Innovative India: Three projects selected for Indo-US clean energy research

Here is a piece of news that should rejoice all those committed to the development of innovative sustainable solutions for a greener future: three Indian projects focusing on the development of renewable energies have been selected for funding under an India-USA agreement. The international partnership announced during President Obama’s 2011 visit to India set up a joint fund and cooperative processes between academic institutions, to support research and development of innovative solutions in green energies.

Under the agreement, three major U.S. research centers (the National Renewable Energy Laboratory NREL, the University of Florida and the Laurence Berkeley National Laboratory LBNL) will team up with three equivalent Indian institutions (the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad and the CEPT University, Ahmedabad) and bring together their brightest minds and their respective expertise to develop breakthroughs in clean energy research. Aside from knowledge and imagination, the international cooperation provides for $12 million (RS 125 crore) in funding over the next five years for each project, thus ensuring resources and peace of mind for scientists to conduct their research in the optimum conditions.

As for the broader framework, this is taking place under the benevolent auspices of the US-India Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center (JCERDC). This is a quick and exhilarating start for a broad partnership that is barely six months old, providing hope for quick progress and revolutionary results in a field that is critically underdeveloped yet promising for a brighter future.