Clean Energy and Just Transition Conference for MSMEs in India

MSMEs are the backbone of India’s economy; they employ 110 million workers and generate 29% of India’s GDP. For many MSMEs, addressing their high energy costs is key to their competitiveness and survival. Focusing on their transition to cheaper, clean energy can help accelerate the achievement of India’s climate goals while also creating new jobs. The transition needs to be “just” since equity impacts play out differently across regions and sectors. MSMEs need support to operationalize the clean energy transition, reskill workers, secure new avenues of finance and access formal safety nets

World MSME Day is celebrated on June 27 every year to mark the contribution made by the small-scale business sector. On this occasion, WRI India is organizing this conference intends to provide multiple angles on how to address the clean energy transition challenge and an innovative perspective on how to design the best pathways for MSMEs.

INAUGURAL SESSION

• Dr OP Agarwal, CEO, WRI India (Welcome address)
• Abhay Bakre, Director General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency
• Jarnail Singh, Deputy Director, India Office, MacArthur Foundation

PANEL DISCUSSION 1: ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY & FINANCE IN CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION IN INDIAN MSMEs

WRI India has been working with MSMEs to improve Energy Efficiency in the clusters and increase the adoption of renewable energy. Our objective is to enable MSMEs to reduce their energy consumption, operation, and maintenance costs, improve the efficiency of the cluster, and eventually decarbonise MSME clusters and reduce GHG emissions. We work with development institutions, governments, energy enterprises, investors, and civil society to build capacity and support sustainable, affordable, and reliable energy access solutions that alleviate poverty and promote development. The conference intends to provide multiple angles on how to address this challenge and an innovative perspective on how to design the best societal pathways to reach climate neutrality by 2050.

Between 20th June to 24th June, Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) and World Resources Institute (WRI) India in partnership with the Technology Information Forecasting Assessment Council, the Government of India (TIFAC) is launching an Innovative Clean Energy Technology Platform for MSMEs. The objective of this platform is to formalize and create an enabling ecosystem for promoting clean technology innovations in the SME sector. Instead of looking at national or state level challenges, the platform is focused on cluster level technology.

The platform is currently launched for five clusters, with the focus to reduce GHG emissions and improve the cluster level energy efficiency.

The selected technology providers will also be showcasing their innovation/services during the National event on World MSME Day i.e., 27th June 2022.

SPEAKERS

• Rajiv Kumar, General Manager, Small Industries Development Bank of India
• Debajit Das, National Project Coordinator, United Nations Industrial Development Organization
• Ashvini Kumar, Technical Advisor, Shakti Foundation
• Pradeep Srivastava, Executive Director, Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council
• Pamli Deka, Regional Coordinator, South Asia, Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN)
• Vivek Adhia, Country Director, Institute of Sustainable Communities (Moderator)
• Deepak Krishnan, Associate Director, Energy Program, WRI India (Moderator)

PANEL DISCUSSION 2: ENABLING A JUST TRANSITION FOR INDIAN MSMES

The second panel of the day dives deeper into what the clean energy transition would mean for MSMEs as different sectors start to transition, and the impact that would have on their workers. Enabling a just clean energy transition implies ensuring that MSMEs in current conventional sectors and their workers are equipped with access to technology, as well as right skills and knowledge to ride the wave of the transition and adapt their businesses to the new demands of the emerging clean energy sectors. Doing this requires an understanding of their current challenges and needs, and the support they require to achieve this from skilling agencies, policymakers, OEMs, technology experts, researchers and philanthropists. This panel brings together stakeholders across the ecosystem to discuss opportunities, interventions and actions needed today to enable a resilient and clean MSME sector, and enhance job opportunities for their workers.

SPEAKERS

• Ravi Nandan Sinha, Director Of Development at MSME Business Forum India
• Dr. Saon Ray, Professor, ICRIER
• Uzair Shafiul, Industry Expert, Manufacturing, R&D, Automotive Skills Development Council
• Hariharan Ramamoorthy, All India Vice President, Laghu Udyog Bharati
• Michelle Armstrong, Head of Philanthropy at Ares Management Corporation and Executive Director of the Ares Charitable Foundation
• Chhavi Banswal, Lead, Future of Work and Platform Economy, Ola Mobility Institute
• Shubhangi Gupta, Project Associate, Climate Program, WRI India
• Priyal Shah, Program Associate, Climate Program, WRI India
• Ashwini Hingne, Senior Manager, Climate Program, WRI India (Moderator)

Click here fore more details on the launch of Innovative Clean Energy Technology Platform.