From clean energy to clean cooking, Modi outlines vision for rooftop solar + battery installations

The Government of India will announce a package to make the country atmanirbhar in the battery domain, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced.

Speaking at the Bharat Mobility event at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, the PM called for research into indigenous battery chemistries and battery manufacturing technology that leveraged raw materials already existing in the country, pointing out that other countries too were considering ways to de-risk their dependence on global supply chains and promoting research into alternatives to prevent a supply chain shock.

Merging the technological shift towards new, clean energy sources with his vision to promote 'clean cooking' (eliminate harmful chullahs used in villages), the PM offered a holistic take on the future. "Taking 25 crore households in India, imagine 25 crore rooftop solar installations and batteries… fueling clean cooking stoves… while also supporting EV charging at night… creating a decentralized system centered around rooftop solar plus battery."

He pointed out that requirement for batteries to support rooftop solar installations would exceed demand for EV batteries manifold and could even benefit the auto industry by helping make EV batteries cheaper thanks to economies of scale. 

RELATED: Read Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at Bharat Mobility  

He reiterated the government's commitment to spur innovation in technological breakthroughs through the ₹1 lakh crore corpus announced in the Union Budget to finance technology research and innovation, and pointed out that the Center had already announced ₹18,000 crore PLI scheme for battery storage. 

The auto sector was an important component of India's development and economic rise, the PM said. "India is now on the threshold of becoming a global economic powerhouse, with the auto and automotive component industry playing a significant role," he stated. Highlighting India's stature in the global automotive market, he remarked, "Today, India is the world's third-largest market for passenger vehicles and among the top three countries globally manufacturing commercial vehicles." 

Modi called on the industry to help make training courses more relevent, thus boosting employment and productivity, "There are going to be immense possibilities in the mobility sector in the next 25 years. But in order to fully utilize these possibilities, it is the responsibility of the industry to transform itself rapidly. Mobility sector needs technical workforce and trained drivers. Today, more than 15,000 ITIs in the country provide manpower to this industry," he said, calling on people from the industry to collaborate with the ITIs to make their courses more relevant to their talent needs.

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Shri Narayan Rane, Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri and Union Minister for Heavy Industries, Shri Mahendra Nath Pandey were present on the occasion among others. 

Crafted by the joint efforts of India's mobility associations, including the India Energy Storage Alliance, the Bharat Mobility Expo brings together India's entire mobility ecosystem under one roof, highlighting cutting-edge technology, sustainable solutions and breakthroughs in mobility. The expo features the participation of over 28 vehicle manufacturers, in addition to the presence of more than 600 auto component manufacturers. Over 1,000 brands from over 13 global markets will showcase their products, technologies, and services at the event.