Solar Energy Research Institute for India and the United States (SERIIUS) is a joint research consortium for clean energy research. It was announced under the flagship programme Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE) by former US President Barack Obama and former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in November 2009. The Department of Energy (DOE, US) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST, Govt. of India) established a Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center, in November 2010, to promote clean energy innovation by a consortium of scientists and engineers from India and the US.
The consortium was primarily set up to accelerate the transition of solar technologies towards higher performance, lower emissions and for securing energy economies. SERIIUS will develop emerging and revolutionary solar electricity technologies for a long-term success of India’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Energy Mission and Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative. SERIIUS will carry out fundamental and applied research, analysis and assessment, outreach, and workforce development through three research thrusts:
- Sustainable Photovoltaics: Develop next-generation materials, devices, and advanced manufacturing processes tailored to the needs, environment, and resource availability of India and the US.
- Multiscale Concentrated Solar Power: Overcome critical science and engineering challenges for reliable multiscale (including small 25–500 kW) CSP systems.
- Solar Energy Integration: Identify and assess key technical, economic, environmental and policy barriers; enabling a research agenda for technical readiness in India and to benefit the U.S.
The key objectives of SERIIUS include:
- Identify and quantify critical technical, economic, and policy issues for solar energy development/deployment in India
- Establish collaborative project structure and joint intellectual property management
- Develop a vibrant solar workforce for the future and cultivate a culture for effective bi-national collaboration.
Computational Tool: CSTEM
CSTEP's Solar Techno-Economic Model (CSTEM) is an open-access, computational tool that can facilitate analysis of grid-connected solar power plants. The technologies covered by the tool are concentrated solar power (CSP) and photovoltaics (PV). The tool can be used to estimate the performance of a solar power plant and the cost of electrical energy generation. This tool blends technology-centred engineering analysis with financial models. The technical model has been developed as per scientific and industrial literature. The financial model has been based on the norms specified by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission of India. However, there is a provision for user-specified or customised inputs in the models.
Please visit the SERIIUS website for more details.
