The Central Electricity Authority (CEA), operating under its mandate from Section 73(k) of the Electricity Act, 2003, is set to host a pivotal webinar focused on “R&D Activities in Advanced Photovoltaic Technologies/Advanced engineering on solar cell.” This initiative aims to catalyze innovation, foster collaboration among stakeholders, and accelerate the development and commercialization of next-generation solar technologies, significantly contributing to India’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat‘ (self-reliant India) vision.
The webinar’s core objective is to promote collaborative efforts across academia, R&D institutions, the solar PV industry, government bodies, developers, and venture capitalists. The discussions will center on exploring methods to enhance solar cell efficiency through advanced research and development, and crucially, to promote academia-industry partnerships for technology commercialization.
The event will spotlight cutting-edge technologies that hold the potential to revolutionize solar energy, including Perovskite, Tandem, Bifacial, and Quantum Dot Solar Cells. Tandem Cells, for instance, are highlighted for their potential to achieve efficiencies exceeding 30% through multi-junction designs, offering significant advantages such as increased electricity generation and reduced land requirements.
Several premier Indian research institutes are already at the forefront of R&D in these areas, including the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), IIT Bombay (National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education – NCPRE), IIT Delhi, IIT Roorkee, IIT Bhilai, Chitkara University, and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). Notably, IIT Roorkee’s team has proposed Hybrid Heterojunction Solar Cells (HHSCs) for cost-effective, high-efficiency (28%) perovskite-silicon tandem PV cells, while innovations like vertical panel installation by Renkube are also enhancing generation profiles.
All stakeholders are cordially invited to participate in this crucial dialogue. Individuals or institutions interested in delivering a short presentation on the topic are requested to submit their presentations along with contact details to ce-rndcea@nic.in.
The last date for registration for the webinar is July 11, 2025. The webinar itself is tentatively scheduled for the last week of July 2025.
This webinar represents a strategic step by the CEA to propel India towards technological leadership in the renewable energy sector. It seeks to address critical questions regarding the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of advanced solar cells, their cost-effectiveness and potential for large-scale commercialization, the extent of indigenous material development, the role of foreign support or technology transfer, and the current status of collaboration among various organizations in advancing these pivotal technologies.