International Delegation and Key Policy Makers Take Center-stage at Asia’s Largest Energy Trade Expo, Renewable Energy India 2017
UBM India today launched the 11th edition of the Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo, the three-day (20th to 22nd September 2017) show at the India Expo Center, Greater Noida. The expo was inaugurated by key dignitaries, Shri Upendra Tripathy, IAS, Interim Director General, International Solar Alliance ( ISA ); Mr. Justin Wu, Head of APAC, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Hong Kong; Ms. Henriette Faergemann, Counsellor – Environment, Energy, Climate Change, Delegation of the European Union to India; Mr. Hans-Josef Fell, President of the Energy Watch Group (EWG ) & Former Member of German Parliament; Mr. Naoki Tomotake, Director General International Affairs, NEDO, Japan; Mr. Rene Van Berkel, UNIDO Representative to India; Shri Anand Kumar, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India; Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India; Mr. Michael Duck, Senior Vice President, UBM Asia and Mr. Rajneesh Khattar, Group Director, UBM India amidst an august industry gathering.
The show discussed global best practices and sought solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in the power and energy sector, bringing in internationally renowned exhibitors, consultants, business experts and key government officials under one grand platform. At the opening ceremony of the Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo, Anand Kumar, the Secretary of India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), stated, “Under Prime Minister Modi, we up-scaled our total renewable energy target to 175 GW by 2022. With advancements in technology, and with price of solar and wind reducing, we are not only sure but confident that we will not only achieve the target, but exceed it. In recent consultations, the MNRE has begun to take more seriously the potential of India’s offshore wind and hydropower capacities, and hinted that these technologies will be brought under the renewable energy target.” Kumar also spoke of India’s ‘silent revolution’, which will see the country rapidly scale up its electricity generation capacity and consumption. “The key challenge is: how should we enable higher energy consumption in India, at a cost people are willing to pay?” he asked, adding: “And not only willing to pay, but able to pay?” The path of least resistance, he affirmed, is the one with the lowest carbon intensity. “India has limited fossil fuels. We depend on imports for petroleum. If we have to support and meet the demand of 1.25 billion people, then renewables are the only way.”
Kumar also turned his attention to manufacturing, particularly solar manufacturing where, he said, India’s capabilities are “modest” at best. He concluded. “We should set up manufacturing bases for batteries in India. Once we overcome the obstacle of storage, then the ideal of 24-hour free energy for the people can be realized.”
The 11th edition of REI saw participation from countries high on the Renewable Energy Attractiveness Index such as India, Japan, Germany, France, Poland, USA, Korea, China and Taiwan amongst others. The expo is supported by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of India (MNRE), Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI), Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (IREDA), New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) Japan, Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF), Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), Mercom Capital, etc. Bringing together manufacturers, EPC and service providers, the expo had over 750 participating exhibitors. These included — Adani Solar, Tata Power Solar, Azure Power, Sky Power, Canadian Solar, Huawei, Trina Solar, Jinko Solar, Siemens Gamesa, Vikram Solar, Waaree Energies, Mitsubishi, Delta Electronics, Panasonic, SMA, ABB, Kyocera, Sterling & Wilson, Mahindra Sustain, Applied Materials, POSCO and Fronious, amongst others. The show also featured prominent country pavilions from Japan, China, Poland, France, Korea, and Taiwan to name a few.
The trade show was preceded by the 3rd Renewable Energy India Awards that aimed to recognise the innovation and excellence in the industry, and promote their talent. The Awards had an august audience of industry stalwarts competing under various categories from both manufacturing and implementing communities. It included a panel discussion on ‘Defining the Future in the Age of Falling RE Tariffs’ with eminent industry speakers – Mr. Manu Srivastava, IAS, Principal Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Department of New & Renewable Energy and Chairperson, Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited, Mr. K S Popli, CMD, IREDA; Mr. Sunil Jain, CEO & Executive Director, Hero Future Energies; Mr. P Vinay Kumar, COO, Greenko Group; Mr. G Raghuma Reddy, CMD, Telangana Southern Power Distribution Company Ltd.; Mr. Pawan Agarwal, Dy. Head – Corporate Finance & National Head – Renewable Energy, YES Bank and Mr. Dilip Nigam, Advisor, MNRE in attendance.
Three-day Content-led Conference:
A power packed three-day conference themed ‘Accelerating Momentum…From Ambition to Action’ commenced, encompassing knowledge-rich sessions by the MNRE, ISA, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), IGEF, MNRE – EU Technical Cell, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, PV Magazine, Skill Council for Green Jobs, and Mercom Capital. Highlights of Day 1 included a riveting session on International Solar Alliance (ISA) that focussed on topics such as ‘EXIM bank and Energy Poverty: How to finance 100 bankable solar projects’. Various programmes under ISA included discussion on trending subjects such as — Scaling Solar Applications in Ghana, Scaling Solar Applications for agriculture use in Uganda, Affordable Finance at Scale for Solar projects and Scaling Solar Mini Grids; How to fight energy poverty? How Bangladesh can benefit from a global tender by ISA for irrigation pumps, to name a few. Day 1 of the expo also saw other insightful sessions such as — ‘Offshore Wind Energy’ by FOWPI; ‘India: A poster child of the Renewable Energy sector’; ‘Skilling by Nations’; ‘Skilling by numbers’; ‘Niche Markets for Solar PV Rooftop’, ‘Challenges by the Indo-German Energy Forum’; ‘Winds of Tomorrow’; ‘Indian Solar Market – The Path Forward’, powered by Mercom Communications and ‘Driving operational excellence in solar & wind asset management’, powered by 3E & WISE Energy.
A power-packed boardroom session — CEO Roundtable, a visionary debate on the ‘Roadmap to Law Carbon Electricity’ and a Design challenge by Standards and Research, Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ) were the other highlights of Day 1. Day 2 will see another boardroom session on Finance Leaders Forum which will be moderated by BRIDGE TO INDIA. Sessions on ‘Rooftop Solar…Connecting the dots’; ‘Storage Spectrum’; ‘De-Risking Investments’; ‘Advantage Rajasthan by State of Rajasthan’; ‘Surya Namaskar: Earn from the Sun’; ‘Innovation Junction’; ‘Micro Grids: Localizing Utilities and Maximizing Opportunities’; ‘Smart Power for Smart Cities’; ‘Anatomy of Solar Panel’ and ‘Golden Triangle: Integrating EPC, BOS and Module Manufacturers’ to name a few, will be part of the conferences on Day 2 and Day 3.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the 11th edition of Renewable Energy India Expo, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said, “India has set itself a target to generate renewable energy of 175 GW by 2022. Anticipating higher custom, a growing number of Indian firms, which manufacture solar modules and related equipment, have developed technology to maximise energy generation thereby helping meet the target with lesser area and infrastructure. The industry is also witnessing many smaller companies excel through innovation in a bid to make India self-reliant. According to a recent report, the Indian solar sector has grown rapidly with a capacity addition of 4,765MW during H1 of 2017. Besides, India has recently moved up to the second spot from third position in this year’s ‘Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index’, nudging past U.S. All this is acting as a huge pull for international investors and equipment suppliers. Against this backdrop, UBM India through the REI Expo helps reinforce the bond amongst the industry, government and investors. The expo serves as an industry catalyst in bringing multiple country participation, best of technology, cost effective solutions, participation of industry leaders and various country delegations, top global brands exhibiting their product and solution offerings, and content-rich conferences.”
What’s new at REI Expo 2017:
India’s first Mobile PV test lab on display by Mahindra Susten
Quality Round Table – An interactive forum by PV Magazine, Germany
Solar Super Heroes by PV Magazine, Germany
Skill Competition for Solar Installers
Solar Design Challenge for EPCs and Developers
Master class by Enphase Energy, USA: To provide Installers and Engineering, Procurement and Construction companies (EPCs) with knowledge on innovations behind micro-inverter technologies and how micro-inverters are best suited for the Indian rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) market.
CEO Roundtable and Finance Roundtable
‘Advantage Rajasthan’ a seminar by the state of Rajasthan to attract potential investors, manufacturers and developers
Workshop on ‘Driving operational excellence in Solar & Wind asset management’ by 3E, Belgium and Wise Energy, UK.
About UBM India:
UBM India is India’s leading exhibition organizer that provides the industry with platforms that bring together buyers and sellers from around the world, through a portfolio of exhibitions, content-led conferences and seminars. UBM India hosts over 25 large scale exhibitions and 40 conferences across the country every year; thereby enabling trade across multiple industry verticals. A UBM Asia Company, UBM India has offices across Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai. UBM Asia is owned by UBM plc which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. UBM Asia is the leading exhibition organizer in Asia and the biggest commercial organizer in mainland China, India and Malaysia.
For further details, please visit http://www.ubmindia.in .
About UBM plc:
UBM plc is the largest pure-play B2B Events organiser in the world. In an increasingly digital world, the value of connecting on a meaningful, human level has never been more important. At UBM, our deep knowledge and passion for the industry sectors we serve allow us to create valuable experiences where people can succeed. At our events people build relationships, close deals and grow their businesses. Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors – from fashion to pharmaceutical ingredients. These global networks, skilled, passionate people and market-leading events provide exciting opportunities for business people to achieve their ambitions.
