India: innovating in one of the world’s largest energy markets

Driven by expanding populations and improving living standards, India and China will account for about half of the world’s energy demand in 2040.

Meeting that increased energy demand while addressing the risk of climate change is a challenge that ExxonMobil is working on. It takes dedication and innovation to develop low-emission breakthroughs. And that’s one of the drivers behind ExxonMobil’s latest research partnerships with the Indian Institutes of Technology in Madras and Bombay.

The collaborations complement ExxonMobil’s exciting partnerships with over 80 universities and five energy centers around the world, including one launched last year in Singapore.

The collaboration between ExxonMobil, IIT Bombay and IIT Madras will focus on developing scalable, low-emission, sustainable energy solutions. Examples include projecting India’s long-term power consumption using sophisticated computer models and converting natural gas into low-emission transportation fuel.

“This agreement will give us a better understanding of how to progress and apply technologies in India and develop breakthrough lower-emission solutions that can make a difference globally,” said Vijay Swarup, vice president of research and development at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company.

This isn’t the first time ExxonMobil and the Indian Institutes of Technology have worked together. IIT Bombay and ExxonMobil worked with the Council for Energy, Environment and Water on a study examining the life cycle of greenhouse gas emissions released by India’s power sector.

“IIT Madras is committed to providing sustainable solutions in the energy, chemicals and waste management sectors, and I am confident about our collaboration with ExxonMobil to achieve these goals,” said Professor Ravindra Gettu, the dean of industrial consultancy and sponsored research of IIT Madras.

Indeed, ExxonMobil and scientists across Madras and Bombay will work together to develop and scale up breakthroughs that could transform energy, not just in India but around the world.