IC1:Smart Grids

To enable future grids that are powered by affordable, reliable, decentralised renewable electricity systems. Interest areas identified are:

• Regional grid innovation
• Distribution grid innovation
• Micro grid innovation & cross innovation
• Efficient appliances design
• Innovation on technologies includes renewable sources integration, storage and smart mini-grids management technologies (systems safety, reliability, interoperability and scalability, etc.)
• Skilled labour and infrastructure financing
• Local implementation conditions

IC2: Off-grid Access To Electricity

To develop systems that enable off-grid households and communities to access affordable and reliable renewable electricity. Ares of interest include:

• Off grid electricity systems utilising polygeneration and also solar, wind, micro-hydel, biogas, and various other forms individually or hybridised for heating/cooling/thermal applications
• Augment the existing fossil with renewable sources including roof top solar as an off grid solution
• Frequency and voltage stability of off grid system and developing robust control algorithm
• Village Distributed Energy resource (DER) Grid
• Hybrid distribution system (AC and DC grid)
• Development of efficient DC appliances and smart centralized distribution control to ensure disciplined and efficient end use of energy

IC3: Carbon Capture

To enable near-zero CO₂ emissions from power plants and carbon intensive industries. Interest areas identified are:

• Advances in gas separation of CO₂ concentration
• Geologic storage of CO₂
• Utilization CO₂ for value added chemicals
• Use of captured CO₂ to create plastics
• Algal biofuels
• Carbonate materials
• or other uses under discovery phase
• All R&D in CO₂ utilisation that could result in revolutionary & is not just incremental

IC4: Sustainable Biofuels

To develop ways to produce, at scale, widely affordable, advanced biofuels for transportation and industrial applications. Identified interest areas include:

• Advanced, or second generation, biofuels which can be produced from non-food biological materials (biomass) such as forest and farming residues and other waste materials, Specially grown high yield plants or algae to biofuels/ bioproducts, and refined into fuels for use in transportation or industry
• Use of MSW for biogas/biofuels
• LCA for production of biofues in agriculture, forestry, and land management; take advantage of mitigation and adaptation practices that are synergistic
• Economic development by growing the market share of advanced biofuels coupled with high value products
• Microbial fermentation of industrial waste gases for Biofuel
• Production of low cost high performance Enzymes and yeasts for Biofuel/bioproducts
• Biogas production from low cost materials
• Improve the large-scale production and supply of biological feedstocks including , harvesting, collection, handling, transport and pre-treatment practices
• Research and improve upon new technologies for the high efficiency utilization of biofuels in transport and industry, including biogas applications
• High-efficiency combustion engine applications, and applications combining electric, fuel cell and biofuels

IC5 : Converting Sunlight

To discover affordable ways to convert sunlight into storable solar fuels. Some of the identified interest areas include:

• Producing carbon-neutral clean fuels (such as hydrogen)
• Developing breakthrough energy storage chemicals
• Catalysts for water splitting and CO₂ reduction
• Light harvesting through micro-algae
• Photo-electrochemical cells
• Concentrated solar light to energy rich chemicals and engineering of production devices

IC6 : Clean Energy Materials

To accelerate the exploration, discovery, and use of new high-performance, low-cost clean energy materials. Specific application areas for new materials include:

• Advanced batteries and solar cells
• Low energy semiconductors
• Thermal storage
• Coatings for various applications
• Structural materials with better properties
• Catalysts for the conversion and capture of CO₂
• End-to-end materials innovation platform
• R&D in chain of new materials, such as the discovery, synthesis, data and performance assessment, and process design and scale-up
• Materials innovation process (model, simulate, predict, synthesize, characterize, and test the properties and performance) of new clean energy materials

IC7 : Affordable Heating and Cooling of Buildings

To make low-carbon heating and cooling affordable for everyone. Identified interest areas include:

• Thermal energy storage
• Heat pumps
• Non-atmospheric heat sinks and sources
• Predictive maintenance and optimization
• Building-level integration and
• Equipment development for heating and cooling

IC8 : Renewable and Clean Hydrogen

To accelerate the development of a global hydrogen market by identifying and overcoming key technology barriers to the production, distribution, storage, and use of hydrogen at gigawatt scale.

Hydrogen has the potential to play an essential part in achieving deep cuts in emissions and improved security and resilience of the global energy system at a scale. Pure Hydrogen is made from splitting hydrogen-rich substances and is a promising energy-dense energy carrier with multiple uses.

The potential of producing Hydrogen from renewable energy and water in a cost effective manner shall help solve energy problems in the near future. The key areas of Interests include:

• Making hydrogen
• Sharing hydrogen
• Using hydrogen and cross-cutting issues
• Mature end-use applications like automotive fuel cells
• Make hydrogen cost-competitive in the broader energy system
• Fuel Cells: Increase Efficiency
• Fuel Cells: Increase Robustness
• Fuel Cells: Reduce Costs