Building circular renewable energy value chains

Watch the third part of the Responsible Renewable Energy Summit, which explored opportunities to manage risks and to ensure RE development happens in a way that contributes to a just clean energy transition.

As domestic manufacturing ramps up in India and in the face of large waste estimation figures from various RE technologies, how can circularity help scale RE responsibly?

The first Responsible Renewable Energy Summit, held on 14 February 2023 in-person in Delhi, brought together renewable energy experts, sector pioneers, policy makers, innovators, and civil society representatives to discuss how RE can set a benchmark for responsibility and the value it can create for every citizen in India for generations to come.

The Summit was organised by the Responsible Energy Initiative (REI) India with The Nature Conservancy, Vasudha Foundation, National Solar Energy Federation of India and supported by Climate Trends. REI India is led by Forum for the Future, TERI, and WRI India, with expert partners Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, CEEW, Climate Group, Consensus Building Institute, Landesa and WWF India.

The third and final panel, Building circular RE value chains, explored how to embed circularity in the RE value chain in the current context, with perspectives on regulation and the government’s renewed push to transition from a linear to a circular economy; knowledge gaps on circularity in RE; and how to balance the energy transition while being responsible.

The panel was moderated by Ms. Namrata Ginoya, Senior Program Manager, WRI India. Panellists included:

• Mr. A L N Rao, CEO, Exigo Recycling
• Mr. Nalin Agarwal, Founding Partner at the Climate Seeds Fund
• Mr. Sujoy Ghosh, Vice-President & Country Managing Director — India, First Solar
• Ms. Ke Wang, Program Director, Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE)

Panellists agreed that a multi-sectoral approach is needed to ensure circularity within the RE value chain–that is, governments need to continue to provide an enabling environment and to nudge stakeholders in the right direction, civil society organisations must raise awareness and monitor progress, the finance sector must bridge critical funding gaps and researchers must lead innovations that can guide a clean and responsible energy transition.

Watch the video for the full panel, including a presentation on actions towards a responsible RE sector by Anna Biswas, Managing Director (India), Forum for the Future, and Closing Remarks by Saksham Nijhawan, Principal Strategist, Forum for the Future.

Reach out to Saksham Nijhawan at s.nijhawan@forumforthefuture.org to find out how you can get involved with the Responsible Energy Initiative India.

Watch the rest of the Summit here.