U.S.-India Subnational Energy Workshop
U.S.-India State and Urban Initiative
Memo: U.S.-India Subnational Energy Workshop
Summary
CSIS in partnership with the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation hosted the first-ever U.S. – India Subnational Energy Workshop in New Delhi. The event brought together over 100 participants over three days including 10 representatives of Indian states, 12 representatives of U.S. states, India’s Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), and several U.S. federal government agencies to discuss common challenges in deploying technologies, creating policies and management of the grid of the future. The event was kick-started with an evening reception at the U.S. Embassy supported by AmCham and Azure Power. On November 2nd, U.S. and Indian states shared which smart power technologies they were deploying, challenges of managing those technologies, issues of capacity and training for staff, as well as the need for important regional interconnections to uptake new sources of distributed power. On November 3rd, participants were invited to partake in a tour of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited’s state-of-the-art Smart Grid Lab in Delhi. The tour allowed participants to see first-hand how Indian utilities are dealing with the challenges of transforming India’s electricity sector and readying themselves to deploy technologies for managing the grid of the future. See agenda below for more details.
Agenda
States are critical for undertaking reforms and implementing policies to provide clean, reliable power to all citizens. States are also the laboratories of innovation and can choose to design policies and deploy technologies specific to their needs. In a first-of-its-kind subnational energy dialogue between the United States and India, states will come together to discuss how they can ready themselves to develop a grid of the future. By opening the discussion to research institutions, private sector, civil society, and philanthropy, this dialogue will ensure that the right set of stakeholders can build partnerships for:
- successful policy design and implementation
- technology innovation and deployment
- building capacity of new and existing institutions and workforce development
Energy Innovation Reception
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Wednesday, November 1, 2017 | Ambassador’s Residence, Roosevelt House
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is partnering with the Government of India’s Ministry of New & Renewable Energy and the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, to inaugurate the first workshop of the U.S.-India State and Urban Initiative with an evening reception focused on energy innovation. The reception will bring together key U.S. states, universities and research institutions with their Indian counterparts to highlight the various development initiatives and solutions-oriented innovations that are being undertaken. The evening reception is hosted by the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, with support from American Chamber of Commerce in India and Azure Power. See photos here.
7:30PM | Opening Remarks
MaryKay Loss Carlson |
7:40PM | Special Address Shri Anand Kumar Secretary Ministry of New & Renewable Energy Government of India |
7:50PM | Welcome Remarks
Richard M. Rossow |
8:05PM | Concluding Remarks
Krishan Dhawan |
Inaugural Workshop
9:15 AM – 5:00 PM | Thursday, November 2, 2017 | Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi
9:15AM | Registration (Meet and Greet) |
9:45AM | Opening Remarks
Kartikeya Singh, Deputy Director and Fellow, Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies, CSIS |
9:55AM | Introduction of Welcome Address Speaker
Krishan Dhawan, CEO, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation |
10:05AM | Welcome Address
A.K. Tripathi |
10:20AM | Introduction of Special Address Speaker
Richard M. Rossow, Senior Advisor and Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies, CSIS |
10:30AM | Special Address
Robert Jackson |
10:45AM | Networking Break |
11:30AM |
Seminar IPOWERING THE GRID OF THE FUTURE: KEY TECHNOLOGIESThe grid of the future must be reliable, resilient and capable of integrating vast quantities of renewable energy. Based on CSIS’s survey of Indian and U.S. states, a few key technologies stand out as critical for the creation of this new grid: decentralized and large grid-tied renewable energy, smart power technologies, and energy storage technologies. This session will focus on the experience of key stakeholders and their perspectives in trying to deploy these technologies in states in both countries. The objective of this exchange will be to identify what kinds of partnerships between states and non-state actors are required for the successful deployment of these technologies to build the grid of the future. State Representatives Speakers |
1:45PM | Lunch |
3:00PM |
Seminar IIMANAGING THE GRID OF THE FUTURE: POLICY CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIESIndian states are vested with the power to give robust policy directives for the energy sector to introduce healthy regulations, to foster an environmentally and financially sound path for state utilities, introduce incentives conducive to the growth of energy entrepreneurs, and for attracting more investment yet challenges remain to changing the systems and approaches of the past to bring about the most optimal future outcomes. The focus of this discussion will be to understand the role of various stakeholders in designing new collaborative frameworks to support technology innovation and diffusion in addition to supporting existing institutions which are struggling to manage the transition to a grid of the future. The objective of this exchange will be to identify partners to assist states in designing new frameworks to foster the growth of an energy innovation ecosystem that can support new technology deployment and management of the supporting state energy institutions such as (MNRE State Nodal Agencies and DISCOMs). State Representatives Speakers |
5:00PM | Closing Address Shri Anand Kumar Secretary Ministry of New & Renewable Energy Government of India |
Dinner: The Energy Future of Indian States
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Thursday, November 2, 2017
6:00PM |
Welcome Remarks
Deepak Gupta, Senior Program Manager (Power), Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation |
6:15PM | Introduction of Keynote Speaker
Kartikeya Singh, Deputy Director and Fellow, Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies, CSIS |
6:20PM |
Keynote Address
Saurabh Kumar |
6:35PM |
Closing Remarks
Richard M. Rossow, Senior Advisor and Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies, CSIS |
6:45PM |
Dinner
|
Field Tour of Smart Grid Lab and Discussion
Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited Smart Grid Lab 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM | Friday, November 3, 2017
9:00AM | Arrive at Tata Power-DDL Smart Grid Lab |
9:30AM |
Smart Grid Lab Tour
Praveer Sinha Chief Executive Office and Managing Director
Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited And Smart Grid Team |
10:30AM | Tea Break |
10:45AM | Tata Power-DDL Presentation
Praveer Sinha
Chief Executive Office and Managing Director Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited |
11:00AM |
Discussion
The final day of the workshop includes a private sector focused session highlighting the market for smart power technology, storage technology, and distributed generation. The opportunities in this sector is immense as it complements the uptake of renewables, stabilization of the grids, 100 percent electrification goals, and the smart cities project. The session’s objective is to provide a comprehensive outlook on how companies, government, and non-government institutions can work together to design scalable energy projects in both countries. This will require diving deep in to logistical and regulatory environment and partnerships required to meet the energy needs of Indian and U.S. states. Moderated by Vickie Gunderson, International Trade Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce Kartikeya Singh, Deputy Director and Fellow, Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies, CSIS |
12:30PM |
Closing and Lunch
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