India-NREL Energy Activities

India Buildings Activities

"The NREL tasks for buildings in India began in FY08 under the Building and Efficiency Task Force of the Asia Pacific Partnership (APP). NREL’s efforts under the APP build on core DOE/NREL capabilities in building energy simulation and focus on key collaborative activities in the commercial building sector in India. All activities outlined below target priority sectors where significant near-term opportunities exist for improving building design and energy standards, and where significant GHG emission reductions can be achieved through collaborative efforts. The tasks are intended to provide the energy simulation tools, preliminary data, and training to help create low-energy buildings in India.

India Solar Activities

NREL will conduct several activities to mobilize private investment in large-scale and distributed solar projects in India and US-India solar business partnerships through the following activities: • Review the proposed effort with US and international solar companies and project developers to ensure that it will have maximum value in advancing solar investment in India • Identification of sites in NW India with the best technical and economic solar power producing potential in partnership with MoNRE and as a model that they can replicate in other regions; • Inform solar policy and reform through engagement of Indian state policy officials, assessment of current and potential policies on project economics, and expert assistance; • Develop a solar project design and finance tool for investors and developers; • Explore development of US-India city partnerships, building on the US experience with the Solar America Cities effort and linking to India’s Solar Cities program; and • Conduct outreach activities including support workshops and investment facilitation.

The goal of all these efforts is to facilitate deployment of large-scale and distributed solar in India in collaboration with key Indian partners, building on the knowledge and relationships established through activities under the US-India Energy Dialogue. At the broader, coordinating and policy level, the Indian partners are the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and the Solar Energy Centre (SEC). At the technical level, cooperation will include additional partners such as the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), and others.

India Wind Activities

NREL will collaborate with India on low-wind speed activities to remove informational barriers and facilitate deployment of these technologies in India.

The goal of all these efforts is to assist India in developing a low-wind speed turbine technology program in order to facilitate deployment of these technologies. India has identified exploration of wind power development in regions with low wind speeds as a priority and is working to establish programmatic activities to support this development. The Centre for Wind Energy Technology (C-WET), a research institution under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, has existing testing, standards, and certification activities and they are looking to expand these activities to include technologies appropriate for lower wind regimes. C-WET will serve as the primary Indian partner in these activities but engagement may extend to scientists in other government agencies and the academic and enterprise sectors. NREL will keep EERE and the wind program managers informed of progress and will work to engage other national labs, as appropriate."