US-India Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (USISCEP)

Why in news?

The Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) Ministerial was convened by U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Indian Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri in Washington D.C.

The sides reviewed the initiatives undertaken across the technical pillars under the SCEP, including Power & Energy Efficiency, Responsible Oil & Gas, Renewable Energy, Emerging Fuels & Technologies, and Sustainable Growth.

About:

• Therevamped USISCEPwas launched in accordance with theU.S -India Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnershipannounced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden.
• The partnership continues to advance energy security and innovation and deploying technical solutions throughfive pillars.
• Responsible Oil and Gas Pillar
• Power and Energy Efficiency Pillar
• Renewable Energy Pillar
• Sustainable Growth Pillar
• Emerging Fuels and technologies

Enhanced bilateral efforts

• These includes:
• Strengthening the power grid to ensure reliable, affordable, and resilient clean energy supply including through smart grids and energy storage;
• Assessing grid-integrated buildings, electric vehicles, and other distributed energy resources to support load management;
• Advancing renewable energy development and deployment, including to support India’s goal of achieving approximately 50 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030;
• Advancing energy efficiency and conservation in appliances, buildings and the industrial sector

Highlights of the meeting:

Just, orderly and sustainable energy transition:

Both sides recognized the need to work towards a just, orderly and sustainable energy transition, which prioritizes access to reliable, affordable, and clean energy supplies.

The sides welcomed the important role that energy trade plays in supporting the national priorities of both countries.

Two countries have made to accelerate development and deployment of emerging clean energy technologies, advancing renewable energy deployment and reliable grid integration, promote energy efficiency, and advance decarbonization of high-emitting sectors like industry, buildings, and transport.

Renewable Energy Technology Action Platform (RETAP):

The ministers welcomed the formallaunch of the Renewable Energy Technology Action Platform (RETAP) in August 2023, aimed at developing actionable roadmaps for hydrogen, long duration energy storage, offshore wind, and geothermal, through R&D, pilots and demonstration, and incubation-investment-industry networks.

They also expressed satisfaction at the progress being made by both sides under the RETAP mechanism.

National Centre for Hydrogen Safety:

The two countries welcomed collaboration on the newNational Centre for Hydrogen Safetyin India and partnership on the2^ndInternational Conference on Green Hydrogenheld in September 2024

Hydrogen Task Force.

The ministers also welcomed work on use of green hydrogen in buses, tractors and heavy equipment.

The ministers stressed the importance of supporting large-scale grid integration of renewable energy while enabling flexible and reliable grid operations through energy storage.

public-privateEnergy Storage Task Force

They welcomed the formal launch of the public-privateEnergy Storage Task Forceto address policy and regulatory frameworks, safety, manufacturing and supply chains, and innovative business models;

focused RETAP efforts on long duration energy storage and alternative chemistries to Li-ion technologies;

efforts on the technical and economic feasibility of various storage technologies available for arenewable energy battery energy storage system (BESS)in the state of Assam; and

support for BESS bids and pilots in Haryana.

The sides also recognizedpumped storageas a long-term energy storage option.

New engagement on sustainable aviation fuels (SAF)

The two countries agreed to give an impetus to sustainable aviation fuel. In this context, the sides welcomednew engagement on sustainable aviation fuels (SAF)

The ministers also welcomed the development of two joint reports on SAF and biofuels under theBiofuels Task Force.

The two countries reiterated their commitment to enhance energy efficiency and welcomedcollaboration on super-efficient appliancesto improve efficiency standards, boost the deployment and manufacturing of high efficiency affordable cooling systems and promote supply chain diversification.

The ministers noted progress under a workstream on methane abatement in the oil and gas sector, through the technical cooperation with the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH).

U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy-Research (PACE-R)

The ministers commended the work on advanced research and development of new smart grid and energy storage technologies under the recently concluded the US-India CollAborative for Smart DiStribution System wIth Storage (UI-ASSIST) program under theU.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy-Research (PACE-R).