Akshat Jiwan Sharma

11 June 2026  Earlier this June I had the pleasure of participating in two highly relevant discussions for accelerating the renewable energy adoption in the EU. The meeting on Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) implementation was focussed on policy changes required to achieve the goal. Whereas the meeting on grid resilience focussed more on the technical aspects that could actually make renewable energy work on a continental scale. [1-3] The Renewable Energy Directive proposed by the EU is now a law that the member states are required to enforce. But while the intent has been positive the actual implementation of the law has been lagging. The reasons could be many: slow bureaucracy, political opposition, conflicting goals, technological gaps and prioritisation of other pressing concerns.  Member states have their own complex politics & their own issues to take care of before they can look at union directives. Now to overcome this challenge the union has adopted a carrot ...

I thank the engineering export promotion council of India for organising a roadshow for the upcoming Pharma Tech expo in Sep 2026. I would also like to thank the I-hub foundation for cobotics at IIT Delhi for organising an online discussion on the evolution of healthcare with development of  tooling and technology across successive industrial revolutions.  The two events presented a unique opportunity for me to attempt to apply myself in the field of medicine which needless to say is extremely challenging considering that this sector is highly regulated and requires specialisation. But after listening to the experts in the field I was convinced that the industry is moving towards automation and some of the biggest challenges being faced by India and other developing states in Africa are access to machines and instruments that can help provide healthcare to people.  A concern that many of the leaders in the field shared is that while India has done reasonably ...

I thank the society of automotive engineers for organising the second annual Aerospace Materials & Manufacturing Summit, to discuss the material challenges that the aerospace and defense industry is currently facing and some of the new opportunities that have arisen due to innovation in materials manufacturing and processing.  As someone who deeply cares about material science it was a great opportunity for me to listen to the experts in the aerospace industry and learn about their thought process prior to materials selection. I also think that this is a great initiative by SAE that will foster a deeper engagement with material engineers.  Aircraft impose severe constraints on materials as they have to be tough,strong and lightweight. Unsurprisingly Aluminum alloys and fiber composites dominate due to their unique combination of properties that align well with the requirements of aerospace. Titanium,Tungsten and Nickel alloys are used in engines and turbines due to their...

I thank the European commission for organising EU space days and giving me a chance to participate in the conference online. It was a great pleasure to listen to the esteemed speakers sharing their vision on how to strengthen the EU space industry.  This was my second engagement with the European Space Agency following the virtual event in January. [1-2] This year's event took place at Cyprus which is currently presiding over the EU. Since space and defense industries are intimately connected a few statements were made regarding the political status of Cyprus which remains divided between the Republic of Cyprus in the south and Turkey controlled region in the North. A question was asked: how could the space industry be used to defend the sovereignty of the nation? Although the question was rhetorical, it clearly emphasized that the EU is no longer going to view the space industry purely from a scientific & engineering POV.  This seemed to me a natural continuation of the s...

May 26 2026 I thank the Africa Solar Industry Association for organising an online conference on energy storage technologies to meet Africa’s growing demand in the renewable energy sector.  For the last 6 months I have been intensely networking with stakeholders in the African energy sector. In January I engaged with Damilola Ogunbiyi, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (UN SRSG) for Sustainable Energy for All, and Co-Chair of UN-Energy  , Selwin Hart, Assistant Secretary General and Senior Advisor for Climate to the United Nations Secretary-General and the former president of Maldives Mr Mohamed Nasheed [1] Later in February, at the Bharat Electricity summit, I had a chance once more to engage with representatives from African states seeking partners to help meet Africa's energy demand.  Following this I attended several online discussions on making energy storage cheaper.   [2-4] I have also written about the geopolitics of energy t...

May 15 2026 I thank ASM sustainable manufacturing committee for organising a highly informative talk by Dr Sweta Baruah on the topic of Materials Upcycling in Additive manufacturing.  As it stands AM is far more material efficient than traditional manufacturing processes— producing less waste than subtractive manufacturing techniques (milling/turning/drilling/grinding).  Yet feedstock cost in AM remains high due to energy intensive processes used in its manufacturing. Typical powderisation techniques using gas or water atomisation consume much energy as do wire extrusion processes.  The desire to cut down the input energy serves as a powerful motivator to develop processes that can lower the cost and make AM more sustainable.  Traditional melt processing technologies for making powder or wire help with the reusability of waste streams and reduce energy input because compared to fresh feedstock there is no need for crushing ,chemical treatment,reduction etc.  Yet...