The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized the 11th edition of Environment and Energy Conclave ‘“Energy Tech – Disruptive Innovations in Energy Transition” on 23rd August 2018, at ITC Sonar, Kolkata.

Each of the previous editions created benchmark of their own culminating into the grand tenth edition themed ‘The Transforming Face of Energy – A Convergence towards Sustainability’ held on 23rd and 24th August 2017. The Conclave reached a greater dimension showcasing exhibition stalls and B2B Pavilion. UK was the Partner Country having Delegation Members participating in the Conclave. There was participation also from Germany, Italy, Georgia and Luxemburg. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) was the Knowledge Partner. International Solar Alliance (ISA) also partnered in the Conclave.

This year, the Conclave was mounted as a relevant and meaningful forum on Technologies, Innovations and aligned activities in the realm of energy transition. The objective was to create a Business and Strategic Discussion Forum.

The Conclave was graced by Shri Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, Hon'ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Power & Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Government of West Bengal as the Chief Guest. The Keynote Speaker was Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute. The Inaugural Session also included “Policies in Energy Efficiency in Energy Transition” by Mr. Abhay Bakre, Director General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency , Ministry of Power, Government of India; “The Right Balance between Economy and Ecology – Related Technologies” by Shri Sutirtha Bhattacharya, Principal Adviser (Infrastructure), Cabinet Secretariat, Government of West Bengal and Former Chairman, Coal India Ltd.; “Global collaborations - innovations in energy transition” by Ms. Ratika Jain, CEO, Global Innovation and Technology Alliance and “Energy Security Strategy – Focus needed for India” by Shri P S Bhattacharyya, Former Chairman, Coal India Ltd.

The Inaugural Session was followed by the Lead Session on “Efficient Energy for All – Innovative Technologies”. The objective of the Session was to present a holistic perspective of the technologies which are shaping energy transition and alignment of the related areas. The Discussions included “Challenges faced in aligning multiple stake holders in meeting the energy transition” by Dr. R R Sonde, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President, Research, Innovation & Technology, Thermax Limited; “Energy Transition- HR Challenges” by Mr. Gautam Ray, Executive Director , CESC Limited; “City Gas Distribution” by Mr A K Jana, Chief Executive Officer, GAIL Gas Ltd. and “Disruptions in Power for All” by Mr Prashant Chaudhary, President- Strategy and New Business, India Power Corporation Limited.

This Edition of the Conclave had a special feature, “In Conversation” which brought in two speakers who conversed with each other on common or related topics. There were four sets of conversations between Mr Neil Spann, Managing Director, Power Roll Limited and Mr. Vinod Sharma, Managing, Director, Deki Electronics Ltd. on “New Technologies in Power Generation and Storage”; Dr Saptarshi Ghosh, Vice President – Technology (Li-Ion), Exide Industries Limited and Mr. Bhupesh Trivedi, Chief Marketing Officer, Chemtrols, Solar Pvt Ltd. on “Storage for future business” and “Disruptive Innovations making renewables affordable” and Ms. Kritika Krishnamurthy, Advocate & Business Consultant and Ms. Namrata Mukherjee, Head of Public Policy, Sterlite Power Transmission Ltd. on “Emerging Vistas in Regulation and Policy in the realm of energy transition and new technologies”.

The Chamber always emphasizes on bridging the gap between the Industry and Academia and our Environment and Energy Conclave has always stood testimony to the same – from participation of Delegates to the recognitions we have extended to the contributions by Academia. This year, as well, we had a Special Session ‘Lab to Market’ to showcase the disruptive technologies produced by the academia.Dr. Sudipta De, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jadavpur University and Key Resource Member, Energy and Environment Committee, The Bengal Chamber moderated the Session. Presentations were made by Dr. Ranjan Ganguly, Professor Power Engineering Department, Jadavpur University and Dr. Suman Chakraborty, Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department and Institute Chair Professor, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.

The programme was concluded with “Future of energy driven by technology innovations” by Mr. Anirban Ghosh, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra Group