MAHIR Aims To Help Develop Indigenous Tech In Power Sector

The government has launched a national mission to facilitate indigenous research, development and demonstration of the latest and cutting-edge technologies in the power sector.

The Ministries of Power and New & Renewable Energy have jointly launched the mission, titled Mission on Advanced and High-Impact Research (MAHIR), aims to identify emerging technologies in the sector and develop them indigenously at scale for deployment within and outside India.

By identifying emerging technologies and taking them to the implementation stage, the Mission seeks to leverage them as the main fuel for future economic growth and thus make India a manufacturing hub of the world.

The mission will be funded by pooling financial resources of both the ministries and the Central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) working under the two ministries. Any additional funding needed will be mobilised from government's budgetary resources.

The mission will also fund pilot projects of technologies developed by domestic start-ups and facilitate their commercialization through the CPSEs. It will also facilitate international collaboration for smooth exchange of know-how and technology transfers as well as seek collaboration with the best laboratories of the world for joint development of technologies.

Planned for an initial period of five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28, the mission will follow the technology life cycle approach of idea-to-product. The areas identified for research are: alternatives to lithium-ion storage batteries, modifying electric cookers/pans to suit Indian cooking methods, green hydrogen for mobility (High Efficiency Fuel Cell), carbon capture, geo-thermal energy, solid state refrigeration, nano technology for EV battery and indigenous CRGO technology.

According to Union Minister R.K. Singh, who heads both the ministries, "The mission will serve as a catalyst for national priorities such as achieving Net Zero emissions and promoting initiatives like Make in India and Start-up India. It will also contribute towards achieving the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."

"In last nine years, the Indian power sector has transformed into a vibrant and a financially viable sector. Given that India is going to grow at more than 7% in coming years, the electricity demand is going to increase at close to 10%. In addition, India is aiming for energy transition following Prime Minister's vision of LiFE. This requires not only massive investment but also a transformational approach driven by research and innovation," he added.

Union Power Secretary Alok Kumar said that MAHIR will work towards industry-academia -government collaboration to create an ecosystem for innovation and translation of research in the power sector. "MAHIR will work with premier institutions such as IITs, IIMs, NITs, IISERs and universities on the one hand and public & private power sector start-ups and established industries with government acting as an enabler for creating an innovation ecosystem," he added.