PFC partners with IISc. for new energy research building in Bengaluru

The new energy research building will house the Interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Research (ICER) in the premises of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.)

A file photo of the carbon dioxide-based Brayton test loop facility, at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Research at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR

Power Finance Corporation Limited (PFC) has partnered with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) for constructing a new energy research building to house the Interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Research (ICER) in the institute premises. A Memorandum of Association was signed by PFC and IISc. on March 21.

The new building is expected to accelerate advanced research in indigenous green hydrogen and net zero technologies, and increase capacity building through training and degree programmes.

According to sources in IISc., the support from PFC comes at an opportune time when countries across the globe are focusing on net zero technologies to mitigate the environmental impact of conventional energy generation.

The state-of-the-art building for ICER will foster cutting-edge fundamental and applied research on various energy-related areas, with special focus on green hydrogen generation. It will be constructed at a cost of ₹60 crore over the next two years. The building will house modern labs, seminar rooms, classrooms and faculty rooms, as well as facilities for developing energy-related products and prototypes. It will support PhD and Master’s programmes, and foster collaborative programmes between academic and industry partners.

The ICER, among the newest research centres at IISc., was conceived in 2012 as part of the Institute’s post-centenary vision to pursue socially relevant research in line with the Government of India’s national missions. It has collaborations with several organisations and industries within India and abroad.

Its ongoing research on generating green hydrogen from biomass has reached the stage of real-world demonstration in fuel cell buses. It has established India’s first closed-loop supercritical carbon dioxide-based Brayton cycle power block.

Prof. Govindan Rangarajan, director, IISc., said, “We are extremely grateful to Power Finance Corporation Limited for generously funding a new building for the Interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Research. Over the past decade, the centre has made great strides in energy research and pioneered several indigenous technologies. With climate change accelerating at an alarming pace, it is imperative for academia and industry to join hands, and develop novel solutions that can help us achieve net zero emissions.”