IIT Delhi Sonipat campus's new solar course comes with Europe internship: Details

IIT Delhi’s Sonipat campus has begun its academic journey with a programme focused on one of the world’s biggest clean-energy challenges: solar power.The institute has launched a one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Solar Systems and Management in collaboration with the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Institut National de l’Energie Solaire (INES), France.The inaugural batch began on September 3 with nine international fellows from eight countries. The programme is being offered by IIT Delhi’s Department of Energy Science and Engineering.A CLASSROOM WITH A GLOBAL PURPOSEThis is not designed as a conventional classroom programme. The course will provide hands-on training in solar technology and its applications, with teaching by IIT Delhi faculty members, industry experts and other specialists. The programme is sponsored by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).Prof Ramesh Narayanan, Head of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at IIT Delhi, said the programme would help place the institute at the global forefront of energy education and management. The larger aim is to train participants from the ISA’s more than 120 member countries so they can become trainers at Solar Technology and Application Resource Centres, or STAR-C centres, in their respective countries.FROM SONIPAT TO EUROPEThe learning will not end when the diploma does.After completing the programme, the fellows will undertake a one-month internship in Europe focused on applied solar technologies. They will then be assigned to STAR-C centres in their home countries.These centres aim to build skills, infrastructure and innovation ecosystems that can help countries accelerate solar-energy deployment and create green jobs.MORE PROGRAMMES IN THE PIPELINEThe new programme is also part of a broader partnership between IIT Delhi and the International Solar Alliance.The two institutions formalised a Framework for Action earlier this year to strengthen cooperation in renewable energy, with a focus on capacity building, academic collaboration and human-resource development.For IIT Delhi’s Sonipat campus, this first programme could be the start of a larger academic offering.Prof Somnath Baidya Roy, professor-in-charge of the Sonipat campus, said the institute plans to introduce more such programmes in the coming years.- EndsPublished By: Princy ShuklaPublished On: Sep 4, 2026 09:49 IST