The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy(MNRE) has extended its Renewable Energy Research and Technology Development Programme till March 31, 2021 (or till date the recommendations of the 15th Commission come to effect, whichever is earlier). The objective of the programme is to promote indigenous technology development and widespread applications of renewable energy applications such as solar thermal systems, solar photovoltaic systems,biogas systems, waste to energy systems, wind energy systems, hybrid systems, storage systems, hydrogen and fuels cells, and geothermal energy.
The programme is expected to make the renewable industry more competitive, self-sustainable and profitable. To this end, it has also listed research and development priorities of various areas and their technology gaps. These gaps include import dependence on solar parts for the solar industry and technology gaps and dependence on imports for offshore wind energy.