India has set an ambitious target to meet 50% of its energy requirements from renewable sources by 2030. Expanding clean power portfolios require rapid advances and innovations in underlying technologies aligned with Indian conditions and constraints.
- To power its renewable growth, India is embarking on major initiatives to energize domestic R&D ecosystems around wind, solar and other green technologies through industry-academia partnerships.
- One key collaboration formalized recently – between IREDA and IIT Bhubaneswar.
The Renewable Technology Imperative
India currently ranks 4th globally in total installed renewable capacity. However, most equipment is still imported – highlighting focus areas:
- Enhance technology self-reliance
- Drive innovations to lower costs
- Enable equitable green power access
Thus government’s focus on facilitating RE clusters connecting industry players, startups and research institutions.
IREDA – The Flagship Renewable Financier
- Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency established in 1987 under MNRE
- Premier financier and advisor for RE and EE projects in India
- Sanctioned loans over Rs 92,480 crore for 530+ RE projects so far
- Manages MNRE’s scheme to fund emerging RE technologies
IIT Bhubaneshwar – Global RE Research Hub
- Set up School of Solar Energy in 2017 along 6 other IITs to boost research
- Houses state-of-art labs like Solar Photovoltaic Innovation Centre
- Runs India’s first techno-economic solutions-focused RE incubation centre
- MoU signed with Norway in 2021 for collaboration on green hydrogen
Thus, the IREDA-IIT Bhubaneswar tie-up brings together top financing might and research talent to progress India’s renewable energy technology capabilities.
MoU Focus Areas
The main areas identified for mutual cooperation are:
| Work Streams | Indicative Projects |
| Research & Development | Floating solar tech, Hydrokinetic turbines, Decentralized RE solutions |
| Testing & Certification | Set up testing lab as per MNRE standards for Suryamitras |
| Skilling & Training | RE project development course for rural entrepreneurs |
| Business Incubation | Mentoring cleantech startups on techno-economic modeling |
| Knowledge Sharing | Webinars, conferences and lectures on advances in RE |
Boosting Make-in-India RE Capabilities
- Collaborative RE technology developments like solar-integrated farm machineries
- Help commercialize innovative solutions by startups and students
- Channelize CSR funds from PSUs like NTPC, PGCIL managed by IREDA
- Enable testing infrastructure for various RE equipment
Such cooperation frameworks aligning key stakeholders in India’s renewable ecosystem will catalyze self-reliant and globally competitive Made-in-India technologies for a greener future.
India’s Expanding Clean Energy Portfolio
- 4th largest renewable energy market globally with ~100 GW installed capacity
- Wind energy capacity tripled from 2012 to over 40 GW now
- Solar energy capacity grew over 18 times since 2014 to hit 60 GW
- Target of 175 GW renewable capacity by 2022 seems within reach
Most Equipments are still imported
- 80% solar cells/modules still imported from China, Malaysia etc
- Domestic manufacturing capacity only 9 GW for solar cells and 15 GW for modules
Key Technology Gaps
- Insufficient lab infrastructure for testing and certification of RE equipment
- Limited R&D into solutions tailored for Indian conditions like low solar insolation zones
- Innovation ecosystem at nascent stage especially for emerging RE sources like green hydrogen, ocean energy etc
Boosting R&D Investments
- India invested about $70 million in renewable energy R&D in 2021 versus $1.3 billion by the US and $758 million in Germany
- IREDA established Technology Development Fund in 2017 with Rs 216 crore corpus to fund RE innovation programmes
IIT Bhubaneswar’s Leadership
- Runs 4 R&D centres on solar PV tech, smart grids, energy storage solutions and thermal power optimization
- Incubated over 18 cleantech startups under the Renewable Energy Entrepreneurship Development programme
- MOU with Norway focusing on green hydrogen, fuel cell applications
- Faculty published over 175 research papers on renewable energy integration in last 3 years
The IREDA-IIT Bhubaneswar partnership involves cooperation across the RE innovation spectrum – from ideas to commercialization – bringing together financing and research strengths to power India’s renewable targets.
