Piyush Goyal receives Carnot Prize, decides to donate prize money to International Solar Alliance

The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design formally presented the fourth annual Carnot Prize to Union Railways and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday here.

The Minister has decided that the award money of dollar 25,000, which he will receive as part of the 2018 Carnot Prize, will be donated to the International Solar Alliance to institute the Diwakar Award. The Diwakar award will recognise, every year, an outstanding organisation that has been working for special children and maximising the use of solar energy.

Mr Goyal had previously been unable to accept the award in the United States of America, due to the unfortunate train tragedy that took place in Amritsar.

The award recognises the pathbreaking transformations in India’s energy sector under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The efforts of Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas, and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, and RK Singh, Minister for Power, and New and Renewable Energy will further bolster India’s commitment towards mitigating climate change and provide energy security to the 125 crore people of the nation.

Mr Goyal had stated that “it is both a personal honour as well as a tribute to the efforts of all involved in this great work throughout India to be recognised with the Carnot Prize by the University of Pennsylvania”.

The Carnot Prize is the Kleinman Center’s annual recognition of distinguished contributions to energy policy through scholarship or practice. The most prestigious award in the energy sector, Carnot Prize is named after French physicist Nicolas Sadi Carnot who recognised that the power of the steam engine would “produce a great revolution” in human development.

The Carnot Prize is intended to honour those leading revolutions in energy policy to further progress and prosperity. (UNI)