The Energy and Resources Institute is a research institute aimed at harnessing energy in such a way as to reduce pollution and harmful environmental impacts. This institute was founded by the visionary Mr Darbari Seth, the builder of Tata Chemicals Limited, in 1974. Initially named the Tata Energy Research Institute, it was renamed to its current title in 2003. In its 4 decades of existence, TERI has come through as one of the leading think-tanks in the field of climate, energy, environment and sustainability. It has pioneered conversations and actions in these fields and led them. The present Director General of the institute is Dr Vibha Dhawan.
The Visionary Founders of TERI
Darbari Seth was an innovative man who promoted indigenous industries and created the best-in-class manufacturing unit in the country. His work earned him the title of “the man with the Midas touch”. He was the founder of TERI and he considered this institute the “jewel of his crown”. As chairman of TERI, he provided encouragement, inspiration, and moral support to the staff of the Institute without ever interfering with the operational decision-making.
History
The creation of TERI was inspired by the need to reduce the number of resources utilised without compromising the output. The idea of this institute took place in the TATA chemicals plant in Mithapur, Gujarat. This factory used an enormous amount of energy in desalination, in an already resource-poor region of the country. Darbari Seth, then a chemical engineer at TATA was highly concerned about this. He proposed the foundation of a research institute to tackle resource depletion and energy scarcity.
Mission and Goals
The mission of TERI is to “usher transitions to a cleaner and sustainable future through the conservation and efficient use of energy and other resources, and innovative ways of minimising and reusing waste.” TERI has laid down several goals to pursue its mission such as the following:
- Accessible clean energy for all
- A Global transition to renewable energy
- Encouraging the use of energy-efficient materials
- Accelerating pollution abatement
- Developing green mobility solutions
TERI also has certain values that define the way the institute functions as a whole. There is a collaboration among different domains, a level of integrity that is maintained, the nurture of ideas among all kinds of people encouraging inclusiveness and innovation, and resilience to create solutions with long-lasting impacts.
Locations
TERI initially began work in Bombay House, Mumbai, the headquarters of TATA. The institute moved locations to Delhi in 1984 and finally set up a permanent base in 1993 in the Darbari Seth Block of the Indian Habitat Centre. With its rise, TERI has expanded to having its presence in various cities of India as well as abroad. There are centres in Bangalore, Guwahati, Goa, Mukteshwar and Navi Mumbai in India. Abroad, it has centres in Tokyo, Washington DC, London, Kuala Lumpur and the Netherlands.
Projects
World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS)
This is an annual event held by TERI that brings together Nobel laureates, political leaders, decision-makers institutions, business leaders, high-level functionaries from the diplomatic corps, scientists and researchers, media personnel, and members of civil society to discuss issues of sustainable development.
Lighting a Billion Lives (LaBL)
This is a global initiative undertaken by TERI to facilitate clean energy access for basic, productive usage. It enables energy-poor communities to transition from traditional and inefficient energy sources to modern, more efficient and sustainable energy solutions.
Green Olympiad
This is an international olympiad conducted in association with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for middle and high-school students. Participation in this olympiad is an opportunity for children to test their environment quotient and learn to appreciate their environment.
TERI Energy Data Directory and Yearbook (TEDDY)
In 1986, TERI Press, the publishing department of TERI launched this journal which is a compilation of all energy and environmental data. It is a reference document and a source of information on energy supply sectors as well as energy-consuming sectors.
Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA)
This initiative was founded in association with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. It is a national rating system for green buildings in India. Some of the popular GRIHA-rated buildings are the UIDAI Headquarters (New Delhi), Suzlon – One Earth (Pune) and the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (Dehradun).
TERI School of Advanced Studies
This is a higher education institute in New Delhi that focuses on teaching sustainable development. The school offers master’s and PhD programs and has another campus in Hyderabad, Telangana.
TERI Prakriti School
This school was launched with a vision to provide sustainability education and help create environmental awareness among children at an early age. It is a K-12 school that is associated with the CBSE board of India.
Impact
TERI has created an undeniable impact on the lives of both rural and urban communities. Solar energy has provided women with entrepreneurial opportunities to finance and power their businesses. Solar devices have been set up to run power looms and motor boats. In other areas, biomass has been utilised to run cottage industries and other larger industries. Rooftop solar panels have been encouraged and large-scale integration of renewable energy with commercial and residential buildings is underway.
References
TERI [online]. Available at: https://www.teriin.org/
Wikipedia (Year). The Energy and Resources Institute. [online]. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Energy_and_Resources_Institute
TATA (2021). Remembering Darbari Seth. [online]. Available at: https://www.tata.com/newsroom/heritage/remembering-darbari-seth
Lighting a Billion Lives. [online]. Available at: http://labl.teriin.org/about.php
GRIHA India. [online]. Available at: https://www.grihaindia.org/
TERI. TERI: The best way to predict the future is to create it, Habitat. [Youtube video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k98HJvm3Zis&t=55s
