Pivotal role of S&T Clusters towards sustainability

S&T Clusters, seeded across the nation by the Office of PSA to the GoI, are crucial to achieving the country’s climate and energy goals by fostering innovation, facilitating technology transfer, and enabling collaboration between diverse stakeholders. Emerging as local solution providers leveraging S&T, their contributions span renewable energy development, energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, and climate resilience, positioning India to meet its ambitious targets effectively. Going forward, the Clusters can contribute towards :

Renewable Energy

Green H₂

With NGHM, the stage is set for India to become a global champion in green hydrogen. This can only be achieved by collaborative effort by key industry players and renowned academic institutions.
RICH, BKIC, JKIC, PKC, BeST leading the consortia of startups, research institutes and industry partners to establish Green Hydrogen Valley clusters in various regions which can significantly contribute to the NGHM.

In this regard DRIIV can :

Introduce high TRL technologies for converting biomass to hydrogen that are available with the research institutes within the country (IITs, TERI, NISE, NPL etc.).
Facilitate relative assessment of those technologies on their efficacy and efficiency such as yield, cost (capex/opex), scalability etc.
Facilitate engagement with researchers/experts for feasibility studies and pilots.
Facilitate pilots via Centre of Excellence or any other mode of industry-academia partnership.
Providing technical expertise on hydrogen storage and transport (in addition to production).
Facilitate policy interventions to create appropriate incentives, such as viability gap funding, assured input of biomass feed, soft cost reductions etc. for industry partners for early adoption.

Solar and Wind Technology :

Clusters can foster innovations in photovoltaic cells, wind turbine efficiency, and energy storage systems, making renewable energy more cost-effective and efficient. Collaboration between academia and industry within clusters can lead to pilot projects that test new renewable energy technologies at a smaller scale before broader deployment.

Biomass and Bioenergy :

Research institutions like CSIR-IIP, startups etc. under the umbrella of clusters can develop advanced biofuels from agricultural residues and other biomass, providing sustainable energy sources and reducing waste.

Energy Storage and Grid Management

Battery Technology :

Development of next-generation batteries, such as solid-state batteries and advanced lithium-ion batteries, are in progress where DRIIV joined hands with LOG9 Materials to establish advanced R & D activities on EV battery packs together with CART (The Centre for Automotive Research and Tribology), IIT Delhi. The trio also envision to impart high-end industrial training and creating skilled human resource in various fields related to energy storage solutions.

India's first indigenous battery cells based on LTO (Lithium titanate) & LFP (Lithium ferrophosphate) has been developed by LOG 9Materials, a DRIIV portfolio startup.

Likewise, RICH-led startup DREAMS demonstrates applications of technology for Demand Side Energy Management with multiple Power distribution companies.

Grid Integration :

Research on integrating renewable energy into the grid more effectively, including smart grid technologies and energy management systems, can enhance grid stability and reliability. Towards this, graphene-based off-grid Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is being piloted that efficiently captures, stores, and releases electrical energy under the aegis of DRIIV.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation

Clusters can drive the development of IoT devices and AI solutions for energy management, leading to significant energy savings in industrial and residential sectors. From BCKIC, Minion Energy Management Solution, is utilizing AI/ML based EDGE Computing approach to detect energy signatures of electrical assets and their energy consumption. PKC also focuses on energy efficiency technologies and industrial automation, contributing to reduced energy consumption in manufacturing.
By providing expertise and tools for conducting energy audits and implementing energy-efficient practices across various sectors, Clusters can play a pivotal role in energy conservation.

Sustainable Urban Mobility

EV Infrastructure : DRIIV has contributed significantly to the development of a robust EV charging infrastructure, supported by research from institutions like IIT Delhi aligned with National Electric Mobility Mission. This includes Clusters development of battery swapping technologies, CMS, fast chargers facilitating the adoption of EVs.
Battery Recycling : Innovations in battery recycling technologies is being pioneered within these clusters, ensuring sustainable disposal and reuse of EV batteries. BATX Energies, together with MG MOTOR India and IIT Delhi has developed a solar-powered EV charging infra powered by 2nd life batteries which is being piloted under the DRIIV umbrella.
Digitizing public transport through 'One Delhi' : This multi-modal transit app, adopted by the Delhi Government to improve access to public transportation for DIMTS buses with features such as real time arrivals tracking and e-ticketing The app currently experiences daily ticket sale of 1.5 lakh, with around 3 lakh active users. Ticketing service for DMRC has also been integrated with this app. DRIIV contributed towards the development of the 'One Delhi' app, jointly with IIIT Delhi.

Climate Resilience and Adaptation

Relevant innovations like research on developing climate-resilient crop varieties can help ensure food security in the face of changing climate conditions. Advanced irrigation techniques, innovative solutions for waste and water management and reducing air pollution like Jalopchar, Phycoremediation, Bariflo Labs, Smart Graded Water Supply Grid, management of wetland ecosystem through “Phragmites Karka” based Technological Interventions, decentralized parali management by dry digestion, integrated waste management system, unique fliterless air purifier and smart AQI monitors respectively. DRIIV, leveraging its impactful member base is in the process of drafting a roadmap for ‘Yamuna Cleaning’ on the 22km Delhi stretch (Wazirabad to Okhla Barrage) based on an integrated holistic approach leveraging S&T, with a vision to replicate the success of National Clean Ganga Mission (NMCG) as on Ganga.

Public-Private Partnerships

DRIIV has set a successful example of how S&T Cluster can establish PPP model through its air pollution pilot, Project SAMEER, in collaboration with DPCC. This model can be replicated to can facilitate partnerships between public research institutions and private companies to accelerate the commercialization of sustainable technologies.