India and US has initiated the agreement for co-operation on a joint clean energy research and development centre, which would facilitate research on a wide range of green power technologies. The agreement, MoU for which was signed during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Washington last November, is considered a significant step towards strengthening cooperation between the two countries in an area of increasing national and international priority. India's top diplomat in the US Meera Shankar and Daniel Poneman, Deputy Secretary of Energy, initiated the Agreement for Cooperation on a Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Centre Friday, an official release was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India (PTI). "The Centre will facilitate joint research and development by teams of scientists and engineers from the US and India on clean energy and related joint activities, needed to deploy clean energy technologies rapidly with the greatest impact," it said. Areas of cooperation would include energy efficiency of buildings, smart grids, unconventional natural gas, second-generation bio fuels, clean coal technologies and solar energy. "Both Governments would provide funding for the activities to help ensure long-term and stable financial support to achieve the objectives of the Centre. Private industry and academia in both countries are also expected to provide additional resources," the statement said. Technology breakthroughs will be critical in achieving energy security in a clean and sustainable manner and the Joint India-US Research Centre could be a valuable catalyst in the process, it said.
