India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), in collaboration with the Ministry of Power, has announced plans to set up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) focused on research and development for the indigenous manufacturing of components essential for renewable energy generation.

Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, shared the development during a press conference following the conclusion of a two-day 'Chintan Shivir,' which focused on strategies to achieve India’s ambitious target of 500 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2030.

Currently, over 200 components, accounting for more than 50% of the parts required for electrolysers, are imported. Electrolysers, which use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, are vital for producing low-emission hydrogen from renewable or nuclear energy. To reduce dependency on imports, the CoE will facilitate joint R&D for the local manufacturing of these components. The centre will also promote innovation through hackathons and provide support to youth-driven startups, aiming to make India self-reliant (Aatmanirbhar) in the renewable energy sector.

In addition, Joshi revealed that a dedicated task force, including officials from the power ministry, MNRE, and key industry stakeholders, will be formed to expedite the efforts needed to meet the 500 GW renewable energy target by 2030. To achieve this goal, 288 GW of renewable energy capacity must be added in the next six years. The sector has already seen investments of over Rs 22 trillion in the past decade, with an additional Rs 42 trillion required to meet the 2030 target.

Joshi also highlighted challenges, including the reluctance of some states to sign power purchase agreements, despite completed transmission lines and available clients. Discussions at the conference also addressed the potential for floating solar plants and green hydrogen hubs in Odisha, with proposed green hydrogen hubs at Gopalpur and Paradip.

(Business Standard)