According to a release from IIT Madras, the new centre will focus on promoting innovation, conducting cutting-edge research, developing new technologies, and piloting and commercializing advancements in the energy sector. The initiative also includes the establishment of the Shell Chair Professorship, designed to enhance knowledge exchange between Shell and IIT Madras. Dr. Satyanarayanan Seshadri, a faculty member at IITM and head of the energy consortium, has been appointed as the first Shell Chair Professor at IIT Madras.

Dr. Ajay Mehta, VP of Engineering Technology at Shell, emphasized the significance of the collaboration, stating, "This collaboration will further enable us to share our knowledge and resources with IIT-M while leveraging their expertise, R&D facilities, and innovation ecosystem to address one of the world?s most critical challenges ? the energy transition.?

The Energy Consortium at IIT Madras, recognized as an Institute of Eminence Centre, spans a wide range of research areas including energy generation, storage, conversion, and distribution. Key expertise at the consortium encompasses carbon capture and storage, gas hydrates, conversion of coal and biomass to useful chemicals, renewable energy technologies, CO2 conversion electrolyser technologies, green hydrogen generation, advanced energy storage solutions beyond lithium, and distributed energy management for both AC and DC microgrids.

This partnership marks a significant step towards developing innovative solutions to address global energy challenges and accelerate the transition to sustainable energy systems.