Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of Public Sector Undertakings under the administration of the Ministry of Power and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) India, successfully hosted a side event, DAKSHTA: Drive for Advancing Knowledge and Solutions Through Aggregation in Energy Efficiency.
The event was hosted as a side event of the 4th Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG) meeting under India’s G20 presidency. It aimed to highlight the critical role of energy efficiency in achieving sustainable development and combating climate change, gathering key stakeholders from around the world to share India’s experiences and successful initiatives in the field.
As the global community recognises the paramount importance of energy efficiency, the G20 nations have the potential to collectively drive transformative change in energy practices, and this event aimed to harness this power for a global energy efficiency transformation.
Power Minister, Sudin Dhavalikar graced the occasion as the keynote speaker. “We are proud to host this event in Goa and be a part of this global effort to advance energy efficiency. It is through events like these that we can share experiences and learn from one another for a better, energy-efficient world. The diverse perspectives and collective efforts during today’s summit can inspire transformative change,” he said.
“DAKSHTA, the core theme of the event, perfectly embodies EESL’s approach to energy efficiency,” said K. Sreekant, Chairman, EESL. “Our experience with EESL initiatives in India has shown us the potential of aggregating efforts and fostering public-private collaborations to accelerate progress and achieve remarkable results in energy efficiency.”
Vishal Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer, EESL & CESL, said, “We had the honour of presenting India’s remarkable energy efficiency journey today, while encompassing policy formulation, effective implementation, and fruitful collaborations to our esteemed delegates. A focal point of our discussion was the demand aggregation model, which has proven instrumental in amplifying energy efficiency initiatives. We are confident that our experiences and valuable learnings from this model can be adapted for implementation in other nations, albeit with necessary adjustments tailored to their unique regional contexts. This exchange of knowledge stands poised to foster greater global sustainability and progress.”
The event attracted an audience of distinguished delegates, including government officials, industry leaders, and representatives from multilateral organisations. Also present during the event was Milind Deore, Director, Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). He shared valuable insights and perspectives on the importance of energy efficiency in driving sustainable development globally.
The event also welcomed participation from eminent international delegates representing multilateral organisations, further enriching the discussions and promoting cross-border collaborations to tackle the challenges of energy efficiency on a global scale. Notably, the esteemed panel of international experts included Dr. Cornelia Schenk, Energy Efficiency Policy Analyst from the International Energy Agency (IEA); UG Sujatha, Policy Consultant from Invest India; and Prof. Nick Rosseau from Loughborough University; Tejpreet Chopra, President & CEO, Bharat Light Power, and Mayur Karmarkar, Managing Director, International Copper Association India.
A significant highlight of the event was the interactive panel discussion titled “Scaling Energy Efficiency in a Global Context,” which witnessed engaging deliberations on fostering energy efficiency at a global level. Moderated by Tanmay Tathagat, USAID-SAREP, the panel comprised distinguished speakers representing various sectors. The panelists included Manish Gupta, Executive Director of Electrical Energy & Management at Indian Railways; Venkatesh Dwivedi, Group Executive Director, EESL; Jitender Aggarwal, CEO of Surya Roshni Ltd, Dr. Mahesh Gupta, Chairman & Managing Director of Kent RO Systems Ltd.; and Sanjay Sharma, Director (Marketing) at Carrier. During the panel discussion, these experts delved into the challenges and opportunities in scaling energy efficiency practices and showcased their experiences and best practices to drive meaningful change on a global scale.
With the G20 Summit providing a platform for crucial discussions on global challenges, the side event, DAKSHTA, demonstrated the power of collaboration and shared experiences in achieving a sustainable and energy-efficient future.
