrogen hubs in both
countries through RETAP, the public-private Hydrogen Task Force
is es expanding rapidly. Nowadays India and USA are working on use of green
hydrogen in buses, tractors and heavy equipment.
It is also important to support
large-scale grid integration of renewable energy while enabling flexible and
reliable grid operations through energy storage. The public-private Energy
Storage Task Force has been launched to address policy and
regulatory frameworks, safety, manufacturing and supply chains, and innovative
business models; focused RETAP efforts on long duration energy storage and
alternative chemistries to Li-ion technologies; efforts on the technical and economic
feasibility of various storage technologies available for a renewable
energy battery energy storage system (BESS) in the state of Assam;
and support for BESS bids and pilots in Haryana. The sides also
recognized pumped storage as a long-term energy storage
option.
India’s efforts for modernizing
the power distribution sector to supply 24/7 reliable
power to consumers is highly appreciated by the USA. The USA has supported
for India’s smart metering deployment, as well as expanded efforts on
inverter-based resources, power market reforms, system inertia estimation, and
cybersecurity.
The Indian Railways (IR) makes efforts
to achieve net zero emissions by 2030. This step is welcomed by the USA. India
and the USA are collaborating for India’s first round-the-clock renewable
energy procurement of over 1.5 GW and development an energy efficiency policy
and action plan for all railway facilities.
The two countries agreed to give
an impetus to sustainable aviation fuel. In this context, the sides
welcomed new engagement on sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) with
an inaugural SAF workshop to support training on R&D, tax incentives,
supply chain capacity building, market development, financing opportunities,
fuel certification, regional and international coalition building, and
facilitating commercial partnerships.
Both countries reiterated their
commitment to enhance energy efficiency and welcomed collaboration
on super-efficient appliances to improve efficiency standards,
boost the deployment and manufacturing of high efficiency affordable cooling
systems and promote supply chain diversification.
India and the USA are now collaborating
on electrification of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles including through a
series of related workshops and structured expert exchanges on transport
electrification for e-freight, including electric buses.
The work on advanced research and
development of new smart grid and energy storage technologies under the
recently concluded the US-India CollAborative for Smart DiStribution System
wIth Storage (UI-ASSIST) program under the U.S.-India Partnership toAdvance Clean Energy-Research (PACE-R) is now started.
Indian company Waaree has made investment in a 3GW state-of the-art solar module manufacturing facility in Texas.
(Source: PIB)
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