Lok Sabha Question No. 1792 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-30
Subject: Indo-US Clean Energy Initiative
Ministry: NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY
Asked by: M. UDHAYAKUMAR, VINOD KUMAR BOIANAPALLI, VINAYAK BHAURAO RAUT, GAJANAN CHANDRAKANT KIRTIKAR, KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH, RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE, SUNIL BALIRAM GAIKWAD, SUDHEER GUPTA, NAGENDRA KUMAR PRADHAN, ARJUN RAM  MEGHWAL, R. GOPALAKRISHNAN, KALIKESH NARAYAN SINGH DEO, SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION NO. 1792

TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.07.2015

## INDO-US CLEAN ENERGY INITIATIVE

## 1792.  ADV. M. UDHAYAKUMAR:

SHRI B. VINOD KUMAR:

SHRI VINAYAK BHAURAO RAUT:

SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH:

SHRI RAHUL SHEWALE:

DR. SUNIL BALIRAM GAIKWAD:

SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

SHRI NAGENDRA KUMAR PRADHAN:

SHRI ARJUN MEGHWAL:

SHRI R. GOPALAKRISHNAN:

SHRI KALIKESH N.SINGH DEO:

DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

Will the Minister of NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  any  Memorandum  of  Understanding  on  Cooperation  to  Establish  the  PACE Setter  Fund  to  support  and  promote  clean  energy  has  been  signed  by  the  Government  in  the recent past and  if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of other MoUs signed between India and US to promote clean energy so far along with the status of various such MoUs;
- (c) whether any corpus has been drawn under the said MoU between the two countries and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether  both  the  Governments  have  agreed  to  appoint  a  Steering  Committee  for  this purpose; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and the ways and means through which this initiative will benefit India for getting clean energy?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR POWER, COAL & NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a): Yes, Madam.  The  Ministry of  New  and  Renewable  Energy  (MNRE)  signed  a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with USA Government on 30 th June, 2015 to establish PACESetter  Funds  to  support  the  Promoting  Energy  Access  through  Clean  Energy  (PEACE) track of US-India Partnership.

(b): Details of other MoU signed between India and US to promote clean energy with their status are given at Annexure.

(c): The Joint Indo-US PACESetter Fund has been established with a contribution of US$ 4 million (INR 25 crores) from each side for providing grants for seed capital for innovative clean energy projects.

(d): A joint PACESetter Fund Steering Committee have been set up under the Co-chairmanship of the Ambassador from US side and Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy from Indian side with three members of each side.

(e): The  funds  would  help  to  accelerate  the  commercialization  of  off-grid  clean  energy through early-stage grant funding of grants to develop and test innovative products, systems, and business models and to improve the viability of renewable energy businesses that sell small scale (under  1  megawatt)  clean  energy  systems  to  communities  with  limited  or  no  access  to  the electricity grid.

*****

## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1792 for 30 th  JULY, 2015 REGARDING 'INDO-US CLEAN ENERGY INITIATIVE'

## Details of other Memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between India and US to promote Clean Energy with their status.

|   S.No. | Items                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                | Details                                                                                         |
|---------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the collaboration on Wind Energy Research and Development has been signed between the Centre for Wind Energy Technology, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, United States Department of Energy on 23 rd November, 2009.                                                                                                                                      | On-going                                                                                        |
|      2. | A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the collaboration on Solar Energy Research and Development between the Solar Energy Centre, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of the Government of the Republic of India and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, United States Department of Energy was signed on 23 rd November, 2009.                                                                                                             | On-going                                                                                        |
|      3. | A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in New and Renewable energy to Facilitate Clean Energy Access to expand the 'Partnership to Advance Clean Energy by launching a new tract known as 'Promoting Energy Access through Clean Energy' ('PEACE') has been signed between the Government of India and the Government of the United States of America on 27 th September, 2013 at Washington and 29 th January, 2014 at New Delhi, India | On-going. Through this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the PACESetter Fund has been created. |