Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, R.K. Singh inaugurated the ‘International R&D Conclave’- a two-day conference on Emerging Opportunities and Challenges of R&D in Indian Power Sector, organized by Central Electricity Authority (CEA), here today.
In his address inaugural, Singh stressed upon the need of a dedicated R&D department in CEA to coordinate the research in the power sector, and asked the concerned departments to make an effort to implement the ideas emerging from this Conference. He also said that those research papers presented during the Conference that are remarkably good, must be rewarded to encourage the researchers who have put in efforts for improving the system.
The Minister said that every Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) needs to create an ecosystem that encourages young officers to come up with new ideas and instills a spirit of inquiry in their minds. The Minister said, “Only way of improving life and system is questioning. This is the spirit I look for in my system”. Emphasising on indigenous R&D, Singh said that we need to get out of the habit of downgrading everything indigenous. It is possible that solutions given by our engineers are better, he added. The Minister congratulated CEA for holding this conference and expressed hope that this initiative is institutionalized and organized every year.
Speaking on the occasion, A.K. Bhalla, Secretary, Power said that this conference must deliberate on how the whole power ecosystem including obtaining electricity, using it and paying bills becomes consumer friendly and increases the ‘Ease of Living’ in India. Bhalla asked the researchers to focus on IT-enabled systems and low-cost smart metering system for rural areas by tapping the huge talent pool in the country by the outsourcing of research to institutions such as IITs.
Around 100 entries for the paper presentation were received, out of which 45 papers have been identified for presentation during the Conference, including the papers from Germany and Japan. The sessions in the Conference will focus on R&D activities in Thermal Generation, Hydro Generation, Renewable Energy, Transmission, Grid Operation, Distribution, Trading, Marketing, and Tariff.
Other dignitaries present on the occasion included Ravindra Kumar Verma, Chairperson CEA along with other senior officers of the Ministry and delegates from all over the world.
