India Energy Week: Important Announcements, Intriguing Innovations

Hydrogen powered e-bus

On the platform of the ongoing Indian Energy Week, held at Karnataka, several key announcements have been made and intriguing innovations have been unveiled. Here is a recap of them-

“Karnataka has highest number of EV; is highest RE manufacturer”

Karnataka Chief Minister Bommai has said that Karnataka has 15,000 MW worth of in-stand renewable capacity. He has also maintained that Karnataka is the highest manufacturer of renewable energy, claiming 50% of India’s total renewable energy. He further added that the State is home to the highest number of electric vehicles and electric vehicle passengers. He concluded that Karnataka is looking to become the highest manufacturer of electric vehicles.

“Solar cooktop will reach 3 crore Indian households in next few years”

Priced at Rs 15,000, Indian Oil’s twin solar cooktop was unveiled at the India Energy Week. The innovation is much-sought after, given the many advantages it offers. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi validated this belief with this words, “In the next few years, solar cook-top will reach 3 crore households. There is a huge opportunity for investments in this sector.”

The twin cooktop model makes room for flexibility as it can function on both solar as well as auxiliary sources of energy at the same time. The government is looking at curbing the price to under Rs 10,000 by way of and keeping the option to pay in instalments open and consequently bringing down the price to below Rs 10,000 by scaling of quantity for the cooking system. It is being held that once the solar cooking system reaches 30 million households by 2025-26, it would augment savings of more than Rs 1 lakh crore in LPG. What’s more, it would promise forex savings of Rs 50,000 Cr. The CO2 emissions would witness a reduction by 50 million tonnes. The patented cooktop is being marketed and produced on a large level.

Hydrogen E-Bus

Oil India Limited’s indigenous innovation, the electric bus that is powered by hydrogen fuel cell has been a centre of attraction.

The bus is a hybrid model that brings together both- an electric drive and a fuel cell that employs hydrogen to progenerate duce electricity. This, in turn, propels the electric motor while also charging the auxiliary battery. This battery pave the way for for back-up power at the time of acceleration and braking. The fuel capacity stands at 60 KW and uses Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) technology for the production of electricity. 21.9 Kg at 350 bar pressure is the tank capacity of the bus. The e-vehicle can accommodate 32 persons. It also has a wheelchair facility.

Launch of E20

Clean energy adoption has seen a major push in India and building on this vision is E20, a blend of 20% ethanol with petrol. This is a step forward in India’s ambition to achieve 20% ethanol blending in total petrol supply. The timeline for this has been set between 2025 to 2026.