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The Energy and Resources Institute

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The Energy and Resources Institute - TERI
Rajendra K. Pachauri, Director General
TypeNon ProfitResearch Institution
Established1974
Location
New Delhi
,
Delhi
,
India
CampusIndia Habitat Centre
AcronymTERI
Websitehttp://www.teriin.org/

The Energy and Resources Institute, commonly known as TERI (formerly Tata Energy Research Institute), established in 1974, is a research institute based in New Delhi focusing its research activities in the fields of energy, environment and sustainable development.

Introduction

TERI is an independent, not-for-profit, research institute focused on energy, environment and sustainable development, devoted to efficient and sustainable use of natural resources.

Origins

|image1=Bombay House, Tata Group Headquarters in Mumbai.jpg| |caption1=Bombay House, the head office of Tata Group from where TERI started operations|

The origins of TERI lie in Mithapur, a remote town in Gujarat, where a TATA engineer, Darbari Seth, was concerned about the enormous quantities of energy his factory spent on desalination.[1] He proposed the idea of a research institute to tackle the depletion of natural resources and energy scarcity.[2] J. R. D. Tata, chairman of the TATA Group, liked the idea and accepted the proposal. TERI was setup with a modest corpus of 35 million rupees.[3] On the invitation of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, TERI registered in Delhi in 1974 as the Tata Energy Research Institute.[3] As the scope of its activities widened over a period of time, it was renamed The Energy and Resources Institute in 2003.[4]

Locations

India Habitat Centre (IHC), Lodhi Road, New Delhi, where TERI Headquarters is housed

TERI began operations in Mumbai in Bombay House, headquarters of the house of Tatas. In 1984, it moved to Delhi. After being shunted from one premise to another, including the India International Centre, TERI moved to the India Habitat Centre. Today TERI has a global presence with many centers both within India and abroad.

On Wednesday 5 October 2011, Princess Máxima of the Netherlands opened the European headquarters of TERI in Utrecht [6].

Staff

TERI has about 900 employees, with research professionals from various disciplines pertaining to issues of environment and energy. The Institute's Director General Rajendra K. Pachauri is also the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change awarded Nobel Prize2007.[7] TERI's Executive Director is Dr Leena Srivastava, who was recognized by the Prime Minister of the French Republic and received the Knight of the Order of Academic Palms in 2007 (Ordre national du Mérite).[8]

Activities

TERI is a leading Indian non government organization (NGO), a global think tank conducting research and analysis in the genres of energy and environment, is a university with a vast focus, which ranges from micro organisms to global climate change and everything in between. In its 30 years of existence, TERI has completed more than 2600 projects. TERI has about 20 divisions and some important divisions are:

  • Biotechnology & Bioresources

Decentralised Electricity Solutions Earth Science and Climate Change Educating Youth for Sustainable Devpt. Energy EnvironmentTechnology Development Environmental & Industrial Biotechnology Human Resources Industrial Energy Efficiency Information Technology and Services Knowledge Management Modelling and Economic Analysis Resources, Regulation & Global Security Social Transformation Sustainable Development Outreach Sustainable Habitat Tech. Dissemination & Enterprise Devp. Water Resources

Awards and achievements

  • Bio technologists at TERI developed a new technique for the revival of sick oil wells called Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR). It has helped in recovering 5% to 15% of crude oil from the wells that have been declared `sick' after secondary treatment with chemicals that recovers 20% oil.[9]
  • TERI Southern Regional Center in Bangalore was awarded Best Energy Auditor and Best Performance Improvement from the Petroleum Conservation Research Association two consecutive years in 2003 and 2004.[10]
  • TERI was awarded The Economic Times Corporate Citizen of the Year in 2008-09.[11]
  • In 2006, TERI developed a technology to mass-produce a consortium of mycorrhiza bio- fertiliser. The technology is the first of its kind globally. The bio-fertiliser has applications in agriculture, horticulture, economic plantations, forestry and bio-fuels, and enhances nutrition and yield increment up to 50% and curtails chemical fertiliser inputs by 5%.[12]
  • TERI in 2003, developed a non-pathogenic pesticide-munching bacteria in the form of a powder that can biodegrade endosulfan, a widely used pesticide.[13]
  • While visiting TERI RETREAT in 2004, Prince Charles lauded energy efficient technologies at TERI.[14]
  • TERI initiated the Lighting A Billion Lives Campaign in 2007 to light energy starving rural villages.[15]
  • By March 2005, TERI's micropropagation technology park had supplied over 14 million plants raised by tissue culture.
  • TERI developed Oilzapper, a mix of bacteria that destroys crude oil sludge. More than 30,000 tonnes of soil contaminated with oily sludge have been treated, and more than 5000 hectares of farmland contaminated with oil spills have been reclaimed.[16]
  • TERI designed a cylindrical furnace for refining metals called Cupola which has enabled workers in small scale metal foundries literally breathe easy. The Cupola brought down the amount of fine soot and dust in the surrounding air from an average of 2600 micrograms per cubic meter to about 50, and which reduced air borne sulphur dioxide from 300 micrograms per cubic meter to about 40.
  • With the aim to create a common platform for local communities of Supi in Uttarakhand, TERI launched 'Kumaon vani', a community radio service on March 11, 2010. Uttarakhand Governor Margaret Alva inaugurated the community radio station, the first in the state. The 'Kumaon Vani' aims to air programmes on environment, agriculture, culture, weather and education in the local language and with the active participation of the communities. The radio station covers a radius of 10 km reaching out to almost 2000 locals around Mukhteshwar.[17]

GRIHA

The national rating system for green buildings in India, GRIHA has been developed and operationalized by TERI.[18] GRIHA is an acronym for Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment. It was conceived by TERI and developed jointly with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to the Indian Government. It is a green building design evaluation system and is suitable for all kinds of buildings in different climatic zones of the country.

Twenty-eight projects have been registered so far including the following:[19][20]

Delhi Sustainable Development Summit

The Institute is closely related to the annual Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) and the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The DSDS attracts worldwide thinkers and practitioners, coming from governments, business and industries, multilateral and bilateral organizations, research and academia and civil societies. Following this success, TERI has established the World Sustainable Development Forum (WSDF), which aims to emulate the DSDS, applying its talks and research worldwide, to monitor worldwide industrial development associated environment and sustainability analysis, and to provide interesting solutions to local industries and governments, to meet the MDGs.

TERI University

TERI University was established on August 19, 1998, and was recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) as a deemed-to-be University in 1999.[22][23] Set-up as the TERI School of Advanced Studies in 1998, the institution was subsequently renamed TERI University.[24] TERI University is the first of its kind in India to dedicate itself to the study of environment, energy and natural sciences for sustainable development.[25]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.tatamail.com/media/reports/inside.aspx?artid=tB0IWx7d9Vw=
  2. ^ http://www.rediff.com/business/1999/dec/08dseth.htm
  3. ^ a b http://www.indianngos.com/environment/audio/rkpachauri.asp
  4. ^ http://www.financialexpress.com/news/teri-stays-teri-but-says-tata-to-tata/70815/
  5. ^ www.indiahabitat.org/
  6. ^ http://www.uu.nl/university/research/en/international_collaboration/asia/teri/Pages/default.aspx
  7. ^ Teriin.org (Staff).
  8. ^ http://www.financialexpress.com/news/teri-receives-second-knighthood-honour-from-french-government/402464/
  9. ^ "New technique for revival of sick oil wells". The Hindu. Chennai, India. September 12, 2003.
  10. ^ "TERI bags two awards". The Hindu. Chennai, India. February 9, 2005.
  11. ^ "Features". The Times Of India. August 25, 2009.
  12. ^ "A GLOBAL FIRST FROM TERI STABLE (develops a technology to mass-produce a consortium of mycorrhiza bio-fertiliser)". Asia Africa Intelligence Wire. September 15, 2004.
  13. ^ "Bacteria developed to fight endosulfan effect". The Times Of India. July 20, 2003.
  14. ^ "Charles lauds energy efficient technologies of TERI". PTI - The Press Trust of India Ltd. October 31, 2003.
  15. ^ http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/bline/2008/08/26/stories/2008082651740500.htm
  16. ^ http://www.rediff.com/money/2009/mar/19ongc-teri-in-final-lap-of-3-bn-dollar-deal-race.htm
  17. ^ http://news.oneindia.in/2010/03/13/terilaunches-kumaon-vani-community-radio-service.html
  18. ^ http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?tp=on&autono=29636
  19. ^ http://www.indianexpress.com/news/offices-going-green-homes-lag/453521/0
  20. ^ http://www.hareda.gov.in/TERI.PDF
  21. ^ http://www.cpwd.gov.in/newsitem/dgwman/MAN176.pdf
  22. ^ http://www.gdnet.org/middle.php?oid=211&zone=org&action=org&org=4178
  23. ^ http://www.ugc.ac.in/inside/deemed%20universities/terischool.html
  24. ^ http://www.blonnet.com/2006/10/06/stories/2006100603800900.htm
  25. ^ http://www.everythingonline.in/onlinedirectory.php?directory=378
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