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Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Transforming India's innovation ecosystem
Classical growth models treated technology as an exogenous factor that drives development. However, modern growth theory suggests technology is an endogenous factor, a product of investments in education, innovation, and ideas. This has important implications for India's growth story. However, we have not yet fully leveraged our innovation potential. India's research and development (R&D) expenditure, as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), remains around 0.7% — in comparison, it is 5.2% for South Korea, 2.6% for China, and 3.6% for the US. To bridge this gap, the ₹1 lakh crore R&D fund announced in July 2024 and the fund of funds for deep tech announced in February 2025 must be operationalised at the earliest. While we are granting more patents than ever — over 100,000 granted in 2023-24 — most of them remain uncommercialised. A study by the Fraunhofer Institute reveals that, over the last decade, payments for intellectual property rights (IPR) have increased from $4.8 billion to $14 billion. The number of IPR receipts have doubled from 0.7 to 1.5 billion. Thus, there is a wide gap between payments and receipts. At the same time, global dynamics are shifting. Advanced economies are cutting funding for research departments and universities. In the US, tensions are escalating between Harvard University and the Trump administration. Norms on student visas are also becoming stricter in developed countries. This is an opportune time for India to make a strategic leap forward in building our innovation ecosystem. We need attract and retain talent, and we need the infrastructure. Existing schemes, such as the Visiting Advanced Joint Research Faculty (VAJRA) and the Global Initiative for Academic Networks (GIAN), are extremely limited in scope. We need to think big and bring the best Indian minds back to India. A dedicated national programme with two tracks can help do this. Under Track 1, we should aim to invite 500 top academics from the world's top 100 universities. These researchers should be required to spend six months of the year in India for the next five years. A startup grant of $1 million can be provided to set up research labs or projects. The goal should be to build local capacity. Track 2 can focus on offering sabbaticals to faculty from the world's top 200 universities. These sabbaticals can be supported by grants of $100,000, with annual top-ups. These researchers should be required to engage and mentor students, ensuring knowledge transfer and ecosystem development. We also need to build the requisite infrastructure for an innovation ecosystem. We need world-class innovation infrastructure, not just for design, but also for prototyping and testing — crucial for product development. Common prototyping labs and design studios in our academic institutes are one avenue. Advanced testing facilities and labs across sectors should be established, in and around clusters, in partnership with educational institutes. Our experience with digital public infrastructure (DPI) and open-access data provides a solid foundation. Take, for instance, the compute clusters being provided under the IndiaAI Mission. Similar models can be explored in deep tech areas. If we are to become a product nation, then the gap between academic and industrial research needs to be bridged. There are several successful models worldwide. The Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) is a pioneering example. Based at the University of Warwick, it brings together researchers and industry, innovating across sectors such as auto, healthcare, and batteries, among others. Not just industrial research, but the centre offers academic degrees at all levels, degree internships, and hosts a skills-centre. This can serve as a potential model for India to emulate in leading institutes or Institutes of Eminence (IoE). Each year, hundreds of thousands of our students go abroad to study in countries such as the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada. Increasingly, we are seeing countries tighten norms on student visas. Immigration routes are also becoming stricter post-education. While we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on education, an alternative could be to invite these global universities to set up campuses in India. Monash University in Australia and the University of Nottingham in the UK, for instance, have set up campuses in Malaysia. New York University (NYU) set up campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. These universities collaborated with the government, industry, and existing academic institutes to establish and scale up operations. This would allow India to retain talent first, but also attract students from the Global South. Apart from playing an enabling role, governments worldwide have also given a boost to the innovation ecosystem by becoming key buyers of technology. The US' Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a pertinent example. DARPA catalysed breakthroughs like the internet and GPS, for instance. The Union government can play a similar role, catalysing innovations into real-world solutions, especially in the socio-economic sphere. Our socio-economic challenges require innovative solutions with a public purpose. India can take the lead in the technologies that will define the future — AI, quantum computing, green hydrogen, and semiconductors — through this approach. Grand challenges can play a catalytic role in this aspect. With outcome-based tenders and phased grants with buy-back commitments, the government can send strong market signals and reduce technology adoption risk. To emerge as a true innovation leader, India must act with urgency and ambition. The building blocks are clear — world-class talent, robust infrastructure, strong industry-academia linkages, and catalytic public procurement. These steps will help India transition from being a consumer of global technologies to a developer of frontier solutions. Transforming India's innovation ecosystem needs both direction from government policy and participation of private enterprise. This is not a time for incrementalism. We need to act boldly, and private enterprise must be at the heart of this transformation. Amitabh Kant is India's G20 Sherpa, and former CEO of NITI Aayog. The views expressed are personal Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines to 100 year archives.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Germany's underwater energy vaults could be the world's next power storage giant
What if the key to storing solar power isn't on rooftops or in batteries—but hidden deep beneath the waves? That's exactly what researchers at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute are exploring, with plans underway to submerge massive concrete spheres in the ocean, offering a sea-based alternative to land-hungry energy storage solutions. As part of the StEnSea (Stored Energy in the Sea) project, the renowned institute has been investigating how deep-sea pressure can be harnessed to store energy in the short to medium term. Since 2011, the team has focused on deploying giant hollow concrete spheres sunk hundreds of feet beneath the ocean surface to test the waters on this new frontier, according to a report on New Atlas. An empty sphere functions as a fully charged storage unit. When its valve opens, seawater flows inside, driving a turbine connected to a generator that feeds electricity into the grid. To recharge, water is pumped back out against the surrounding pressure using energy from the grid. The institute has conducted successful tests in Europe's Lake Constance. FraunhoferEach sphere measures about 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter, weighs 400 tons, and is anchored at depths between 1,970 and 2,625 feet (600–800 meters) for optimal efficiency. After successful testing of a smaller model in Europe's Lake Constance near the Rhine River, Fraunhofer plans to deploy a full-scale 3D-printed prototype off the coast of Long Beach, California, by the end of 2026, under a $4 million US Department of Energy project. This unit is expected to generate 0.5 megawatts and store 0.4 megawatt-hours—enough to power an average U.S. household for around two weeks. The institute has set an ambitious goal to further scale this technology to handle much larger spheres, approaching 100 feet (30 meters) in diameter. Fraunhofer researchers estimate that the StEnSea system could offer a colossal global energy storage capacity of about 817,000 gigawatt-hours, enough to power nearly 75 million homes across Germany, France, and the UK for an entire year. The institute projects storage costs at roughly 5.1 cents (4.6 euro cents) per kilowatt-hour, with initial investment costs near $177 (158 euros) per kilowatt-hour of capacity. These estimates are based on a model storage park featuring six spheres, delivering a combined power output of 30 megawatts and a total storage capacity of 120 megawatt-hours. The institute plans to deploy a full-scale 3D-printed prototype off the coast of Long Beach, California, by the end of 2026. Fraunhofer According to Fraunhofer, StEnSea's spherical storage is particularly well-suited for stabilizing power grids by providing frequency regulation and operating reserves. It also supports arbitrage — the process of purchasing electricity when prices are low and selling it when prices peak, a strategy commonly used by grid operators, utility companies, and energy traders. In the long run, StEnSea could compete with traditional pumped hydro storage as a means to store excess grid electricity, with no use of valuable land area playing to its advantage. Unlike pumped storage, which depends on having two reservoirs at different elevations to move water through turbines, StEnSea's underwater spheres can be deployed in multiple locations around the globe, enabling vast storage potential. While pumped storage remains cheaper to operate and slightly more efficient over a full cycle, StEnSea's flexibility and scale could make it a vital component of future energy grids.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Scientists stunned by discoveries after studying electric bills from thousands of homes: 'A negative trend'
Findings from the Fraunhofer Institute show that many solar panels aren't delivering the power they promise, and that's a big deal for your wallet and our energy future, according to a summary from the institute on Tech Xplore. You expect to get what you pay for when you buy solar panels. However, research from Germany's respected Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE reveals that many PV modules are underperforming compared to manufacturer claims. Researchers found a troubling pattern after analyzing over 70,000 solar panel measurements taken since 2012: Before 2016, solar panels typically met or exceeded power ratings. Since then, actual performance has increasingly fallen below advertised levels, with 2023 showing panels underperforming by an average of 1.3%. "Since then, the data has shown a negative trend," said Daniel Philipp, head of the Department Module Characterization and Reliability at Fraunhofer ISE. "For the year 2023, this culminated in a negative deviation between the manufacturer's specification and our review of about 1.3%. A positive deviation was hardly ever observed." The latest data shows minimal improvement. "In 2024, we observed a slight trend reversal, but still on average strong negative deviations of 1.2%," explained Philipp. If you're installing solar, you might be getting less power than you paid for. Applied to Germany's 2024 solar additions alone, this 1.2% shortfall equals about 195 megawatts, equivalent to one of Germany's largest solar parks. "The findings also make it clear how important a reliable, continuous and independent infrastructure is for the quality control of PV modules," said Professor Andreas Bett, Institute Director at Fraunhofer ISE, "especially when the German and European PV markets are over 90% dependent on imports of PV components." This research underscores why independent testing matters, particularly as more people turn to solar to lower their electricity costs and reduce air pollution. With solar installations booming worldwide, honest power ratings are needed so consumers can choose wisely. For now, if you're shopping for solar panels, consider that the advertised wattage might be optimistic. Look for manufacturers with strong reputations and seek independent performance verification to ensure you get the clean energy output you're paying for. Do you think solar panels are an eyesore? Absolutely not Only in certain areas They always look bad I don't have an opinion Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
