Giriraj Singh begins official visit to Japan (See 'Corp Brief') 'Ease of Doing Research & Development' held at Indian IIT, Jammu (See 'Corp Brief') NHAI Report highlights Initiatives taken for Environment Sustainability (See 'Corp Brief') CCI okays acquisition of 100% shareholding in SMC Power by Rungta Sons (See 'Corp Brief') CCI okays acquisition of Target Business from SGRE and SGREL by PPPL, TPG REGen (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Official broadcasters of FIFA World Cup 2025 are granted injunction against illegal streaming by rogue website: HC (See 'Legal Desk') MNRE has provided over Rs 200 Cr funding to NCPRE, IIT Bombay over 15 years (See 'Corp Brief') BCCL pioneers Women Empowerment in Healthcare and Technical Domain (See 'Corp Brief') Scindia charts Vision for Grassroots-Driven Growth at India Post Business Meet (See 'Corp Brief') Murmu to confer Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 awards (See 'Corp Brief') PMLA - Where appellant's funds were already in ED's possession, there is no longer any need to continue the debit freeze & appellant can operate the relevant bank account: HC (See 'Legal Desk') President's discretionary grant of Rs 62.4 lakh disbursed to meritorious EMRS Students (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Patents Act does not impose any bar on amendment of patent application or specification at appellate stage: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Mandaviya announces 'Youth Spiritual Summit' in Varanasi (See 'Corp Brief') Misc - Land Acquisition Collector can't be said to had tendered compensation to recorded owner of subject land, simply based on notice of award u/s 12(2) of LA Act, in absence of communication inviting landowners to receive compensation : HC (See 'Legal Desk') Gadkari lays foundation stone for 9 NH projects in Karnataka (See 'Corp Brief') A&C - Merely pointing to existence of arbitration clause, without invoking statutory remedy u/s 8, is insufficient to seek dismissal of plaint on grounds of lack of jurisdiction: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Coal India's First Fully Women-Operated Dispensary Inaugurated at SECL (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - 'PLUTO' remains dominant part of both marks; Minor differences in presentation or added descriptors do not mitigate risk of confusion among consumers: HC (See 'Legal Desk') IPR - Rejection of patent application on blatantly illogical and misconceived reasoning, namely that invention was 'too simple' to qualify as patentable, was not justified: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Fifth Edition of National Startup Awards invites nominations (See 'Corp Brief')

MNRE has provided over Rs 200 Cr funding to NCPRE, IIT Bombay over 15 years

Published: Jul 16, 2025

By TIOLCorplaws News Service

MUMBAI, JULY 16, 2025: UNION Minister for New and Renewable Energy and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi visited the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE) in IIT Bombay and held an interactive meeting with its Investigators and Advisory Board Members. Joshi visited the Perovskite Tandem solar cell lab, Silicon Fab laboratory and Medium voltage Laboratory at NCPRE and interacted with the scientists. IIT-Bombay-incubated startup - Advanced Renewable Tandem-Photovoltaics India (ART-PV India) has developed a 4-Terminal Silicon/CdTe-Perovskite tandem solar cell with a conversion efficiency of 29.8%. This is a national milestone and one of the highest performance levels ever achieved in India.

NCPRE was launched at IIT Bombay in 2010 with funding from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) of the Government of India. The broad objectives of NCPRE are to provide R&D and education support for India's ambitious 100 GW solar mission. Till date, MNRE has provided over Rs 200 crore funding to NCPRE, IIT Bombay, over the last 15 years.

MNRE is also supporting ART-PV India with USD10 million (~ Rs 83 crore) for establishing a state-of-the-art pilot manufacturing facility in IIT-B campus, in line with the commitment to nurturing domestic Intellectual Property, and ensuring Indian innovation reaches global markets. MNRE will continue to provide policy and financial support to ensure India's RE sector thrives on innovation and self-reliance, said Union Minister Pralhad Joshi.

Speaking at a post-visit media interaction, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi stated, "Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is proud to support NCPRE's pioneering work in high-efficiency, low-cost Silicon-Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells, a game-changer for India's solar energy future." At a time when the world is seeking efficient, affordable, and scalable solar energy solutions, this innovation gives India a leadership edge, further stated Union MNRE Minister. This technology has the potential to achieve more than 30% efficiency, far surpassing conventional solar panels, making India a global leader in next-gen photovoltaics and by investing in such innovations, we are driving down the cost of solar energy, making it more accessible for all Indians, he added. This is not just a lab-scale breakthrough, it is a blueprint for clean, scalable, and Aatma nirbhar energy production, stated Joshi. In this context, Union Minister Joshi also said, India is not just adopting renewable energy but defining its future-through research in perovskite solar cells, Inverter technology, PV-reliability, green hydrogen, and energy storage.

Pralhad Joshi said, the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is committed to advancing cutting-edge renewable energy technologies under the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, ensuring India leads in clean energy innovation. In this respect, MNRE's support to premier institutions like NCPRE, IIT Bombay, strengthens domestic R&D, reducing reliance on imported technology and fostering indigenous manufacturing. Through initiatives like the Renewable Energy Research & Technology development (RE-RTD) and R&D funding schemes, MNRE is enabling institutions like NCPRE to accelerate lab-to-market transitions, further stated Joshi. He added that NCPRE's work exemplifies how public-funded research, when coupled with policy support, can position India as a global clean energy hub.

Highlighting MNRE's Strategic Support for R&D & Commercialization, Joshi urged the IIT Bombay-ART PV team to Commercially demonstrate that Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells are not only scalable but also profitable. By making advanced technologies accessible to industry, we will not just be driving efficiency, but also building a stronger innovation ecosystem, he said. Joshi further said that this approach aligns perfectly with the larger vision of the Central Government under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi to turn Indian R&D into global benchmarks. He stated that the Union Cabinet approved the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme just two weeks back, and the budget for Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD), stands at Rs. 1.27 lakh crore.

IIT Bombay Director Prof. Shireesh Kedare, NCPRE Principal Investigator (PI) Prof. Baylon G. Fernandes and ART-PV India Co-Founder Prof. Dinesh Kabra were present on the occasion.

TIOL CORP SEARCH

TIOL GROUP WEBSITES