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India has called for greater cooperation with France in the field of clean energy and highlighted Delhi's plans for green transitioning to EVs and hydrogen energy.

The Indian renewable sector ranks fourth on the list of the world's most attractive renewable energy sectors and solar energy is the most abundant source of renewable power in the country.

Ministry of Science and Technology, Secretary, S. Chandrasekhar said that the government in 2022 had set a target of installing 100 GW of solar energy.

He said that using the Thar Desert as a site for solar power generation, the country is estimated to generate up to 2,100 GW of solar energy.

The Secretary while inaugurating the Indo-French Workshop on Clean and Sustainable Energy Technologies (INFINITE) at CSIR, National Physical Laboratory in Delhi, referred to another initiative of the government, the National Biofuel Policy, which aims to achieve a 20 per cent blending of ethanol in petrol and a 5 petrol blending of biodiesel in diesel by 2030.

Chandrasekhar pointed out that an area to focus upon is Carbon Capture and Storage and as estimated by NITI Aayog, theoretically, India has a total geological CO2 storage capacity of 400-600 Gt considering the depleted oil and gas reservoirs, unmineable coal seams, saline aquifers, basalts, etc. He said the government has designed policies, programs, and a liberal environment to attract foreign investments to ramp up the country in the renewable energy market at a rapid rate. The Department of Science and Technology is also interested in encouraging international collaborations on clean energy research.

"I hope the process and technologies that will be discussed in this workshop will have enormous potential in mitigating the impact of climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions", the Secretary said.

The event has been jointly organised by CSIR - Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR), Dhanbad, and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France and is being supported by the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (CEFIPRA).

The objective of the workshop is to bring together experts, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders from both countries to exchange knowledge, ideas, and best practices on the development and deployment of clean and sustainable energy technologies.

CSIR Director General, N. Kalaiselvi said that partnership with France and other G20 countries are required for green energy generation, storage and conversion, particularly green hydrogen, green ammonia, and energy storage infrastructures.

India and France have long standing bilateral research cooperation specially to augment research on clean and renewable energies, she said.

Antoine Petit, CEO of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), expressed appreciation for the strong partnership between the two countries and emphasised the importance of collaboration in achieving a sustainable energy transition through new bilateral programmes.