India, US agree on a $30 million Energy-Storage Research Initiative

In 2009, the US and India launched the Partnership to Advance Clean Energy to support research and deployment of clean energy.

PACE is the core mechanism of bilateral energy research and development collaboration between the 2 countries.

In order to expand this joint initiative after its launch, three main areas of activity have come up: Research (PACE-R), Deployment (PACE-D) and Off-Grid Energy Access. (PEACE).

In 2012, US and India decided to expand the initiative and jointly formed PACE- Research.

They committed to fund PACE-R with a combined $50 million in government funding over 5 years and launched 3 initial research consortia, one focusing on solar energy, one on energy efficiency in buildings, and one on next-generation biofuels.

This would form the fourth consortium under PACE-R.

India and the US have pushed for a $30 million public-private, 5 year joint research initiative on smart grid and energy storage technology.

It will provide resources for a 4th consortium under PACE-R that puts focus on smart-grid and energy storage for grid applications.

The new consortium is expected to be officially established after an award selection is made in 2017.

Under the US-India (PACE-R), the US Energy Department and the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology will each commit $1.5 million every year for 5 years to expand research effort which will be subject to congressional appropriations.

The private sectors of both countries will match the commitments made by their governments, resulting in a combined $30 million public-private research-investment over the next 5 years.