Solar Energy Research Institute for India and the United States (SERIIUS) : Lessons and Results from a Binational Consortium

This book describes the development, functioning, and results of a successful binational program to promote significant scientific advances in Earth-abundant photovoltaics (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP), advanced process/manufacturing technologies, multiscale modeling and reliability testing, and analysis of integrated solar energy systems.

SERIIUS is a consortium between India and the United States dedicated to developing new solar technologies and assessing their potential impact in the two countries. The consortium consists of nearly 50 institutions including academia, national laboratories, and industry, with the goal of developing significant new technologies in all areas of solar deployment. In addition, the program focused on workforce development through graduate students, post-doctoral students, and an international exchange program. Particular emphasis was placed on the following efforts:

• Creating disruptive technologies in PV and CSP through high-impact fundamental and applied research and development (R&D).
• Identifying and quantifying the critical technical, economic, and policy issues for solar energy development and deployment in India.
• Overcoming barriers to technology transfer by teaming research institutions and industry in an effective project structure. Building a new platform for binational collaboration using a formalized R&D project structure, along with effective management, coordination, and decision processes.
Creating a sustainable network and workforce development program from which to build large collaborations and fostering a collaborative culture and outreach programs. This includes using existing and new methodologies for collaboration based on advanced electronic and web-based communication to facilitate functional international teams.

The book summarizes the general lessons learned from these experiences.