NCPRE together with IIT Bombay’s Photovoltaics Technology and Innovation Centre (PoTIC) organized a 2-day workshop on “Research, Development & Innovation Network on PV & Related Areas” on January 23 and 24, 2025. This workshop was organized by Prof. Anil Kottantharayil, and was attended by over 110 participants from all over India, representing industry, academia and research organizations. The main purpose of the Workshop was to see whether a pan-India research/innovation network of solar energy professionals could be built to take advantage of the positive PV scenario prevailing at present in the country. The keynote address “PV Value Chain and Roadmap, and the need for industry and academia collaborations” was delivered by Dr. Milind Kulkarni, Chaiman and CEO of RSOLEC. Presentations were also made by Dr. Anita Gupta and Dr. Vineet Saini from ANRF. There were 4 major themes in the Workshop. These were: PV Cell Technologies and Materials; PV Module Reliability and Applications; Battery Storage Solutions; and Grid Integration of PV Systems. The participants broke up into 4 separate Groups (based on their expertise) to discuss the above areas in detail. These participants from various oraganizations presented their work and ideas. On the second day, each Group presented the results and recommendations of their deliberations. Presentations were also made on the PV-related facilities and activities at some of the leading centres in India: NPL (by Dr. Sushil Kumar), NISE (by Dr. Jaiprakash Singh) and NCPRE (by Dr. Anil Kottantharayil). The workshop concluded on a very positive note, with a consensus on the need for sustained collaboration across the PV value chain. These insights from the workshop laid the groundwork for future joint research efforts to drive indigenous development in PV and allied technologies.

Group photo of participants at the Workshop on “Research, Development & Innovation Network on PV & Related Areas” held on January 23 and 24, 2025.