G20 delegates deliberate on sharing tech practices on sustainable energy

Dharamsala, April 19

The G20 Research Innovation and Initiative Gathering (RIIG) Conference on Eco-Innovations for Energy Transition concluded here today. As many as 29 foreign delegates and 30 Indian experts and invitees from various scientific departments and organisations of the Central Government participated in the conference.

The conference deliberated on sharing the best practices and policy models of G20 nations for sustainable energy transition. Dr Srivari Chandrasekhar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, presided over the conference.

The RIIG is a new initiative of the G20 Forum, which was initiated during Indonesian Presidency in 2022.

Besides the International Solar Alliance, organisations from Indonesia, Turkey, USA, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, UAE, United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Russia, Spain and the European Union participated in the conference.

Chandrasekhar, who is also the Chair of G20-RIIG, welcomed the delegates. He said, “We are at a pivotal moment in our existence where we must prioritise transitioning away from fossil fuel consumption. The potential for harnessing renewable energy is enough to meet our requirements but capturing, converting and storing it at a large scale is a monumental challenge, which can be accomplished by working together”.

DP Srivastava, a distinguished fellow of the Vivekananda International Foundation, delivered the keynote address on “India’s Energy Transition in a Carbon-constrained World”.

The discussions in the conference were based on topics such as smart energy transformation, storage and management, mission-driven research in sustainable energy transitions, policy frameworks for research and innovation in carbon-neutral energy sources and green hydrogen and cooperation among G20 members on specific thematic areas.

The delegates would stay in Dharamsala for another day.