From pv journal World 04/23
I spent 4 years working carefully with Pranav Mehta and noticed how his 5 a long time of service formed the present Indian photo voltaic sector and contributed to India and the world.
A 31-year-old Mehta conceived, promoted, and applied the usage of pure fuel, as an alternative of coal, for steelmaking. He left Tata Metal to hitch the Gujarat authorities in 1982 and, eight years later, his lobbying led to the primary gas-based “sponge iron” metal plant, in Hazira. The positioning saved hundreds of thousands of tons of emissions related to coking coal-based manufacturing and introduced jobs and financial advantages.
Mehta was honored with the Ministry of Metal and Mines’ Nationwide Metallurgist Award in 1990, introduced by the Indian Institute of Metals, and he was felicitated by future president APJ Abdul Kalam on the ceremony.
As compressed pure fuel advisor to the Gujarat State Petroleum Company – an appointment made by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi – Mehta has been instrumental in lowering air air pollution within the megacity of Ahmedabad and different cities within the state.
Day journey
Mehta’s photo voltaic journey started in 2006 and, working with the previous state physique Planning Fee of India, he steered the Ministry of New and Renewable Vitality to give you India’s first photo voltaic coverage two years in the past. From the preliminary purpose of fifty MW of photo voltaic era capability, India now has 63 GW, and is the fifth largest photo voltaic state on the earth.
In Could 2013, Mehta based the commerce physique NSEFI to signify the complete photo voltaic provide chain, together with regional, nationwide, and worldwide builders; producers; engineering, procurement, and development contractors; installers; and system integrators; together with small and medium-sized enterprises.
NSEFI is working with central and state governments in the direction of India’s purpose of 450 GW of renewable capability by 2030 and has achieved the purpose of creating photo voltaic reasonably priced in lower than a decade, underneath Mehta’s management.
Management in India
NSEFI additionally performed an necessary function in co-founding the World Photo voltaic Council on the COP21 local weather change summit in Paris in 2015, together with different nationwide photo voltaic associations. This transfer is a crucial recognition of India’s rising function within the world photo voltaic narrative. Later, in 2019, Mehta turned the primary Indian to chair the World Photo voltaic Council and his tenure was marked by advocacy at world platforms, particularly in creating international locations, for the necessity to speed up set up photo voltaic. Mehta was additionally the primary Indian to take a seat on the seven-member steering committee of the Worldwide Renewable Vitality Company’s Coalition for Motion, in 2019.
Due to India’s success with photo voltaic vitality, and Shri Mehta’s management and involvement within the trade, he has been invited by governments and different establishments from 15 international locations together with the USA, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain , China, Taiwan, Qatar. , the UAE, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Egypt to share his views and expertise within the areas of coverage advocacy, photo voltaic progress planning, talent improvement, and the usage of photo voltaic vitality to make sure sustainable progress . By these world efforts and actions Mehta stored the Indian flag flying excessive internationally.
Rewards and recognition
Mehta has obtained accolades, each in India and world wide. Key awards he has honored embody the Photo voltaic Visionary Influencer and Disruptor Award from the Abu Dhabi-based Cleantech Enterprise Membership, in 2019. This award was beforehand obtained by Tony Seba, of Stanford College, and former German MP Hans-Joseph Fell .
Shri Mehta additionally obtained the Excellent Inexperienced Activist Award from the Indian Federation of Inexperienced Vitality, with the respect introduced by Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Roads, Transport, and Highways, in 2019. The Indian photo voltaic champion obtained the World Excellence Award in Renewable Vitality 2017, from the Vitality and Atmosphere Basis and then-energy minister Piyush Goyal.
Mehta’s efforts have had a major socioeconomic affect, by way of catalyzing large-scale funding, creating entrepreneurship within the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprize (MSME) sector – particularly among the many youth. entrepreneur – and he obtained the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium enterprises with recognition given by MSME minister Haribhai Chaudhari in 2017.
In Shri Mehta, the world has misplaced a local weather warrior, the nation has misplaced a real son and vitality ambassador, and the Indian photo voltaic trade has misplaced a visionary chief. . The perfect tribute we will pay him is to hold on his legacy by persevering with his work and constructing the inspiration of his imaginative and prescient for a sustainable India and a sustainable world.
Concerning the creator: Subrahmanyam Pulipaka is the NSEFI chief government. He is without doubt one of the youngest winners of the BRICS Younger Scientist Award 2018. A famend speaker at varied photo voltaic and renewable vitality occasions in India, Pulipaka has represented India at varied scientific and technological platforms throughout world, together with the USA, China, Russia, and Rwanda. With a background in photo voltaic module reliability analysis, he has printed greater than a dozen analysis articles in internationally acknowledged journals. He’s additionally the founding chairman of the India Africa Youth Vitality Discussion board, a platform devoted to nurturing future vitality leaders in each markets.
The views and opinions expressed on this article are these of the creator, and don’t essentially replicate these held by pv journal.
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