The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in association with Birla Institute of Technology Old Students Association−BITOSA, Kolkata Chapter organized the Round Table Discussion on "Energy transition, Decarbonization and Climate Change" on 14th October 2022 (Friday) at The Bengal Chamber premises.

Mr. Derek M Shah, Senior Vice President, Head Green Manufacturing & Development, L&T Energy, Larsen and Toubro Ltd and Mr. Ashim Kumar Goswami, Regional Executive Director, Eastern Region, NTPC Ltd were the Keynote Speakers.

The addresses were followed by a Panel Discussion on “Dynamics of Energy Transition” which was joined by Mr. Avik Roy, Director−Industrial, Exide Industries Limited and Ms. Neha Agrawal, Whole Time Director and Head Corporate Strategy Business Planning & Control, Vikram Solar Limited.

The discussion included :

− Renewable Energy

− Green Hydrogen

− Advanced Battery

− Fuel Cells

The discussions included relevance and sustenance of thermal energy. It came out that in energy transition, all sources would coexist for some time and then a time would come when renewables would surpass others. Going Green hydrogen was featured prominently in discussions. The future is going to be of hydrogen economy. Storage will play a major role − it was observed from the perspective of renewables. Importance of Atmanirbhar Bharat for manufacturing and capacity for designing was mentioned. Policies for competitive manufacturing and promoting RE investments would also help. Globally there has been a major shift of consumer preference for green components.

Mr. Subir Chakraborty, President, The Bengal Chamber and Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Exide Industries Limited was present. The highlight of his speech was “Sustainability comes with a cost which needs to be prioritized. Development is needed with sustainability." Based on the deliberations of the Round Table, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report, the over− arching message was clear − Limiting warming to 1.5 degree Celsius is still within reach but requires immediate and drastic action.

A mix of different renewable energy −generation technologies will be crucial to eliminating greenhouse gas emission (GHG) from fossil fuel. Industrial Sectors must electrify and implement transition to alternative base materials like carbon, hydrogen and waste materials. The future of Hydrogen and its derivatives will depend on the advancement of green and blue hydrogen. Electrification directly or indirectly via hydrogen is a huge opportunity for industry to cut emissions.

Mr. Vijay Burman, Chairman and Managing Director, Indo Bell Insulations Ltd & Managing Committee Member, BITMAA (BIT Mesra Alumni Association) & Past President, BITOSA Kolkata Chapter and Mr. Sourav Daspatnaik, Managing Director, Swach Environment Pvt Ltd and Director, Haldia Water Services Pvt Ltd. & Nangloi Water Services Pvt Ltd, Chair UK India Smart Water Working Group were present. Mr. Burman shared about BIT Mesra − its present courses and alumni. Mr. Daspatnaik moderated the discussions.