‘IIT-I creating living lab for students to work on future energy systems’

Indore: Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, (IIT-I) is betting big on clean energy, school access and applied research with rolling out a solar park, a new building of Kendriya Vidyalaya and advanced labs on its campus on Monday. The move is expected to ease daily life on campus while pushing innovation with real-world impact.Board of governors chairperson and former ISRO chief Dr Sivan laid foundation for the solar park, the KV building and inaugurated the new research facilities.He said, "Academic institutions today cannot remain limited to classrooms and laboratories. They must become models of sustainable development. By investing in renewable energy and efficient infrastructure, institutes like IIT-I are not only reducing long-term operational costs, but also creating a living laboratory for students to understand and work on future energy systems."The institute will set up a 1 MW solar power plant over 3.15 acres under Solar Energy Corporation of India-backed renewable energy service company model. The plant which is expected to save around Rs 75 lakh annually in power costs with a fixed tariff for 25 years. A new Kendriya Vidyalaya building, costing about Rs 26.54 crore, will be developed as a G+2 structure with 24 classrooms and full academic infrastructure. At present, the school is operating from a temporary structure on the institute campus.On the research front, IIT-I inaugurated CGS Advanced Research Complex, a Rs 11.8 crore facility spread over 21,662 square feet. It has 10 laboratories, 24 faculty cabins and 96 student workstations, aimed at boosting advanced scientific work.Director Suhas Joshi said, "The next phase of growth for institutions like second generation IIT-I lies in building strong interdisciplinary ecosystems where research is not confined to publications but leads to real-world impact. Facilities like these enable deeper collaboration, faster prototyping and stronger industry and healthcare linkages."The institute also launched an augmented reality-virtual reality healthcare lab under IIT-I Drishti. Built at a cost of about Rs 30 lakh, the lab is equipped with immersive technologies. Officials said the lab has developed an application to address acrophobia, with potential use in therapy and medical training.Officials said the combined push is aimed at reducing operational costs and improving campus-linked public infrastructure. It will also accelerate research with real-world applications.