NEW DELHI: The second edition of RE Invest, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s (MNRE) four-day flagship event which concluded on Friday, was very different from the earlier one held in February 2015, in that this time investment commitments were neither sought nor made. The first RE Invest had seen global and local institutions promise 266 GW of renewable energy investments. The second instead was clubbed along with the first assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the joint initiative of India and France to mobilize investment in solar projects on a global scale. Both events dwelt largely on exchange of ideas and technical knowhow. “During the first RE Invest commitments were sought since the aim then was to bring renewable energy tariffs down,” said K. S. Popli, Chairman, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), the MNRE’s lending arm for renewable energy projects. “Since then tariffs have come down steeply, so that is not required any more. This time we wanted to showcase India’s achievements in renewable energy. The event has put India on the world renewable energy map as a significant player.” India currently has around 71 GW of installed renewable energy capacity, including 34 GW of wind and 23 GW of solar, which is double of what it had four years ago, and around 20% of the country’s total installed power capacity. Popli felt that the unanimous choice of an Indian, Upendra Tripathy, former MNRE Secretary, as the first director general of the ISA, during the recent session, was also a matter of pride. “It is indeed not a small thing,” agreed Sunil Jain, CEO, Hero Future Energies. The framework agreement of the ISA has been signed by 70 countries so far, of which around 60 had their representatives at the meeting. The ISA aims to have 121 countries eventually and mobilise $1 trillion for solar projects by 20 .. Read more at: //economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/66112117.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

News Date: 04-Oct-2018

News Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/power/re-invest-changes-focus-no-investments-sought-this-time/articleshow/66112117.cms