Dharwad (Karnataka): A virtual function was held to mark the launch of the Global Centre of Excellence in Affordable and Clean Energy (GCoE-ACE) at the Indian Institute of Technology, Dharwad (IITDh), Karnataka on Friday, 28 January in the presence of, Prof. K. VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India.
The centre is supported by the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) donation from HHSIF. The first phase of the CSR project with HHSIF is to establish equipment for the GCoE-ACE mainly as skill development, fabrication, and R&D equipment.
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The subsequent phases are envisaged to encourage innovation and to provide incubation support for the solutions to the grass-root problem statements in the affordable and clean-energy domain.
A welcome and brief introduction to the centre was given by Prof. SRM Prasanna, Dean (R&D), IIT Dharwad. He mentioned that India is blessed with many renewable energy sources like solar, wind, biomass, and such affordable technologies for clean energy can be developed and optimised, which will precisely be the scope of this center.
Prof. K. VijayRaghavan mentioned that energy and energy solutions are a critical part of the adaptation and mitigation of climate change. He added that in the past two decades, there has been an enormous increase in the research on Solar, Wind, Nuclear, and other forms of energy and the results of such research are yet to come to the market more effectively.
Vinayak Chatterjee, Chairman Board of Governors, IIT Dharwad, mentioned that the launch of the Global Centre of Excellence in Affordable and Clean Energy is a historical milestone for IIT Dharwad.
“Honeywell is committed to creating solutions to help communities meet challenges in energy, water, and air. Our partnership with IIT Dharwad seeks to find affordable and sustainable technology-driven solutions in clean energy for the betterment of our rural communities. This also dovetails with the Government’s goal of meeting 50% of the country’s energy requirement from renewables by 2030,” said Ashish Gaikwad, President, Honeywell India, and Director, HHHSIF.
Prof. P. Seshu, Director, IIT Dharwad reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message that IITs must become India’s Instruments of Transformation. He assured that the centre will work towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal – 7 on Affordable and Clean Energy and contribute to the goal set by PM to achieve net-zero emissions.
