Govt to invite private investors for IIT-B solar power centre | Mumbai News

Mumbai: The high-efficiency, low-cost Silicon-Perovskite Tandem solar cells developed at IIT-Bombay is a game-changer for the country’s solar energy future, said union minister Pralhad Joshi during his visit to the institute on Monday. While the ministry for new and renewable energy (MNRE) has so far provided Rs 200 crore to IIT-Bombay’s National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE) for research and development in solar cells, power electronics and batteries, among other things, the govt now plans to rope in private investors to scale the technology commercially.Researchers at the IIT-Bombay-incubated start-up, Advanced Renewable Tandem-Photovoltaics India (ART-PV India), in a major breakthrough, have developed the Silicon-Perovskite solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of almost 30%, surpassing the usual 22-23% achieved in conventional solar photovoltaic cells. “This is a national milestone and one of the highest performance levels ever achieved in India and needs commercial production,” the minister said during a media interaction. The technology has been patented and published in a journal, and there is optimism about scaling it up for commercial use, he added.The new solar cell follows a four-terminal configuration, where the perovskite and silicon layers are stacked non-monolithically, allowing the independent optimisation of each sub-cell. The top-layer of perovskite absorbs the high-energy sunlight, and the rest is absorbed by the silicon layer, helping in increased efficiency of the cell.Prof Dinesh Kabra from IIT-Bombay, co-founder and director of ART-PV, said that the NCPRE was set up in 2010 and since then the union govt has provided grants in three phases totalling up to Rs 200 crore. Kabra said that the meeting on Tuesday was centered around scaling the technology through public-private partnerships and that the team is keen on using indigenous equipment, that are manufactured locally, in their laboratories. The ART-PV is planning the commercial roll out by Dec 2027.The MNRE is also supporting ART-PV India with a grant of Rs 83 crore for establishing a state-of-the-art pilot manufacturing facility on the Powai campus, in line with the commitment to nurturing domestic intellectual property, and ensuring Indian innovation reaches global markets.The ministry will continue to provide policy and financial support to ensure India’s renewable energy sector thrives on innovation and self-reliance, said Joshi. He urged the ART-PV team to commercially demonstrate the fact that these solar cells are not only scalable but also profitable. He mentioned the need for policy decisions to encourage private sector involvement and faster commercialisation of such technologies.