Achievements under the “R&D Schemes of MoP being implemented through CPRI”
The Ministry of Power, Government of India has made significant policy changes in the last few years to enhance the infrastructure for generation, transmission and distribution of power in India to fulfil the objective of 24x7 power for all. The Government of India has also laid much emphasis on clean energy generation and efficient use of energy.
To make our country self-sufficient in terms of energy and achieve the goal of “Power for All”, CPRI has played crucial role in creation of a conducive environment for R&D in the area of Power Sector to flourish in the country by carrying out/co-ordinating various research projects on identified thrust areas leading to new technology development, evaluation studies for bringing out new standards and process improvement. Majority of the projects are taken up in a collaborative mode involving Utility, Industry, Academia and Research Organizations. The research projects are taken up under the “R&D schemes of MoP being implemented through CPRI”. The research scheme has been granted approval by the Ministry of Power to continue from 2017 to 2021 with a total budget of Rs 90.8284 crores. Additionally, it has been approved to continue from 2021 to 2026 with a budget of Rs 112.00 crores.
Since 2017, CPRI has supported 134 innovative research projects from eminent institutions across India like IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, NIT Meghalaya, NIT Raipur, CSIR-CMERI, ICAR-CIRCOT etc. The scheme has provided support to over 200 researchers, allowing them to foster their innovations and develop a proof of concept to substantiate their innovative ideas for the Power Sector. CPRI has also encouraged collaborative research projects with manufacturers/utilities like BHEL, THDC, NHPC, POSOCO etc. for developing capabilities to come up with indigenous solutions to various challenges faced by the Indian Power Sector. The projects have resulted in more than 258 publications, 18 patents and 1 copyright.
Furthermore, CPRI has launched focused research initiatives under the scheme, on some of the new areas of research like “Cyber-security of Power Sector”, “Electricity based cooking technologies”, “Recycling of waste generated from end-of-the-life components of solar power plants and wind power plants”. The focused research initiatives will lead to development of new technologies/processes and generate necessary know-how to aid in achieving net zero emissions and securing the Indian Power Sector from the growing cyber risks. Through the R&D scheme, CPRI is also supporting the research projects of the SAMARTH Mission to facilitate the co-firing of biomass (crop residue) in coal fired Thermal Power Plants to reduce the effects of crop burning especially in Northern India.