Here’s the latest I can share based on current publicly available information up to 2025, and how it relates to the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) in India.
What is NISE
- NISE stands for the National Institute of Solar Energy, an autonomous institution under India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). It originated from converting the Solar Energy Centre (SEC) in Gurgaon into a national institute with a broader remit in solar R&D, technology development, and related activities. As of late 2020s, the government described NISE as the apex national R&D center for solar energy, coordinating research, technology, and other related work.[3][9]
Key milestones and context
- In 2013, the Indian Cabinet approved setting up the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) by converting SEC Gurgaon, with the aim of creating a world-class institute focusing on solar energy technologies and acting as the apex center for R&D and technology development in this field. This marked the formal establishment of NISE as the flagship research institution in solar energy in India.[4][3]
- Public Accounts Committee commentary in 2023 highlighted concerns about a revived solar-thermal plant project at NISE (a 1 MWe grid-interactive solar thermal plant) that had become non-functional, indicating that not all earlier R&D investments had achieved ongoing operational status and that there were recommendations to revive the project or reassess its viability. This reflects ongoing governance and project-management challenges within solar R&D initiatives in the period.[2]
- Media coverage in 2025 and 2026 continues to treat NISE as the central R&D hub for solar energy in India, with ongoing updates about its activities, partnerships, and programs as part of the broader National Solar Mission ecosystem, though specific programmatic details can vary by year.[5][7][8]
Structure and role
- NISE is positioned as an apex center for research and development in solar energy technologies, coordinating with industry, academia, and financial institutions to advance technology development, demonstration, and potential commercialization pathways.[9][3]
- It operates under MNRE, with a mandate to support the National Solar Mission objectives by fostering R&D, centers of excellence, and strategic collaborations to accelerate adoption of solar technologies.[3][9]
Recent and practical takeaways for stakeholders in Marseille or Provence-Alpes-C Côte d’Azur
- While NISE is a national Indian institution, there are parallel themes in global solar R&D collaboration. If you are exploring international partnerships, NISE’s model—an autonomous national institute focused on R&D, with emphasis on public-private partnerships and industry collaboration—might serve as a reference framework for similar institutions or collaborations in Europe or France.
- If you are assessing the Indian solar R&D landscape for potential collaboration, stay aware of governance notes like those from the Public Accounts Committee, which underline the importance of ensuring that funded pilot projects (e.g., solar-thermal experiments) deliver tangible, replicable outcomes.
Illustrative example
- Example: Consider a hypothetical France-India collaboration where a national solar R&D institute in France mirrors NISE’s role: a centralized hub for PV/thermal solar research, coordinating with industry partners, and feeding results into national solar deployment programs. This kind of model could incentivize joint innovation and faster technology transfer.
Would you like me to:
- Identify current French or EU research institutes with similar roles to NISE for potential collaboration?
- Pull the latest official NISE website updates or MNRE announcements for 2025–2026?
- Create a quick comparison table of NISE’s functions versus similar international institutes?
Note: If you want the most up-to-date, precise details (latest announcements, annual reports, or governance updates) I can fetch current sources and summarize with citations.
Sources
National Institute Of Solar Energy: In its 61st report on 'Non-Utilisation of Solar Thermal Plant', presented in Parliament on Wednesday, Public Accounts Committee stated that this project led to an infructuous expenditure of Rs 46.26 crore of public money.
energy.economictimes.indiatimes.comETEnergyworld.com brings latest national institute of solar energy news, views and updates from all top sources for the Indian Energy industry.
energy.economictimes.indiatimes.comnational institute of solar energy Latest Breaking News, Pictures, Videos, and Special Reports from The Economic Times. national institute of solar energy Blogs, Comments and Archive News on Economictimes.com
economictimes.indiatimes.comNational Institute of Solar Energy(NISE), an autonomous institution of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), is the apex National R&D institution in the field Solar Energy. The Government of India has converted 25 year old Solar Energy Centre (SEC) under MNRE to an autonomous institution in September, 2013 to assist the Ministry in implementing the National Solar Mission and to coordinate research, technology and other related works.
nise.res.inCentral government today approved setting up of an autonomous institute to carry out research and development in the field of solar energy.
economictimes.indiatimes.comThe Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the proposal for setting up of an autonomous "National Institute of Solar Energy" (NISE) to assist the Ministry and function as the apex national centre for research and technology development and related activities in the area of solar energy technologies in the country.The National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) is to be set up immediately by converting the Solar Energy Centre (SEC) Gurgaon with a long term vision to develop it as a world class...
www.business-standard.comWill be center for solar energy research and development.
asian-power.com