Indian Institute of Technology Madraspartnered with International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), Chennai, and Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), Chennai Chapter, to organize the National Conference on Energy Technologies (NCET-2022) on 29th and 30th April 2022.

The Conference brought together leading academic scientists, researchers, scholars and industry experts to exchange experiences and research results on all aspects of energy storage systems and technologies including battery, fuel cells, supercapacitors, solar and wind energy.

Delivering the Special Remarks virtually, Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission of India, spoke about the way forward for energy transition of India from fossil fuels to net-zero. He stressed the role of hydrogen energy and the need for the direct splitting of water into hydrogen through grid-independent systems. He also emphasized the need for ‘made in India’ solutions to overcome the net-zero target.

The Key Objectives of the National Conference include: 

       Providing a common platform to share and exchange ideas

       Deliberate on emerging national interest and global research trends

       Evolve mechanisms for research/industry collaborations

Addressing the Conference, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, highlighted the need for Grid Security and Data Protection. He stressed the need for energy auditing to save power. He also mentioned the interesting solutions provided by the start-ups and their need in realising the net-zero AtmanirbharBharath.

Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Ashok Jhunjunwala, President, IIT Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC) and IIT Madras Research Park (IITMRP), presented his analysis on ‘How Soon can India get to Net-Zero.’ He pointed out that the developed countries contribute most to global warming, while India was placed at 103rdin Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG). The need for strategies in green technologies with commercial viability supported by exclusive policy intervention was strongly proposed in his talk.

Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala highlighted the challenges in energy storage even during the availability of abundant solar energy. He gave an overview of calculating the cost per kWh taking into consideration the depreciation and the interest involved.

The topics that were discussed during the two-day National conference include

       Energy Storage Technologies for EVs, stationary applications and strategic sectors

       Hydrogen and Fuel Cell technologies

       Material selection and design for Energy Storage and Conversion

       Process technologies for Recycling and Waste management

       Energy Demand Analysis in Smart Grids and other sectors

       Data Analytics for Renewable Energy Integration

       Artificial Intelligence Applications to Energy storage devices

Prof. Indranil Manna, President, Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), in his speech, emphasized reaching the net-zero energy infrastructure without jeopardizing nature. Prof. Sundararajan, former director of International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), stressed the need for topic-specific meetings within India to quickly achieve disruptive technologies. Prof. Narayanan, INAE President-Chennai Chapter, briefed about the various activities happening at INAE Madras Section which are of national interest. He emphasized the importance of micro-scale energy harvesting such as through vibrations.

Dr. R. Gopalan, Regional Director of ARCI, Chennai Centre, and Prof. R. Sarathi Department of Electrical Engineering made the welcoming remarks, highlighting the focus of the conference. They emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary research in realizing green technologies.

As many as 14 eminent scientists/academics/industry experts delivered lectures during the conference covering the spectrum of energy technologies along with 36 oral presentations by researchers. Four best oral presenters were awarded certificates and prizes.

The Two days event ended with a vote of thanks by Prof. Nandita Das Gupta, Secretary INAE Chennai Chapter.  She concluded the event by stating that it was brainstorming with young minds and researchers working on energy technologies and would form a pathway to achieving Net-Zero.

This is stated in a Press Release issued by Indian Institute of  Technology, Madras.  

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