RE Industry stalwarts mark their presence at UBM India’s 2nd edition of Renewable Energy Growth Forum in Colombo

From the organisers of Renewable Energy India Expo

UBM India, the leading B2B exhibition organizer held the 2^nd edition of Renewable Energy Growth Forum (6^th – 7^th February 2019) supported by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Industries at the Taj Samudra, Colombo, Sri Lanka.  The forum discussed the potential of the Renewable Energy ( RE ) industry, policies and trends, global market overview, renewable energy opportunities in Sri Lanka, project financing and beyond. The Renewable Energy Growth Forum is one of the most comprehensive and reputed platforms backed by the excellence UBM has in the fraternity with the Renewable Energy India Expo – Asia’s largest and most influential exhibition and other events across Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Vietnam and Thailand, amongst others.

The event was inaugurated by key dignitaries, Sulakshana Jayawardena, Director (Development), Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy, Government of Sri Lanka; Damitha Kumarasinghe, Director General, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka; Vinay Rustagi, Managing Director, Bridge to India Energy Private Limited, and Rajneesh Khattar, Group Director, UBM India Pvt. Ltd.

As the current non-renewable energy sources in Sri Lanka are costly and contribute to increased emission of greenhouse gases, organizations and industries in the country are actively participating in the expansion of small and medium renewable energy ventures within the country, resulting in growth beyond the boundaries of Sri Lanka.

Speaking at the inauguration, Damitha Kumarasinghe, Director General, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka highlighted:

• Government policy is to meet the 50% of the electricity requirement of the country using renewable energy sources, by 2030.
• This translates to 4800MW of capacity from renewable energy sources by 2030 from the 656MW at 2018.
• This requires investment of approximately USD 4.8 billion.

Commenting on the 2^nd edition of the Renewable Energy Growth Forum, Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said “Sri Lanka’s economy has transitioned from a rural agrarian framework to an urbanized service-oriented structure in the last four decades. The increasing economic growth has also resulted in a corresponding increase in demand for energy within the country, a demand set to rise with the country’s present service and manufacturing-oriented economy. Owning to this demand and having pledged to use only renewable energy resources by the year 2050, Sri Lanka is on the road to reduce dependency on costly imported fossil fuels and emission of Green House Gases ( GHG )”

He Added “The country is steering towards a sustainable and alternate solution which is available within its boundaries through Renewable Energy Resources. What it needs is the support and collaboration from the public and private sectors to boost the use of solar and hydropower, while maintaining its position as the 39th greenest countries in the world. Our aim through the Renewable Energy Growth Forum is to provide international attendees a platform to network, develop the knowledge landscape, be informed on latest trends, best practices, innovative solutions, engage in a balance technology mix and discuss the road ahead”.

Over the course of 2 days, companies dealing in Solar & Wind Products, Installers, Enterprises, Banks, Investors, Utilities, Power Producers, Rooftop & Ground Mounting Solution Providers, System Integrators, Importers & Exporters, and Freight Forwarder among other supply chain groups and Government officials joined hands to address the demand of electricity and futuristic technologies.

The conference put together two days of power-packed sessions. Day 1 saw discussion on topics such as ‘Guiding the Way into Green Era – Global CEO’s Vision’; ‘Rise of Sri Lanka – Island of Opportunities & Values’; ‘Meeting the Challenges v/s Breakthrough to Excellence’ and ‘Session on Sustainable Solution and Reliability’, followed by case studies and a networking tea. Day 2 will have sessions on ‘Innovations that Make the Future Brighter!’; ‘Beyond Electricity, Emissions-Free Heating & Cooling Opportunities’ and ‘Technology Transformation: CXO Dialogue’.

The international forum had participation from speakers such as B.M.S Batagoda, Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy, Govt of Sri Lanka; Damitha Kumarasinghe, Director General, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka; Athula Jayathunga – Director ( Renewable Energy), Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority; Dr. P. S. N. De Silva,Head of Engineering,Lanka Electricity Company (Private) Limited; R.Chellappan, Managing Director, Swelect Energy Systems Limited; Santosh Khatelsal,Managing Director, Enerparc Energy; P. Vinay Kumar, CEO, Varp Power Pvt Limited; Siddharth Malik, Managing Director, Megawatt Solutions Pvt Ltd; Ishani Palliyaguru, Assistant Vice President – Project Finance, National Development Bank PLC; Rohit Kumar, Head of Indian Subcontinent, Renewable Energy Corporation (India) Private Limited; M.R. Narayanan, Director, Southern Floating Solar Pvt. Ltd; Shehan Talagala, Sales Manager, Sri Lanka, Jinko Solar; Gagandeep Kaur, Sales Head, Future Hi Tech Batteries Limited; and Sampath Kariyawasam,General Manager – Service, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Lanka Private Limited, amongst others.

According to an article by Export.Gov, Sri Lanka intends to strengthen the power generation capacity to 6,900 MW by 2025 with maximum contribution from renewable energy. While Sri Lanka has already reached 98 per cent of grid connectivity, only 40 per cent of it comes from renewable energy sources. Expertise and investment from global stakeholders can help Sri Lanka enhance its hydropower potential to achieve its 2050 target.