Strategic Initiatives at CSTEP strives to find solutions to two major challenges that we face today: the achievement of a sustainable and secure future and the facilitation of the clean energy transition. In pursuit of this, we conduct extensive technology and policy research on energy resources, critical raw materials, and advanced agricultural technologies via rigorous research, modelling, and analysis. Achieving circular economy is another crucial aspect we are exploring to secure a sustainable future.
Could digital twin models help combat water shortage in India?
There is little doubt that India’s water shortage problem is real and happening! Numbers confirm the alarming reality. According to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, India’s annual average per capita water availability was assessed at 1816 cubic metres and 1545 cubic metres in 2001 and 2011, respectively. This could further reduce to 1367 cubic metres in 2031. In 2019, NITI Aayog reported that nearly 600 million Indians are water-deprived and about 40% of the population will not have access to drinking water by 2030.
Can Solid-State Batteries Eventually Replace Lithium-ion in EVs
The ongoing transition from fossil fuel to green fuel is a giant step that every country is willing to take irrespective of its challenges—in a bid to achieve the net-zero emissions goals by 2050. Large-scale electric vehicle (EV) adoption is one of the ways of achieving these ambitious goals. However, the challenges associated with conventional lithium-ion battery (LiB) technology—a key component of EVs— threaten to slow down the adoption of EVs at a mass level.
Techno-economic Modelling of Onshore Wind Power
India has the fourth largest installed capacity of wind energy in the world, with the addition of 41 GW as of June 2022. However, this figure is quite low when we consider India’s potential of 695.5 GW at 120 m hub height and 302 GW at 100 m hub height. To unlock the true potential of wind energy in India and generate power efficiently, current wind farm designs need to be optimised. Increasing the hub height and optimising the positioning of turbines are two options that play a huge role in efficient power generation and land utilisation.
Rare Earths and Energy Critical Elements: A Roadmap and Strategy for India
An initiative was taken by Ministry of Mines to review the status of the availability of rare earths and energy-critical elements with regard to their status in exploration, extraction and processing technologies along with CSTEP. This report reviews India’s production, consumption and reserves, and also suggests policy initiatives and interventions required from the government for the growth of this sector.