IESA commemorates World Energy Storage Day by organizing policy roundtable

The objective of this forum is to have a dialogue between thought leaders from industry and the policy makers to identify policy priorities that can help drive adoption of energy storage in India and make India a global hub for manufacturing of advanced energy storage technologies by 2020 said IESA.

To commemorate on the 1st World Energy Storage Day, India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) is organizing India Energy Storage Policy Forum on 23rd September 2017 at Delhi. The objective of this forum is to have a dialogue between thought leaders from industry and the policy makers to identify policy priorities that can help drive adoption of energy storage in India and make India a global hub for manufacturing of advanced energy storage technologies by 2020 said IESA.

In this policy forum, key government bodies that are working on regulations that affect energy storage, microgrids and electric vehicles will be part of the roundtable. The government organization represented will include NITI Aayog, Invest India, International Solar Alliance, Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Ministry of Power, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, Central Electricity Authority, Department of Science & Technology, Indian Railways, Power Grid Corporation of India, National Thermal Power Corporation, Solar Energy Corporation of India and others.

The key topics covered during the discussion will be on:

• Energy Storage for renewable integration, grid applications and ancillary services
• Reducing diesel consumption for cleaner air and reducing cost of energy for consumers
• Improving grid resiliency and ensuring energy access for 24*7 power for every citizen through Micro grids & Distributed Generation
• Accelerating adoption of Electric vehicle & Charging Infrastructure
• Driving innovation and advanced energy storage manufacturing in India

With Energy Storage rising to the forefront across US, Europe, China, Asia and Australia, the Global Energy Storage Alliance (GESA) has announced 22nd September as the World Energy Storage Day to acknowledge its importance. The goal of GESA is to advance education, collaboration, knowledge and proven frameworks about the benefits of energy storage and how it can be used to achieve a more efficient, cleaner, reliable, affordable and secure electric power system globally.

Why 22rd September? The sun – the largest source of natural energy – has held much importance through the ages and people have gathered throughout time to worship the sun during the days of solstice and equinox with special rituals. The Autumnal equinox occurs on 22rd September and the day and night are of approximately equal duration i.e. the day is balanced. Energy storage can play a huge role in grid balancing, power supply-demand management and frequency regulation. So to acknowledge the balancing effects of Energy Storage, 22rd September was chosen as an apt date for the World Energy Storage Day.

Speaking on the development, Dr. Rahul Walawalkar, Executive Director, IESA, said, “We are excited to celebrate 22nd September as the World Energy Storage day. The India Energy Storage Policy Forum will help provide a direct platform for industry and policy makers to interact and debate on the crucial policy decisions that can determine opportunities for energy storage, microgrids and EVs in India. We hope that this dialogue will also accelerate investments for manufacturing of energy storage and associated ecosystem in India.”