Welspun Energy, India’s biggest developer of solar projects, said today that it will set up a research lab in Gujarat for advancement of solar technology in the country.
It will partner Gandhinagar-based Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute (GERMI) to set up a lab where “different solar technologies will be studied for their performance in Indian terrain and climatic conditions”, the company said in a statement.
A MoU was signed with Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University during the recently held Vibrant Gujarat’s International Conference for Academic Institutions 2013.
Welspun Energy “has been stressing the need to develop indigenous solar energy research & study facilities. Results of these studies can greatly help IPPs like Welspun Energy in improving the performance of their solar power projects’’, it said.
The organisation will also be working closely with students. Welspun Energy will be designing and offering internship programmes to the students of University’s Solar Program.
Welspun Co-Founder & Managing Director Vineet Mittal said: “Solar energy industry in India is still young, with some amount of research carried out in India for standardisation & technology selection. However, we need to be ready for the next phase of growth and that calls for a greater focus on research and building relevant skill sets’’.
A student exchange programme has also been initiated by Welspun Energy with the Singapore Management University. Through the corpus, scholarships will be awarded to select meritorious students to study at Singapore’s leading university.
Welspun Energy has also committed to making Pandit Deendayal University a green energy institute by commissioning a 25-KW rooftop solar system.
Welspun Energy, a part of the $3.5-billion Welspun Group, is working on a portfolio of 1 GW wind and 750 MW solar capacities.