Welcome to Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India ::

Department of Science and Technology (DST) is primarily mandated with promotion of R&D activities. Accordingly, DST’s initiative on Solar Energy is positioned upstream with thrust on enabling knowledge based R&D activities for entire gamut of solar technologies including balance of systems. This is expected to be achieved through nurturing of R&D groups, formation of consortia and setting up of State-of-art facilities. Solar Energy utilization for applications both for power as well as other than power generation with a view to provide convergent technology solutions under real-life conditions are being explored and assessed. DST in recent times has made foray in the area of solar energy through various parallel independent initiatives with distinct objectives.

The first of these initiatives is focused on S&T issues related to Solar Energy which could have a bearing on policy. DST aims at setting up test beds in off-grid situation for convergent technology solutions as well as for gathering scientific inputs for policy formulation for viability gap funding and sizing generation based subsidies. In this regard, first step has been taken up in Public-Private Partnership mode in association with M/s. Thermax Ltd, which aims to arrive at reliable estimates of the investments required for rural decentralized power using solar energy, reducing cost of solar-biomass hybrid option and work out viability gap.

In this 256 kW Solar Thermal– Biomass Hybrid Plant at Village Shive in Khed Taluka of Pune district, Thermax has been collaborating with national technology and scientific institutions like IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, CGCRI Calcutta, University of Pune, ARCI Hyderabad etc to adapt cutting edge technology. This first of its kind demonstration plant in the country, based on the parabolic troughs is likely to be commissioned this year under the Public-Private-Community Partnership (PPCP) mode.

Another initiative of the department is a PAN IIT initiative in partnership with leading solar energy provider, NTPC, to develop pre-competitive research and technology upgradation capacity for Grid based options. This initiative aims at developing pre-competitive research capacity and further improving current status of technology in Solar Power generation at the MW level grid synchronized technologies and focuses on cost reduction through technology paradigm rather than scaling up.A synergy between NTPC and the PAN-IIT group has now been built which bears the potential for win-win combination of core strength of IITs which primarily lie in technology innovation and professional competence of NTPC in design, development and delivery of MW scale power plant. The PAN-IIT initiative thus aims at capacity building and working out credible size upscaling parameters through development of knowledge network of elite institutions. In this endeavour of academy-industry partnership, NTPC and PAN IIT partners intend to focus on technology innovations to drive the costs of delivered power from solar energy plants for supplementing the efforts of National Solar Energy Mission in driving the costs down through scaling up.

As stated earlier, a part of pro-active effort of DST to promote indigenous capacity in Solar Energy Research; DST has shaped a PAN-IIT Initiative. A knowledge network of about 40 faculties from 6 IITs have now emerged. This initiative of DST aims to promote basic research led disruptive technology options through ideas generated by PAN IIT Group initially and to expand to other institutions subsequently. DST is planning to adopt request for proposals models for promoting cutting edge science in Solar Energy research in the country.

It has emerged that supporting enabling R&D is essential for advancement of Solar Technologies in the country. This initiative takes thematic area based research in the area of solar energy and quantifiable targets are set as yardstick. The areas for the themes identified are energy storage, battery technology, micro grid, newer materials and availability of low cost silicon etc. Accordingly, promotion of enabling R&D for solar energy by various academics/ institution with focus on advancement of technologies, devices and technological capabilities is being pursued.

DST has also leveraged International Cooperation for furthering Solar Energy Research. A Joint Initiative has been taken up in partnership with UK for collaborative R&D for technology trade and industrial partnership. The initiative is based on Intellectual Property Right (IPR) sharing on reciprocity and parity principle. Initiative in partnership with EU on the other hand aims at enabling Indian science systems achieves global benchmarks.