The Leaders Session on the second day of 'The 6th RD20 Conference' brought together global policymakers, researchers, and thought leaders to discuss collaborative pathways for clean energy transitions. Hosted by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in collaboration with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), this is the first time the conference is being held outside Japan, highlighting India's leadership in global energy innovation. Organised in partnership with the Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) of Japan, the session emphasised innovation, partnerships, and actionable strategies for achieving global energy goals.
The session commenced with a Welcome Address by Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI, and an Opening Address by RD20 Chair, Mr Kazuhiko Ishimura (AIST), who remarked, "Research is becoming serious year on year. Because of this there is a great expectation of carbon neutrality to be accelerated. We expect leaders to have deep dive sessions advancing the discussions towards achieving carbon neutrality." Representatives from the Indian government, MNRE and the Japanese government (METI, MOE, MEXT) also extended their welcome messages. The plenary presentation was delivered by Mr Takashi Naruse from NEDO.
Sudeep Jain, Additional Secretary, Minister of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) in his opening remarks thanked Japan for giving India the opportunity to host the RD20 conference. "The 6th RD20 conference in India highlights the importance of collaborative R & D in addressing global challenges.
India has made significant progress in renewable energy, with a vision to reach 77% renewable energy by 2047. The country is also investing in R & D to support its growing manufacturing hub for renewable energy equipment." Speaking on the Honourable Prime Minister of India's vision on sustainability, green energy and renewable energy, he added, "Our Prime Minister has a vision which goes beyond the current generation, to looking at several generations ahead."
The Leaders Session featured key discussions on India's energy transformation. The subsequent plenary lecture by Mr Abhay Bakre, Mission Director, MNRE, focused on the 'Role of Clean Hydrogen in India's Energy Transition: Opportunities and Challenges.' Mr Bakre noted, "The sustainability goals for energy transition are to achieve the target of net zero by 2070, non-fossil electricity generation capacity to reach 500 GW by 2030 and emission intensity of GDP to reduce by 45%. The two basic pathways for energy transition are electricity and hard-to-electricity. Hydrogen comes up with the most promising pathway for decarbonising the hard-to-electricity sectors."