&w=3840&q=100)
60% women in energy sector seek gender-based policies: IESA report
Press Trust of India New Delhi
About 60 per cent of women respondents in the energy sector have called for gender-responsive policies to boost the country's 500 GW renewables target by 2030, a report by industry body India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) said.
The study, conducted across 26 states highlighted the urgent need for strong policy and regulatory frameworks to foster participation of women in India's energy sector, an IESA statement said.
The report revealed that 60 per cent of women in energy sector sought gender-responsive policies to boost India's 500 GW clean energy target by 2030.
With robust government schemes and initiatives such as the PM Surya Ghar, PM KUSUM, and National Green Hydrogen Mission, the industry is striving towards unlocking the full potential of women's engagement in the sector.
IESA President Debmalya Sen said in the statement, "Women are not just participating in the energy transition -- they are leading it from the frontlines." The IESA is a premier industry body dedicated to promoting energy storage, e-mobility, and green hydrogen adoption in India.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
SECI sees record-low price of ₹55.75 per kg in first green ammonia auction
The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has achieved a record-low price of ₹55.75 per kg for green ammonia in its first-ever auction under the National Green Hydrogen Mission's SIGHT Scheme (Mode 2A). This holds significance as low-priced green ammonia is pivotal for India to reduce reliance on imported natural gas for fertiliser production, lower carbon emissions, and enhance energy security. It can also significantly cut down the country's fertiliser subsidy burden, promote agricultural sustainability, and drive technological innovation. This auction covers the supply of 75,000 tonnes per annum of green ammonia to Paradeep Phosphates Limited, Odisha. It is the first in a planned series of 13 auctions over the coming month, under a tender aggregating a cumulative procurement capacity of 724,000 tonnes a year. The discovered price translates to approximately $641 a tonne, a substantial drop from the previously discovered price of Rs 100.28 a kg ($1,153 per tonne) in the H2Global auction in 2024. With Grey Ammonia prices touching $515 per tonne, as of last March, this 10-year fixed-price bid provides strong economic rationale for offtakers to initiate their clean energy transition journey, according to an official statement. Green ammonia is crucial for India's energy transition due to its potential to decarbonize various sectors, enhance energy security, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. It can be a key component in fertilizer production, replacing fossil fuel-based ammonia, and also serves as a storage and transport medium for green hydrogen. By producing green ammonia domestically, India can reduce its dependence on imports, lower the trade deficit, and create new employment opportunities. SECI, acting as the intermediary procurer, has anchored the auction under the guidance of the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), with support from the Department of Fertilizers and the participating offtakers. "This price discovery marks a watershed moment in India's Green Hydrogen journey and reinforces the country's vision of becoming a global hub for Green Hydrogen production. The auction witnessed intense competition, reflecting the strong investor and developer confidence in India's green energy transition framework," the statement read. "With robust payment security mechanisms in place, the scheme unlocks confidence across the value chain and enables large-scale adoption of Green Ammonia and other derivatives," it added.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Strategies for zero-emission truck adoption in India: From assets to processes
Diesel trucks account for just 3 per cent of the total vehicle fleet in India, yet the trucking industry contributes to around 8 per cent of the total emissions in the country, a figure that could double to 15 per cent by 2050. Recognising the urgency to decarbonise, the government has launched numerous initiatives and schemes to promote biofuels , electric vehicles and hydrogen for mobility . The National Policy on Biofuels of 2018 has set ambitious targets of 5 per cent biodiesel and 20 per cent of ethanol-petrol blending by 2030 and 2025, respectively. More recently, in 2023, the government launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission to promote hydrogen for the mobility sector. Additionally, through schemes like FAME and PM E-DRIVE, the government is trying to push the industry towards zero-emission trucks (ZETs) through battery electric trucks. As India's freight demand accelerates with urbanisation and economic growth, the question confronting policymakers, manufacturers, and fleet operators is no longer 'why decarbonise,' but 'how to decarbonise in a scalable manner?' There are several options on alternative fuels and decarbonised technologies; however, driving its feasibility and adoption at a large scale needs rethinking. Going Beyond Diesel: Options and Trade-Offs The trucking industry is in a conundrum, with multiple alternatives available, such as biofuels, hydrogen-powered vehicles, battery and fuel cell electric vehicles, CNG/LNG/LPG and even synthetic fuels. Each option comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Biofuels offer modest emissions reduction (at least 20 per cent in comparison to gasoline) but appear to be an interim solution. While they minimize alterations in existing vehicle engine platforms, their adoption is severely limited by the lack of adequate supply of biofuels. Policymakers have to balance biofuel production with food security and land-use changes, restricting the supply of biomass available for biofuel processing. Additionally, biofuels are being prioritised to decarbonise competing sectors such as aviation and ocean shipping, where electrification holds limited scope. Hydrogen trucks are currently under trials in India and pilot programs for long-haul and heavier applications. While hydrogen trucks could provide 2-3 times the fuel economy compared to ICEVs, they are intrinsically less efficient than batteries due to conversion losses. Some estimates suggest that energy efficiency of hydrogen vehicles stands at 33 per cent, significantly lower than BEV's 77 per cent. Additionally, hydrogen trucks are prohibitively expensive, almost six times the purchase price of an ICEV and thrice the operational cost of an diesel truck. A smaller ecosystem, limited pool of engineers, complex manufacturing processes, and reliance on expensive components would continue to push the cost of manufacturing hydrogen vehicles in the medium term. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs), on the other hand, are witnessing a decline in manufacturing cost, driven by falling battery pack prices. Zero tailpipe emissions, high energy efficiency and technological maturity makes them an ideal choice for achieving ZET in India. However, range anxiety, inadequate charging infrastructure, battery weight, and asset financing are hindering a wider adoption of BEVs. Achieving TCO Parity to Encourage Alternative Fuels Technological maturity alone is an insignificant factor in driving customers towards alternative fuel options. In an industry operating at profit margins of as low as 5 per cent, TCO (total cost of ownership) plays a decisive role in purchase decisions. TCO includes purchase price, fuel and maintenance expenses, vehicle uptime, and residual value. Achieving TCO parity between BEVs and ICEVs is important to nudge fleet operators towards zero-emission trucks. TCO between BEVs and ICEVs can be achieved under the right conditions. While the capital cost of BEVs is higher than ICEVs, their operational costs are significantly lower than ICEVs. This presents an opportunity to fleet operators to achieve TCO parity for BEVs on predictable, fixed route operations with intensive vehicle utilisation. High vehicle utilisation amplifies savings from lower operating costs, allowing fleet owners to compensate for higher capital cost. In India, TCO parity for BEVs can be obtained if a truck travels more than 320 kms per day. However, sub-optimal utilisation of vehicles which leads to vehicle idling, like delays in loading/unloading and driver shortage, makes BEVs significantly expensive to operate, thereby dampening the case for electrification. This highlights the need to improve productivity and efficiency of trucking operations in India to improve the throughput of the vehicle and maximize the asset uptime. For instance, adoption of detention and demurrage policies in trucking, similar to the ones that exist in maritime shipping, can help reduce the idling of trucks and improve vehicle utilisation. An increased asset uptime for ZETs would make a viable business case for fleet operators. The shift to ZETs should be viewed not just through the lens of infrastructure development, but as a process improvement challenge that requires systemic reforms and collective action from all stakeholders. It is worth noting that BEVs themselves face load and time penalties due to heavy battery packs and prolonged charging times. A trade-off between vehicle range and freight tonnage further impacts TCO parity. It calls for establishing a reliable and widely distributed network of charging infrastructure (preferably superchargers) that reduces the need for heavy battery packs while justifying BEV adoption for high utilisation, heavy-tonnage applications. Building Electric Truck Ecosystem for India Innovation is a critical enabler for the development of any novel or alternative technology. However, such innovation in alternative fuel technology in India is severely hindered by an over reliance on component imports. Take for instance the EV supply chain. India imports most of the critical components used in manufacturing BEVs, like motors, controllers, BMS slave and master, PDU, HVAC and aggregates. China, that has vast reserves of rare-earth minerals, contributed to India's 30 per cent of auto component imports, totaling $20.3 billion in fiscal year 2022-23. Vertical integration of the supply chains is an essential prerequisite for the development of innovative clean, modular, cost-effective, and easy to maintain India-centric zero emission trucks. Another benefit of localized innovation could accrue in the development of thermal management systems suited for tropical and subtropical climates. Unless adjusted for the hot temperatures of India, battery performance and lifespan of BEVs can be significantly compromised. Such adaptation is not just a technical adjustment but a critical factor in ensuring the durability and safety of electric trucks in India. Equally critical is the electrification of India's major freight corridors, such as golden quadrilateral and East-West, North-South corridors. While there exist expensive options like establishing battery swapping stations and overhead electricity lines, the establishment of supercharging EV stations remains the most ideal in the current scenario. A planned rollout of high-capacity supercharging infrastructure along these key highways could promote electrification of the majority of freight movement in India. A shift in sales paradigm, from product-centric to solution-centric is also imminent as alternative fuels gain traction. Segmenting customers into price-sensitive, performance sensitive and technological trendsetters would help OEMs identify the right fuel technology. Sales function would shift from merely identifying the right tonnage to identifying the right fuel technology based on application, distance and loop system. A bundled proposition, providing route-planning, charging partnerships and performance guarantees would become the distinguishing factor for OEMs. Commercial vehicles present one of the greatest opportunities for decarbonization in India. Decarbonization can bring some welcome changes in the Indian trucking industry, like fleet modernization, digital transformation, skilled workforce, and transparent contracting. However, there is no single solution to decarbonizing India's commercial vehicle fleet. The future will likely be one of coexistence, with diesel, electric and other clean technologies serving specific applications and use cases. However, the direction is clear: electric vehicles offer the most competitive alternative to diesel vehicles. It is important to note that India's decarbonization journey must be rooted in its unique context. Vertical integration of supply chains is essential to enable innovation and development of new product offerings. The government can also play an enabling role through financial subsidies, but more importantly through non-financial measures like time-of-use pricing, feebate programmes, green procurement mandates or long-term contracting mandates. -Debjit Roy is a co-chair of the centre for transportation and logistics and professor at IIM Ahmedabad. -Shubham is a research associate at the centre for transportation and logistics. -Sandip Chakrabarti is a co-chair of the centre for transportation and logistics and holds the JSW Chair in Innovation and Public Policy at IIM Ahmedabad. -Views expressed are personal.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Govt says 16.51 lakh households benefitted from rooftop solar installations under PM Surya Ghar
Under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, around 16.51 lakh households have benefitted from rooftop solar installations till July 2025, according to Union Minister Pralhad Joshi. Maharashtra leads with the highest installations, followed by Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. SECI's first green ammonia auction marks a significant step in India's green energy journey. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Around 16.51 lakh households have been benefitted from rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSG:MBY) till July 2025, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said on minister for new and renewable energy (MNRE) made the remarks in reply to a question in Lok Sabha."A total of 58,01,654 no. of applications have been submitted on the National Portal and 16,50,969 no. of households have been benefitted with rooftop solar installations under the scheme as on 31.07.2025," Joshi scheme is being implemented by his ministry since February 2024, and targets to achieve rooftop solar installations in one crore households in the residential sector by 2026-27, the minister per the data shared by the minister, Arunachal Pradesh has reported nil installations under the scheme, while Meghalaya and Sikkim have seen installations in single digits at 6 and 9, of July 2025, Maharashtra has reported highest rooftop installations under PMSG:MBY at 2,34,736, followed by 2,28,507 in Gujarat and 1,20,866 in Uttar per the MNRE, state-owned SECI has received a bid of Rs 55.75/kg in the first auction for procurement of green ammonia under the SIGHT programme of National Green Hydrogen Mission Reacting to the development, Joshi in a post on X termed it "a landmark moment in India's green energy journey!"SECI has successfully conducted its first-ever Green Ammonia auction under the National Green Hydrogen Mission marking a new era of clean energy innovation and self-reliance, the minister said.
