Center for Clean Energy

We envision a future where India's energy sector is characterized by decarbonization, self-reliance, and grid security, enabling universal access to clean and secure energy for stakeholders and individuals across geographies and socio-economic hierarchies.

Vision and Mission

Indorama Ventures Center for Clean Energy is one of the first interdisciplinary centers at Plaksha, with an objective to lead clean energy transition through education and research. The center aims to play at the intersection of energy and digitalization to enable scalable, sustainable and affordable deployment of energy solutions and develop industry relevant professionals and entrepreneurs. It is guided by a diverse executive council of global eminence and advisors from academia, industry, think tanks, DFIs and entrepreneurs.

Vision and Mission

About Us

The Indorama Ventures Center for Clean Energy at Plaksha University is an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to leading the transition to clean energy through education and research. We strive to play a vital role at the intersection of energy and digitalization, with the aim of enabling scalable, sustainable, and affordable deployment of energy solutions. Our goal is to develop industry-relevant professionals and entrepreneurs capable of contributing significantly to the clean energy drive.

The center is guided by a committee of distinguished global leaders and advisors from academia, industry, think tanks, development and finance institutions, and entrepreneurs. This diverse group of experts provides invaluable guidance and support to our research efforts and helps ensure that our work is aligned with the needs of the industry and the broader community.

At the center, we are committed to driving positive change through innovative research and education. We believe that by bringing together experts from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds, we can make significant progress towards a more sustainable future.


Indorama Ventures

Indorama Ventures is helping Plaksha University set up the Center for Clean Energy. The Indorama Ventures Center for Clean Energy is an effort by Plaksha University to make India self-reliant in terms of energy while ensuring grid security, quality, and reliability of power supply.

Indorama Ventures recognize the risks of climate change and is committed to taking action. They are exploring a diversified portfolio of solutions to drive innovation to decarbonize the carbon footprint in their operations and value chain. We welcome Indorama Ventures PCL as a founding partner to the Plaksha family.

Research Areas

The Indorama Ventures Center for Clean Energy is exploring the following areas to drive progress in the field of clean energy:

Informing and Evaluating Policy: Our center is working with key stakeholders in the government to develop action plans and inform policies that design user behavior. We’re also actively contributing to building codes on lightning.

Technology for Understanding and Innovations on Urban Climate: We are building models in simulations, physical prototypes as well as city scale models for understanding and influencing urban climate.

Technologies for Building Design and Optimal Operations: We work on various tool and optimizations for optimal hyperparameter choices in buildings, e.g., orientation, materials, insulation, etc. to provide a cost-effective and operationally efficient building.


These research areas form the cornerstone of the Center's mission to lead the clean energy transition through education and research. The Center is dedicated to making a positive impact and driving progress towards a sustainable future.

Current Research Focus

1)   Building Energy Efficiency: Design and Operations

 With the rapidly expanding construction sector, and India's goal to have 100 smart cities by 2023, there is a pressing need for building energy efficiency solutions. In India, the building sector (including residential and commercial properties) currently accounts for 32.6% of total electricity consumption, which is expected to rise dramatically in the coming years. To ensure a sustainable and decarbonized future, it's crucial to improve energy efficiency and decrease the carbon footprint of buildings.

The Center is currently conducting research on the following topics in the area of Building Efficiency:

·  Neighborhood Planning and Distributed Generation: Exploring innovative urban planning strategies that incorporate energy-efficient design, as well as opportunities for distributed energy generation. 

·  Building Envelope Optimization: Focusing on strategies to improve building envelope efficiency, including the use of cool surfaces, passive design techniques, and external movable shades. 

·  Energy-Efficient Equipment: Investigating the use of smart devices and energy harvesting technologies to increase building energy efficiency. 

·  Human Interaction and Environmental Control: Examining the impact of human behavior on building energy consumption and developing personal environment control systems to improve energy efficiency. 

·  Smart Automation and Load Monitoring: Developing non-intrusive load monitoring systems and forecasting tools to manage energy demand and improve building automation. 

·  Renewable Energy Integration: Studying the integration of renewable energy sources into buildings, including building-integrated photovoltaics, wind generation, and semi-transparent photovoltaics. 

·  Energy Storage Solutions: Evaluating the use of battery storage and thermal storage systems to improve building energy efficiency and reliability. 

·  Policy and Regulation: Analyzing current policies and regulations surrounding building energy efficiency, such as the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), Eco Niwas Samhita (ENS), and the Green Building Code, to identify opportunities for updating and implementation.

 

2)   Study and Mitigation of Urban Heat Island

 

Urban Heat Islands (UHI) are urban areas that experience higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas due to human activities. This is caused by the replacement of natural cover with heat-retaining materials in construction, and increased heat emissions in urban areas. UHI can raise temperatures by 1°C in smaller cities and up to 12°C in large metropolitans. The increased temperature can cause a variety of problems:

a. Increased human mortality: Prolonged exposure to high temperatures and humidity levels can cause human bodies to overheat and suffer multiple organ failures. UHI and global warming combined can make sustained wet bulb temperatures of 35°C possible, putting entire cities at risk of heatwaves.

b. Compromised health and comfort: UHI contributes to higher daytime temperatures, reduced night-time cooling, and higher air-pollution levels. This can lead to heat-related deaths, illnesses, and general discomfort, as well as exacerbating naturally occurring heatwaves.

 c. Increased energy consumption and emissions: UHI leads to higher demand for indoor cooling, which increases energy consumption and the use of fossil-fuel power plants. This results in higher emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, causing harm to human health and contributing to climate change. 

The following research activities are being undertaken at the Center to understand and tackle the effects of Urban Heat Island:

·  Visualizing the Impact of Urban Heat Islands (UHI): District level simulations play a crucial role in assessing the impact of UHI on urban areas. By comparing temperatures in cities with surrounding rural areas, these simulations provide insights into the effects of human activities on urban temperatures. Data collected from actual temperature measurements and satellite weather data is utilized in these simulations. The findings from these simulations help identify specific research problems and formulate targeted solutions. 

·   Microclimate Studies: Physical simulations of heat entrapment, pollution dispersion, and other relevant phenomena are conducted in a microclimate laboratory. These simulations help study the impact of UHI on varying scales. 

·   Mitigating the Effects of UHI: Efforts are being made to develop and analyze solutions to mitigate the impacts of UHI. Strategies include implementing cool roofs, passive design modifications to reduce energy consumption in buildings, town planning to minimize UHI effects in large cities, vertical gardening, and identifying the best materials for building envelopes and pavements, such as retroreflectors.

ccetabHeadline5tt

ccetabSubtext5tt

ccetabHeadline6

ccetabSubtext6

Gallery

Mar

23

Session on AI in Clean Energy

Discussion on "The Software and AI-Driven Future of Renewables" by Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, CTO of Energy and Mobility at Microsoft India

Feb

17

Inauguration of the Center

Thought-leaders from industry shared perspectives on Just Energy Transition for All

Feb

17

Roundtable: Energizing Change

Experts from academia, industry, and government exchanged insights on innovative approaches to decarbonize India

Work at the Center

Join Our Mission

At the Indorama Ventures Center for Clean Energy, we are dedicated to advancing the field of clean energy through cutting-edge research and innovative solutions. Our team is committed to exploring the latest technologies and advancements in this crucial area, with the goal of reducing our dependence on traditional energy sources and providing a more sustainable future. We are looking for far-sighted and exemplary individuals to become a part of our endeavour, preferably with expertise in the following areas:

Building Physics
Electrical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Architecture
Behavioural Sciences
Planning and Policymaking

Join Our Team

Indorama Ventures Center for Clean Energy is seeking talented individuals to join our team of interdisciplinary researchers and faculty dedicated to advancing the transition to clean energy!
As a member of our team, you will have the opportunity to work with a diverse group of experts from a variety of disciplines, including engineering, economics, environmental science and policy. Together, we are dedicated to finding innovative solutions to the energy challenges facing society today.

For inquiries or more information, please email: aaina.dutta@plaksha.edu.in

X

Contact Us