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Tata Power and IIT Bombay have signed a long-term research agreement to develop and commercialize next-generation clean energy technologies across areas such as smart grids, energy storage, electric mobility and AI.
Tata Power and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) have signed a Master Research Agreement (MRA) to jointly develop and scale next-generation energy technologies and clean energy solutions.
The agreement was signed at the IIT Bombay campus by Dr. Praveer Sinha, CEO and Managing Director of Tata Power and Prof. Shrikrishna V. Kulkarni, Dean (Research & Development), IIT Bombay. IIT Bombay Director Prof. Shireesh Kedare was also present at the signing.
The partnership will bring together IIT Bombay’s research capabilities and Tata Power’s industry experience to develop solutions that can address emerging challenges in the energy sector. The focus will include smart grids, power electronics, energy storage, electric mobility, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence for power systems.
The two organizations will also work on digital grid technologies, carbon capture and circular economy solutions. These areas are becoming increasingly important as India expands its clean energy infrastructure and works toward a more sustainable power system.
A key objective of the agreement is to reduce the gap between research and commercial deployment. Instead of keeping innovations within laboratories, the partnership aims to help promising technologies move toward real-world use and reach the market faster.
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The collaboration comes as India’s power sector undergoes major changes driven by renewable energy, electric mobility, digitalization and growing electricity demand. Technologies such as smart grids and energy storage can play an important role in making the power network more flexible and reliable.
Dr. Sinha said combining advanced research with large-scale implementation experience could help build technologies suited to India’s evolving energy needs.
He says, "We aim to create a more resilient, secure, intelligent and sustainable power ecosystem for India".
Prof. Kedare said India’s energy transition requires both scientific breakthroughs and the ability to turn those breakthroughs into reliable and scalable technologies. He added that the partnership could help accelerate the development of indigenous solutions while supporting energy security and decarbonization.
The collaboration also highlights the growing role of industry-academia partnerships in addressing complex technology challenges. Research institutions can provide scientific expertise and innovation, while industry partners can help test, scale and deploy solutions in real-world environments.
For the clean energy sector, this connection can be particularly important as new technologies need to move beyond prototypes and demonstrate their value at commercial scale.
The agreement marks the beginning of a long-term strategic partnership between Tata Power and IIT Bombay. Both organizations will work toward developing future-ready energy technologies that can support India’s clean energy transition and contribute to a more sustainable power ecosystem.