US pumps another US$30 million into India clean energy partnership

The US Energy Department’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability yesterday announced a new funding opportunity announcement for joint research on smart grid and energy storage under the US–India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Research. Source: Flickr/Andy Armstrong
The US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) have committed new funds for research on energy storage and smart grids under the US-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Research (PACE-R) for US$30 million.

The DOE and MST are each committing US$1.5 million per year for five years, (subject to congressional appropriations). The respective countries private sectors will also match the government commitments, resulting in a combined US$30 million public-private research investment over the next five years.

PACE was inaugurated in 2009 with the goal of supporting research and deployment of clean energy technologies. PACE is the core mechanism of bilateral energy R&D collaboration between the US and India. It has since evolved into separate limbs of research (PACE-R), deployment (PACE-D) and access (PEACE).

The announcement provides resources for a fourth consortium under PACE-R that will focus on storage for grid applications and smart grid technologies. According to the DOE, the new consortium will enable the US and India to pool resources and leverage the technological research capabilities of both countries.