IIT Roorkee Hosts International Conference on ‘Hydro and Renewable Energy- Net Zero Carbon Energy Systems’
The conference theme ties in with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) to create net carbon-free energy systems in India by 2070.
IIT Roorkee Hosts International Conference on ‘Hydro and Renewable Energy- Net Zero Carbon Energy Systems’
By India Today Web Desk: The Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Roorkee will host a two-day international conference on ‘Hydro and Renewable Energy – Net Zero Carbon Energy Systems’ 2022 (ICHRE 2022) on campus.
Organized by the Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy, IIT Roorkee, the conference will provide a platform for national and international experts to discuss ways to move towards zero-carbon energy systems. The conference theme ties in with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) to create zero-carbon energy systems in India by 2070.
During the inaugural session, Professor ML Sharma, Acting Director of IIT Roorkee, said: “The Institute is proud to host such international conferences.” Net zero carbon energy systems are vital to tackle climate change, the impact of which is becoming increasingly visible around the world. I am sure that this conference will lead to research collaborations, partnerships and results that will boost the development of new technologies in hydropower and renewable energy.”
The keynote speeches on Day 1 were delivered by Dr. Vahan Gevorgian, Chief Engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), USA, and Reji Kumar Pillai, President, India Smart Grid Forum.
On this occasion, Reji Kumar Pillai, President of the India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF), India, highlighted the importance of smart grid technologies and distributed generation in achieving zero carbon energy systems in India.
During the welcome speech, Professor Mukesh Kumar Singhal, Head of the Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy, IIT Roorkee, welcomed national and international guests and participants to this conference. He emphasized that the department has been at the forefront of clean energy education and research for 40 years with pioneering work in small hydropower.
In recent years, the department has expanded its teaching and research offerings to include solar photovoltaics, wind power generation, energy storage including pump storage, hydropower and hydrogen energy storage, and integration of renewable energy technologies with the power grid.
A keynote session is scheduled for Day 2 of the conference, where Professor Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi, and SR Narasimhan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO) will hold their keynote addresses.
Professor Himanshu Jain, HRED and Organizing Secretary, ICHRE 2022, presented an overview of the conference and mentioned that given the wide range of improvements required for net-zero energy systems, papers were invited on eight tracks. The topics have been selected to cover all aspects of energy systems – energy generation, energy storage, network integration, policies and regulations necessary to provide a favorable environment for greening energy systems.
Professor Rhythm Singh, HRED and Organizing Secretary, ICHRE 2022 addressed the inaugural session and thanked the dignitaries and participants for attending this conference.
In addition, the two panel sessions are also organised. On day one there will be a panel discussion on ‘Technologies for Achieving Net-Zero Carbon Energy Systems’ in which the following members participate:
- dr. Pierre Millet Innovation Director, Elogen, France
- dr. Pranavamoorthy Balasubramanian Technology Manager, Eaton
- dr. Vahan Gevorgian, Chief Engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), USA
- Shri Reji Kumar Pillai President, India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF), India
On Day 2, a panel discussion was scheduled on “Policies for Achieving Net Carbon-Free Energy Systems” with the participation of
- Professor Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi
- SR Narasimhan Chairman and General Manager, Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO)
- Abhishek Ranjan Senior Vice President, ReNew Power, India
- Abhishek Jain Fellow & Director – Powering Livelihoods, Council On Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), India
- Both panel sessions are moderated by Prof. dr. Arun Kumar, HRED.
In addition to the above, technical papers were invited on the following topics, which will be presented in 5 technical sessions over two days:
- The role of hydropower and pumped storage in the decarbonisation of the energy sector.
- Advances in established renewable energy technologies.
- Upcoming renewable energy technologies.
- Development and implementation of energy storage.
- Grid integration challenges and opportunities.
- The role of distributed energy sources in carbon-free energy systems.
- Negative emission technologies.
- Policies and Regulations for Achieving Net Zero Carbon Goals
IIT Roorkee’s Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy (HRED) was founded in 1982 and will complete its Ruby anniversary this year. The department’s vision is to tap the huge renewable energy potential in the country and build the energy generation expertise and capacity through research and development in small hydropower and other renewable energy sources.
