(A) Energy and Climate Policy Research, Education and Outreach
The Center will conduct education, research and outreach relevant to energy policy and climate issues. Emphasis will be on research correlating renewable and alternate energy technologies with the economic, regulatory and policy implications of climate change.
The key goals and activities of this Center will be as follows:
The Center, will strive to become a vanguard institution working at the intersection of technology development, economy and policy-making in the domain of energy sustainability and climate change. The Center will conduct targeted educational programmes to train students in energy policy and economics. It will also work closely with the government, industry, public and other stakeholders.
The educational programmes will be a blend of rigorous course work, based on a mix of energy technologies, energy policy and economics issues, and the thesis work, along with a strong emphasis on communication aspects.
This programme will target the working professionals in the sectors related to energy and climate. The objective of the programme will be to upgrade their professional skills by educating them with on the nexus between energy and climate change, advances in the energy sector, new low carbon technologies, technology mix and distribution, the smart grid, electric vehicles, and energy policy, regulations, economics and communications.
Center's research will focus on economics, policy, and regulatory areas to identify solutions for a low carbon economy and energy sustainability, both locally and globally. R&D will also emphasize on the engagement with various governmental, industrial, and social or non-governmental bodies to influence the policy making. This will help the Center to emerge as the principal thinktank/consultancy in these key areas.
The Center aspires to promote engagement with the government, industry and non-governmental organizations as well as society. These engagements will be done via various means, through joint research with the private sector, public lectures, seminars, workshops, demonstrations, social media and the Center's web presence. The Center aims to work closely with the policy makers to advise on the appropriate low carbon technology mix for India.
The Center will promote and facilitate the interactions and collaboration with the faculty from academia and industry worldwide through various means such as visiting positions, lectures and collaborative projects.
(B) Energy Technology Development
Decarbonizing the economies of India and rest of the world well ahead of impending climate disaster requires the rapid transformation of research ideas into feasible technological solutions. Hence, in this second crucial area related to energy technology development, the Center will emphasize the development of low carbon technologies, particularly cutting-edge technologies with research potential, driven by new and disruptive ideas.
Focus research areas are:
- Next-generation solar photovoltaic materials and devices with low cost yet high performance.
- Materials and new chemistries for batteries, charging utilities and infrastructure and their implementation in EVs.
- Clean fuels, with emphasis on hydrogen as a next generation fuel.