Saint-Gobain India and IIT Madras Research Park Ink MoU on Renewable Energy

Chennai, India – Saint-Gobain India and IIT Madras Research Park recently inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a Renewable Energy (RE) – Research Park. Saint-Gobain India will support IIT Madras Research Park with INR 1 crore (€110,000) for the next three years as part of the MoU. The goal of this collaboration is to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future and to assist India in achieving 100 percent renewable energy.

The partnership’s objective is to focus on tackling energy concerns and promoting the greatest usage of alternative energy sources. With a strong emphasis on developing sustainable models and ensuring energy efficiency, IIT Madras Research Park wants to build a robust energy storage mechanism within the campus that will allow it to run primarily on energy generated from renewable sources. If successful, the approach could help demonstrate the technological feasibility and commercial viability of transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy in commercial complexes across the country and the world. The association of Saint-Gobain India and IIT Madras Research Park will help India achieve its goal of net-zero CO2 emissions by 2070.

IIT Madras Research Park and Saint-Gobain India have developed a roadmap to promote not only sustainable growth but also energy efficiency by developing energy storage mechanisms based on renewable energy sources. Saint-Gobain India is dedicated to attaining carbon neutrality by 2050, with a strong vision to ‘make the world a better home’.

On the collaboration, P Padmakumar, Executive Director, Human Resources & Head-CSR, Saint-Gobain India, said, “Through this partnership, the funding of INR 1 crore (€110,000) by Saint-Gobain India will be used for research and development purposes as well as the pilot demonstration of the model. The model will be developed within the span of the 3 years within the institute. Together, we will collaborate in areas of research & application on renewable energy storage, advanced technology, innovation, and knowledge for sustainable changes. We are looking forward to working on similar models in an effort to take the lead to help India achieve the target of 100 percent renewable energy.”

Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala, President, IIT Madras Research Park (IITMRP) and IIT Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC) commented, “We are committed to drive this transition towards Net-Zero Energy in India and aim to showcase the IIT Madras Research Park campus as a model for other commercial building complexes in the country to adopt as they shift towards renewable energy-based systems. Our collaboration with Saint-Gobain Research India will help further our understanding of sustainable and energy-efficient building materials and its effective integration in the built environment.”

Image Source: Saint-Gobain India