IESA News

India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) and Greenstat Hydrogen India, a Norwegian energy organization, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for two years to accelerate the hydrogen technology development in India. The two partners will collaborate on establishing a Norwegian Centre of Excellence on Hydrogen in India and the development of green hydrogen technologies in India.

In the Union Budget 2021, India’s government announced its plan to launch a National Hydrogen Mission. The draft mission is likely in the next two months.

For the financial year 2021-22, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has been allotted INR 25 crore for research and development (R&D) in hydrogen.

Once the draft of the mission is in place, it will be floated for public consultation. There will be five focus areas, including R&D, demand creation, industry application, eco-system creation (including policies) and bringing industry on board along with international partnerships.

In these five areas, demand creation will focus on the niche products that can be taken up and effective use of the fuel in trucks and buses. In the industrial sector, the government is looking at hydrogen as a replacement for coke in the steel industry and making use of the fuel in the fertilizer sector. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has indicated that by 2025-26, the industrial sector will be one of the major hydrogen recipients.

Debi Prasad Dash, Executive Director, India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) said hydrogen presents a potential opportunity for India to decrease reliance on oil imports and focus on alternate energy sources. In line with the industry needs, IESA launched the MIGHT (Mobility and Infrastructure with Green Hydrogen Technology) initiative in 2020 for supporting policies to enable use of green hydrogen in both stationery and mobility sector.

“We anticipate that advanced chemistry cell battery manufacturing mission and hydrogen mission together can enable India to fast-track decarbonization of grid, industrial sector, and transportation sector in the coming decade,” he added.

Sturle Pedersen, Chairman, Greenstat Hydrogen India, said, “Leading a broad representation of Norwegian cutting-edge expertise within the hydrogen sector, we are thrilled to be a part of this exciting journey together with IESA, the Indian industry, R&D institutes and the Indian government. Hydrogen is already a dominant part of the energy value chain world-wide. The challenge now is to revert the energy ecosystem back into its natural evolution. Renewable energy must replace fossil fuels, to preserve our habitat, and to preserve our mobility. Hydrogen is the natural energy carrier representing a vital part of the sustainable energy solution together with sustainable battery manufacturing.”

Since 2012, IESA has been working to help address enabling policy framework for all forms of energy storage technologies for both stationary and emobility applications. It worked to include hydrogen as part of the National Energy Storage Mission developed for the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in 2018.

IESA News
Specific recommendations from a prominent industry group for tax reforms and other changes to support energy storage were not included India’s Union Budget for 2021-2022, but certain aspects of the budget such as the promotion of domestic self-reliance have been welcomed.
 
The India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), which includes 120 companies involved in the battery and e-mobility sectors, had made 10 recommendations and requests ahead of the unveiling of the national budget on Monday by India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam.
 
These included a lowering of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on stationary energy storage systems used in hybrid projects to store renewable energy to 5%, exemptions of other charges and duties for energy storage projects to bring down the cost of renewable energy integration for electricity distribution companies (Discoms) and to create a government-led institute for energy storage development.
 
In the event, the budget did not answer the calls of those requests from the industry group to directly incentivise or support energy storage. In fact the only direct mention for lithium batteries in minister Sitharam’s speech was to say that customs duties on inputs, parts and sub-parts for lithium batteries - excluding the lithium cells or circuit boards - would be raised from 0 to 2.5%.
 
Elsewhere, the wider renewable energy sector received some direct funding: the government pledged a “capital infusion” to the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) of ₹1,000 crores (US$137 million) and ₹1,500 crores to the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency. The other notable direct mention of renewable energy was an acknowledgement that “solar energy has huge promise for India,” after which Sitharaman said India is introducing a “phased manufacturing plan” to build up domestic solar cell and panel making capabilities. In the meantime, the budget raises the customs duty on solar inverters from 5% to 20% and for solar lanterns from 5% to 15%.
 
Possible reforms of Discoms, which ultimately determine the path that electricity supply and demand can take forwards in India but many of which face various economic and operational challenges, were also announced.
 
Self-sufficiency means domestic solar and battery production too
However, despite the lack of inclusion of those direct asks from the group, IESA president Dr Rahul Walawalkar told Energy-Storage.news that some of the provisions of the budget were positive signs towards promoting both the uptake of clean energy and domestic manufacturing. He echoed the government’s viewpoint that raising duties on solar products would “make the country self-sufficient” and reduce reliance on imports, while Chinese companies manufacturing within India “will get a price edge over others”.
 
During 2020, India’s government said that it would be supporting manufacturing in solar as well as advanced battery cell technologies domestically, designating the two as among a number of “Champion Sectors” under Atmanirbhar Bharat, a scheme to promote Indian national self-reliance through production.
 
Dr Walawalkar of IESA said that the national programme of production-linked incentives “holds immense importance” as it would accelerate this self-reliance, or self-sufficiency, through domestic manufacturing which would help the country to “enter the global value chain for advanced energy storage technologies”. IESA is committing to developing a “robust R&D and manufacturing sector” in India, Walawalkar said.
 
Also announced was the forthcoming launch of a national Hydrogen Energy Mission. First mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event in November last year, while details yesterday were still not given, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that it is “now proposed to launch a Hydrogen Energy Mission in 2021-2022 for generation hydrogen from green power sources”.
 
“We wholeheartedly welcome the proposed Hydrogen Energy Mission,” IESA president Walawalkar said.
 
“In line with the industry needs, IESA has already launched the MIGHT- (Mobility and Infrastructure with Green Hydrogen Technology) initiative in 2019 for supporting policies to enable use of green hydrogen in both stationary and mobility sector,” he said.
 
“We anticipate that advanced chemistry cell battery manufacturing mission and hydrogen mission together can enable India to fast track decolonisation of grid, industrial sector and transportation sector in coming decade.”
 
Money for research, rural infrastructure among other positives
IESA also welcomed the pledge of ₹50,000 crore (US$685 million) funding towards the National Research Foundation, which the group believed would support that role of advanced cell manufacturing R&D in the AtmaNirbhar Bharat mission. There will also be some tax benefits for start-up companies, which IESA believed would encourage innovation among EV and energy storage startups and “provide a competitive platform for Indian startups to compete with global players”.
 
“It is high time for the Indian industry to take up R&D and advanced cell manufacturing so that we reduce our dependence on other countries,” Dr Walawalkar said.
 
In the past Dr Walawalkar and his colleagues at IESA have also spoken of the importance of developing rural microgrid schemes to support the many people in India who do not have access to electricity, or have poor or limited access. Funding pledged for the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund of between ₹30,000 crores and ₹40,000 crores in this year’s budget was a “step in the right direction”. The microgrid business faces fundamental challenges for their economic viability which the funding, and programmes like IESA’s own Microgrid Initiative for Campus and Rural Opportunities (MICRO) could help solve.
 
“This initiative addresses the fundamental challenges faced by the developers and funding agencies by creating an ecosystem to make microgrids viable and efficient and is actively engaging with the community,” the IESA president said.
 
“We are confident that energy storage and microgrids have the potential to transform not just India’s electric grid in next the 5-10 years, but also to help advance energy access challenges around the globe.”
 
Also among other announcements of note according to IESA were vehicle scrappage scheme policies designed to support the shift to electric mobility, schemes to support electrification of public buses and increased customs duties on imported auto parts.

IESA News

Your dream of owning a Tesla electric car will soon be a reality as the company is set to begin its India journey with its highest-selling Model 3, before the premium Model S and Model X, which would be available later in the year and in early 2022.

Arriving in India via Tesla Motors Amsterdam that will give the electric car-maker tax benefits related to dividend payments and capital gains, the Model 3 may start from around Rs 60 lakh.

The base Standard Range Plus model now claims a driving range of 423 km per charge, while the Long-Range Model 3 can give you 568 km range on one single charge. CarDekho.com has even listed the price of three Tesla models with their expected arrival: Tesla Model 3 from Rs 60 lakh in as early as March, Tesla Model S from Rs 1.5 crore in July and Model X from Rs 2 crore in early 2022.

The India arrival dates and prices, however, have not been revealed by Tesla, which now has a registered office in Bengaluru.

According to Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR, Tesla’s bold bet on India will supercharge and transform the country’s mobility future.

“Over the short-term, Tesla’s entry will give a boost to the government’s policy initiatives, strengthen EV manufacturing in India, spur new mobility startups, and most importantly, fasten the development of enabling EV infrastructure,” Ram told IANS.

Tesla is setting up its research and development (R&D) centre in Bengaluru to commence its India operations. The Karnataka government had earlier made a strong pitch to invite Tesla to the state. Tesla is also in touch with other state governments in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to start its India operations.

The move will also open India to select as one of the countries where Tesla cars can be purchased. People are eying its most loved car – Model 3 – which is built from the ground up as an electric vehicle with ultra-high strength steel and a low, solid centre of gravity.

Model 3 achieved a US NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) 5-star safety rating in every category and subcategory with its energy absorbent crash structure, rigid passenger compartment, incredible side impact protection and one of the lowest rollover risks of any sedan on the road.

Model 3 comes with the option of dual motor all-wheel drive, 20-inch Uber Turbine wheels and performance brakes and lowered suspension for total control in all weather conditions. A carbon fibre spoiler improves stability at high speeds, allowing the Model 3 to accelerate from 0-96 km in as little as 3.1 seconds.

A 15-minute recharge at a Supercharger location can get it ready to go for up to 280 km. The inside of Model 3 is unlike any other car. You can use your smartphone as a key, and access all driver controls in the central 15-inch touchscreen.

The all-glass roof extends from front to back, creating a sense of openness from every seat. In the US, the warranty on the base Model 3 variant is four years or 50,000 miles (whichever comes first) and on the battery and drive unit, the warranty is 8 years or 120,000 miles (whichever comes first).

The electric vehicle (EV) market in India is expected to reach over 63 lakh unit-mark per annum by 2027, according to a recent report by the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA).

The demand for the batteries is also going to rise substantially over the same period. The EV sales in India stood at 3.8 lakh units in 2019-20, and the EV battery market reached 5.4GWh during the year. Tesla’s entry will only boost the EV sector.

“Over the long-term, India stands to leapfrog the current conventional mobility and build a strong foundation for e-mobility. With India’s advanced capabilities in manufacturing and information technology, the country is potentially poised for success and lead the world in the post-Covid future,” Ram noted.

 

 

IESA News

Top growing renewable markets will be integrated into grid, diesel optimization, solar rooftop, distribution utility storage

The stationary energy storage market in India is expected to grow at a CAGR of about 8 per cent during 2020-27, according to a report by India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA).

The growth projection is based on a business as usual (BAU) scenario with the supportive policy framework, MNRE (Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) targets and ongoing project trends.

The report, the latest edition of IESA’s Stationary Energy Storage Market Overview, has taken 2019 as the base year for the estimation and the forecast period. In 2019, the market size shrunk to 21 GWh from 24GWh, primarily due to lower sales in the larger markets such as telecom and inverter batteries in 2018.

For the forecast period, the top growing renewable markets for energy storage systems (ESS) will be integrated into the grid, diesel optimization, solar rooftop, and distribution utility scales storage.

Renewable integration

Renewable integration into the grid is slated to grow at CAGR of 32 per cent by 2027 due to the focus on solar-wind hybrid tenders by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and other government agencies, on account of high renewable target of 450 GW by 2030.

Diesel optimiszation is slated to grow at CAGR of 59 per cent in short term till 2023, with a slower growth in long term at 30 per cent till 2030 accounting for a more reliable national grid which may leave less scope for growth of backup market.

For the rooftop solar market, a dip in GST from 28 per cent to 5 per cent has been a driver for the market, with analysis additionally showing that for solar resource-rich States such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam, cost of rooftop solar with 50 per cent storage system could meet grid parity by 2023-end.

The Covid impact although will be visible on the rooftop solar, inverters, and diesel optimization markets, the markets are likely to recover after 2021. Other markets such as telecom markets and UPS will have a medium impact due to Covid, owing to an increased use of electronic communication devices such as smartphones, laptops, and change in lifestyle owing to remote work.

The most popular battery technologies used for energy storage are flooded lead-acid batteries, valve regulated lead acid batteries (VRLA), lithium-ion batteries and other technologies such as flow batteries, thermal batteries etc.

Battery technologies

IESA expect the contribution of lead-acid batteries to reduce over the projected period with flooded lead-acid battery share going from 52 per cent to 19 per cent and for valve-regulated lead-acid batteries reducing from 44 per cent to 31 per cent. At the same time, the penetration of lithium-ion batteries is projected to increase rapidly from 4 per cent in 2019 to 45 per cent in 2027 primarily due to the decreasing prices of lithium-ion battery systems. The share of other battery technologies, although still small, could also increase from less than one per cent in 2019 to five per cent in 2027.

The 2027 projections consist of base case, worst case and best-case scenarios. The best-case scenario projects a CAGR of 14 per cent, while worst-case scenario assumes a low growth of 2 per cent in the market.

IESA News

India has seen a proliferation of startups in the EV space in the past few years on the back of the government’s vision for 2030. Clearly, the government and startups are going all out to up the electric mobility game to ensure a clean, green, and responsible India. In order to further propel India’s drive to a greener future with electric vehicles, India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) is organising its global startup outreach program in association with United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) for startups in the e-mobility, clean energy, energy storage and clean transportation sectors. Supported and backed by Invest India, Startup India, TiE Global, and other partners, the program is a part of IESA’s 5-day long virtual conference and exhibition – India Energy Storage Week (IESW), focusing on Energy Storage, EV, and Microgrids from 2nd to 6th Nov.

With the eMobility sector largely dependent on large companies and conglomerates, the Indian market is on the path of consistent technological transition in adoption of electric mobility and energy storage. This substantiates the emergence of new startups and new companies, which are not only emerging in the manufacturing and innovation space but proposing new unique solutions, addressing environmental concern, dependency on oil, intermittence generation from renewables and many such issues.

IESA has held several startup pitches, organized competition and innovation pavilion since 2013 as part of its annual flagship event and has worked with 35+ startups in this space.

Twelve global startups have selected for the start-up pitch at the IESW basis their unique quotient, innovation, R&D initiatives, etc. from a pool of entries. The selected startups are – Dhanvantri Bio Medical in Bio-medical category, Godi India in Energy Storage category, Green Evolve Private Limited in EV Charging category, Jeevtronics in Alternate Energy category, Magnes Motor in EV category , Minion Labs India in Energy Management category, Mojo Green in EV Charging category, Nanospan Energy Storage Solutions in Energy Storage category, Navalt Solar and Electric Boats Private Limited in E-boats category, Sand Bird in Agritech category, Vflow Tech in Energy Storage category, and Wenergie Eco Works in Energy management category. Out of these, the three winners will get a year complementary IESA membership and mentorship from IESA Leadership Council.

IESA News
The India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) looks ahead to the World Energy Storage Day Global Virtual Conference & Expo, which is set to bring the world’s energy storage community together on 22 September 2020 – online.

Our key speaker is 2019 Nobel laureate in chemistry, Dr Stanley Whittingham, who is currently working as a professor of chemistry in Binghamton University, State University of New York.

The energy storage sector has come a long way in the past decade and is seen as an enabler for transformation towards greener grids and cleaner transportation.

The development of this sector is the result of the hard work and passion of all stakeholders around the globe. To celebrate the growing importance of energy storage, the Global Energy Storage Alliance has been celebrating 22 September as World Energy Storage Day (WESD) since 2017.

Over the past three years, the IESA and its partners celebrated WESD with various national-level events to spread the word within each region.

Marathon event

This year, based on inputs from many of the partners, we are proud to announce that the virtual WESD Global Conclave & Expo on 22 September will be held online across seven regions.

This will be the first time that a marathon online event, dedicated to the energy storage and EV industry, has been organised on this scale and has only been possible with your constant support.

The event will bring together 75-plus global thought leaders and policymakers to share insights on the policy, technology, and business landscape in each of the seven global regions. We are targeting participation of more than 20,000 global delegates in this online event.

We are also pleased to share that we have received support of global alliances and organisations. They include: the Alliance for Rural Electrification, the Australian Energy Storage Alliance, Australia Trade & Invest, the Government of Australia, the German Association of Energy Storage Systems, California Energy Storage Alliance, China Energy Storage Alliance, the US Clean Energy States Alliance, Department of Science and Technology, Desert Energy Alliance, the US Energy Storage Association, European Alliance for Storage of Energy, European Battery Alliance (EBA250), Green Hydrogen Coalition, Indo German Energy Forum, Innovation Norway, International Solar Alliance, Irish Energy Storage Alliance, NITI Aayog, Government of India, South Africa Energy Storage Association, UL, BASF, Keysight Technologies, Exicom, Okaya and 30-plus global partners through the World Bank and partner organisation, the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program.

IESA News

There is a need to reduce dependence on the import of lithium ion batteries, one of the key components in electric vehicles (EVs), road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday.

“In e-mobility technology, the most imp thing is we should not depend on import the material used to make these vehicles. Our priority is to make all these materials , particularly lithium ion batteries in India," Gadkari said at the e-mobility conclave.

“We have given mines of lithium ion to two private companies. We expect to get raw material as early as possible. At the same time we are developing technology. We are also doing research on sodium ion technology," he said.

Lithium cells are the building blocks of rechargeable batteries for EVs, laptops and mobile phones. Currently, India is heavily dependent on import of these cells as the battery metal is available in India. This is also one of reasons why battery manufacturing has not picked up significantly in India even as the finance ministry last year announced customs duty exemption on lithium-ion cells, to lower the cost. Globally, lithium-ion cell manufacturing is dominated by China, followed by US, Thailand, Germany, Sweden and South Korea.

According to the minister, there is a need to make more EVs as higher volumes will ultimately reduce the cost of the product. “It is (electric vehicle) is economically viable as compared to petrol, diesel vehicle," he said. “In the due course of time I expect people to use it."

 

IESA News

A clear policy framework regarding energy storage is needed in the new electricity law for the adoption of storage technologies in suitable areas, an industry body has suggested. The Draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020, floated by the power ministry, seeks amendments to the Electricity Act, 2003, to address a series of challenges faced by the sector and provide measures to improve regulatory discipline, private sector participation and give a thrust on renewable energy sector, among others.

"While we welcome the proposed amendments, we are seeking a clear policy framework regarding energy storage in the act. India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing markets for renewable energy and energy storage technologies could be the key enabler for renewable energy integration and grid stability," India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) Executive Director Debi Prasad Dash said.

The IESA represents energy storage manufacturers, research institutes, renewable energy, power electronics, and electric vehicle manufacturing companies.

The IESA has also recommended defining energy storage in the Electricity Act as it could be helpful to start ancillary services and frequency regulation through energy storage as a flexible asset.

"It will also help to enable electric vehicles charging infrastructure, vehicle-to-grid concepts and Microgrids integration with expanded grid connectivity in the long run. We hope the ministry will consider IESA's recommendations to make the Indian electricity grid more resilient and reliable," Dash added.

The other recommendations include advocating storage purchase obligation - instead of a hydro purchase obligation which include significant environment and operational limitation.

"Storage purchase obligation can comprise various existing and emerging cost-effective solutions that provide appropriate flexibility. Discoms should be free to choose specific forms of procurement, either hybrid renewable energy + storage or renewable energy and storage independently," the IESA said.

Apart from these, the recommendations include ensuring power quality; automatic exemptions for allowed microgrids, renewable generation, back-up power, energy storage, electric vehicles; and removal of minimum threshold on contract demand especially for EV charging.

"Section 42 of the Electricity Act provides a minimum threshold on contract demand, this should be removed especially for EV charging when the aggregated contract demand is more than 1 MW.

"Currently the policy allows for open access to avail RE within the state only after paying the cost component to discoms as fixed by state electricity regulators, this clause should be relaxed as market forces would then ensure competition and drive in systemic efficiency," IESA recommended.

IESA News

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the campaign will recognize the persistent effort of individuals who continue to contribute to conserve the environment and make their voices heard. The Great Global Cleanup Hero will have these unstoppable individuals spread awareness through social media handles, WhatsApp, blogs, personal conversations with their friends, relatives, etc. Once the situation normalises, and the government allows outdoor group activities, the hero is expected to conduct on-ground activities such as cleanups and awareness drives.  The most deserving hero/es who as a leader never stops to contribute to protect the environment even during these challenging times will be adjudged as winner/s.  Unlimited entries will be accepted by the jury.  The campaign will culminate with an award ceremony in November 2020.   

Step 1:

Register yourself by filling the Great Global Cleanup Hero Form: https://tinyurl.com/GreatGlobalCleanupHero

Step 2:

  • You could formulate digital programs/competitions to further widen and deepen awareness about the need for a clean environment through digital means
  • You could share pictures of their individual indoor activities, tag us using our #GreatGlobalCleanupHero and #GreatGlobalCleanup hashtag, send screenshots of their unique ways of spreading awareness
  • You could reach out to school principals, professors, influencers, bloggers, celebrities, who would re-post the posts and further speak on the issues and Earth Day 2020 by tagging us with hashtags or mention in video bytes
  • Make 30-secondsto 1-minutevideos with each of your group members to talk about important environmental issues urging others to join the digital movement
  • Create public discussion forums on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram Live, etc.
  • Make comic strips and cartoons
  • Make educative environmental messages, forwards, broadcast them on WhatsApp groups- share screenshots, re-share, tag us, to document each activity you do
  • Compose slogans, jingles
  • Make interesting digital postersand post them widely
  • Encourage recycling and upcyclingat home
  • Use art and unique measures to spread environmental awareness(open to individuals to designin their own unique ways)
  • Awareness through personal means, outreach, and document in the form of screenshots, pictures, hashtags, etc.

Step 3:

Upload your activities on Facebook. Do tag Earth Day Network India (https://www.facebook.com/Earth.Day.Network.India/) and with #GreatGlobalCleanupHero and #GreatGlobalCleanup

Step 4:

Submit a report of the activities, clearly providing data on the number of participants who could be reached out to by each in the group or impacted, the impact of the program, and rest details that you may wish to add.  The last date to submit your report is November 1, 2020.  Send us a consolidated report of all activities at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.



 

 

IESA News

Pune is moving at a slow pace towards e-mobility. Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) officials said there were few takers for the three electric vehicle charging stations set up by the company in Pune.

The power utility had set up its first electric vehicle (EV) charging station at Baner a year ago while two others were recently set up at Wadgaonsheri and Hinjewadi.

With the Centre giving a push towards the faster adoption of electric vehicles, the state government had launched an ambitious project of setting up 500 electric vehicle charging stations across Maharashtra in a phase-wise manner. In Pune, there are plans to set up 10 electric vehicle charging stations.

Sachin Talewar, Chief Engineer, Pune zone of MSEDCL, told The Indian Express that three EV charging stations were operational at the MSEDCL sub-stations in Baner, Hinjewadi, and Wadgaonsheri. MSEDCL officials, however, said the response has not been encouraging.

The tariff is fixed at Rs6 per unit on the basis of transit-oriented development, said an official, adding that a discount of Rs1.50 per unit would also be offered on power tariff for EV charging between 10 pm and 6 am. “Barring a few consumers, the response is yet to pick up,” the official added.

Dr. Rahul Walawalkar, president of the India Energy Storage Alliance, said they have launched a ‘Moving Onward with Vehicles Electric’ (MOVE) project, where education activities were being undertaken to help private companies understand the economics of electric vehicles.

“In cities like Delhi and Bengaluru, electric taxi fleets have picked up… The demand is slowly picking up in Pune and we are looking at a big uptake in EVs across the country,” Walawalkar said.

  1. Budget 2020: For Renewable Energy, “The Devil is in the Detail”
Cron Job Starts