SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy | SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Ministry of Power | CERC
Union Minister of Power Sh. Manohar Lal has inaugurated the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Regulatory Affairs in the Power Sector at IIT Delhi, marking a significant step in strengthening India’s regulatory capacity. Jointly established by IIT Delhi, the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), and Grid Controller of India Ltd. (Grid India), the Centre is designed as a national hub for research, capacity building, and advisory support. It aims to address the complexities of a rapidly evolving energy landscape characterized by large-scale renewable integration, expanding markets, and digital transformation.
Institutional Framework and Objectives
Collaborative Synergy: The Centre brings together policy, regulation, and system operations within an academic framework, leveraging the expertise of the national regulator and system operator.
Multidisciplinary Research: The CoE will focus on power sector regulations, market design, grid operations, and emerging technologies such as energy storage, green hydrogen, and demand response.
Capacity Building: A primary goal is to enhance institutional capabilities within distribution utilities and regulatory commissions through structured training programs for sector professionals.
Evidence-Based Policy: The Centre will equip policymakers with robust analytical tools and India-wide system models to evaluate regulatory proposals through the lens of consumer welfare and system reliability.
Global Connectivity: Researchers will have access to global academic and policy networks to identify and solve key sectoral challenges.
Addressing the Power Sector ‘Trilemma’
The Centre’s work is specifically geared toward balancing the three critical pillars of the energy sector:
Affordability: Ensuring that power remains cost-effective for consumers while allowing for sustainable market growth.
Sustainability: Creating regulatory pathways for the seamless integration of mainstream solar and wind energy.
Efficiency: Modernizing planning and operations to Fundamentally reshape the regulatory framework for a decarbonized future.
What is the ‘Power Sector Trilemma’ and how will the new CoE address it? The Power Sector Trilemma refers to the challenge of simultaneously achieving affordability, sustainability, and efficiency in energy systems. As India integrates massive amounts of variable renewable energy, balancing these three goals becomes increasingly complex. The new Centre of Excellence at IIT Delhi addresses this by providing robust analytical tools and India-wide system models. These tools allow regulators to evaluate the real-world impact of their decisions on consumer costs (affordability), grid stability (efficiency), and carbon reduction targets (sustainability) before they are implemented.
Policy Relevance
The CoE represents a bridge between operational realities and regulatory theory, essential for the “Viksit Bharat” energy transition.
Strategic Impact:
Informed Regulation: By anchoring research in a premier academic institution, the Centre ensures that regulation is backed by sound analysis and long-term thinking.
Adaptive Frameworks: Operational insights from Grid India will directly inform market design, making regulatory frameworks more resilient to real-time grid fluctuations.
Accelerating Decarbonization: Specialized research on green hydrogen and digitalization will provide the regulatory clarity needed to attract private investment in frontier technologies.
Developing Human Capital: Structured training programs will ensure that the next generation of power professionals is equipped to manage the transition to a decarbonized energy system.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can the CoE at IIT Delhi be utilized to create a ‘Regulatory Sandbox’ that allows DISCOMs to test innovative ‘Demand Response’ models without disrupting existing tariff structures?
Follow the full news here: Centre of Excellence for Regulatory Affairs in the Power Sector Launched at IIT Delhi