The Centre for Energy Regulation (CER) and Energy Analytics Lab (EAL) at IIT Kanpur recently hosted a high-level delegation led by Shri Pankaj Agarwal (IAS), Secretary of the Ministry of Power, Government of India. The delegation included senior officials such as Shri. Piyush Singh, Joint Secretary, MoP; Shri. Hemant Pandey, Chief Engineer, MoP; and Shri Shaswattam, Executive Director, NETRA.

During their visit, Prof. Anoop Singh, Founder and Co-ordinator, CER and EAL, IIT Kanpur extended a warm welcome to the delegation and engaged in comprehensive discussions on various critical topics concerning the Indian power sector, including sectoral reforms, market development, Distribution System Operators, carbon offset markets, storage solutions, and regulatory governance. This interaction provided them with insights into the challenges and opportunities within the sector. 

The delegation had the opportunity to interact with research scholars and the CER-EAL team, fostering a deeper understanding of ongoing research initiatives and the innovative work being done there. Shri. Pankaj Agarwal actively engaged with the current research topics pursued by scholars for their dissertations, demonstrating a keen interest in the academic endeavors of the institution.

He also highlighted key initiatives including the sectoral and market reform process as well as the solar rooftop program. The discussions delved into current and emerging issues in the Indian power sector including retail competition, electricity market design and development, MBED and SCED impacts on energy price, economic aspect of ISTS waiver, green trading, smart metering technologies, circular economy, climate change and incentives within power sector. Shri Agarwal has sought detailed inputs on these issues to help design upcoming policies and programs for the sector.

Prof. Anoop Singh also provided a detailed presentation on the achievements and research focus areas of CER & EAL and highlighted the digital education initiatives of the Department of Management Sciences (DOMS), including online programs like the e-Masters Degree Program on “Power Sector Regulation, Economics, and Management,” and Regulatory Certification Programs.

The afternoon session featured visits to crucial research facilities focusing on battery storage and smart grids, accompanied by focused presentations by faculty members. These activities highlighted the institute's research areas, especially within the Department of Sustainable Energy Engineering. Shri Pankaj Agarwal expressed particular enthusiasm for research related to Na-ion batteries and cathode chemistries for high power and energy density applications based on earth-abundant materials.