Bhubaneswar. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in collaboration with the Ministry of Power has decided to set up a Center of Excellence (CoE) for Research and Development for indigenous manufacturing of various components required to generate green energy. Union New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi told a press conference after addressing a ‘Thinking Camp’ organized here to chalk out a strategy to achieve India’s ambitious target of 500 gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2030 in the next six years. Said this in the conference. This two-day meeting concluded on Friday.
Joshi said that more than 200 parts or components (more than 50 per cent of the total components) required to develop the ‘electrolyzer’ are being imported from other countries. “Therefore, a Center of Excellence (CoE) will be set up to conduct joint research and development for indigenous manufacturing of such components,” he said. Electrolyzers split water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity. It is a key technology to produce low-emission hydrogen from renewable or nuclear power.
The Minister informed that the Center of Excellence (CoE) will also organize ‘Hackathons’ and provide full support to youth-driven startups to make India self-reliant in the renewable energy sector. The Union Minister said that a committee comprising the Ministry of Power, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, industry and key stakeholders will be formed to advance efforts to meet India’s ambitious target of achieving 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. It has also been decided to constitute a dedicated task force.
“We need to add 288 gigawatts of renewable energy generation over the next six years to achieve this lofty target,” he said. More than Rs 22 lakh crore has been invested in the renewable energy sector in the last 10 years, while another Rs 42 lakh crore is required in six years to achieve the target.” Joshi said some states are planning to build transmission lines. They are not ready to sign the power purchase agreement even after the work is completed and the customers are ready for it. These issues were discussed in detail during the two-day conference. Regarding Odisha, he said that the state has the potential to set up ‘floating solar plants’ and ‘green hydrogen hubs’. He said that there is a proposal to set up two green hydrogen centers at Gopalpur and Paradip.
