How we research clean energy, cut our own carbon footprint, and share energy know-how with schools, industry and policymakers.
UPES report on Sustainable Development Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy.
Founded as an energy university, UPES puts clean energy at the centre of what it teaches, researches and practises. Its researchers work on solar, storage, hydrogen and waste-to-fuel, its campus has measured its carbon footprint and set public targets to cut it, and it shares its energy expertise with schools, industry, government and start-ups.
From solar and bioenergy to hydrogen, batteries and critical minerals, UPES research supports the energy transition.
New buildings and renovations follow national energy-efficiency codes, with star-rated equipment and rooftop solar where feasible.
A greenhouse gas inventory, an energy audit and a Climate Action Plan set out where emissions come from and how they will fall.
A divestment policy shifts campus energy towards solar, LED lighting, electric vehicles and cleaner cooking fuels.
Schools, industry and professionals benefit from UPES training, partnerships and executive education in clean energy.
UPES contributes to national energy policy and supports start-ups working on low-carbon technology.
UPES turns its roots in petroleum and energy into research on solar power, bioenergy, storage, hydrogen and the materials behind the energy transition. These figures cover UPES research publications on energy (source: Scopus).
UPES turns its energy heritage into research that powers the clean energy transition, from Himalayan microgrids to waste-to-fuel.
Number of energy papers on each theme (a paper can appear under more than one).
| Theme | Papers |
|---|---|
| Solar energy and photovoltaics | 270 |
| Biofuels and bioenergy | 193 |
| Hydrogen and fuel cells | 89 |
| Batteries and energy storage | 86 |
| AI for energy | 69 |
| Energy efficiency | 59 |
| Smart grids and power systems | 54 |
| Electric vehicles and mobility | 50 |
| Wind and other renewables | 34 |
| Waste-to-energy | 12 |
The full list of publications, with links, is in the annexure.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation awarded UPES, with IIT Roorkee and NIT Rourkela, a ₹5.15 crore project led by Prof Devender K. Saini to build battery storage, battery management and smart inverters that keep solar microgrids running in places like Siachen and Ladakh, where temperatures fall below –30°C. It is the first time DRDO has entrusted such a project to a private university.
With a ₹97.4 lakh ANRF grant, Dr Siddharth Jain's team is scaling up technology that gasifies unsorted municipal waste and converts it into methanol, targeting 2.5–3 tonnes of CO₂ avoided per tonne of waste and methanol at ₹25–30 a litre.
Dr Bhawna Gupta won an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship to research high-performance materials for next-generation batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors at Heidelberg University, Germany.
Dr Shikha Wadhwa received a French Government SSHN-2025 fellowship and worked at CERMAV, Université Grenoble Alpes, in November 2025 on flexible hydrogen sensors.
Prof Sunil Kumar Khare of the School of Advanced Engineering published a study in the Geological Journal (Wiley) on the 2.46-billion-year-old Dongargarh granite in the Bastar Craton. It shows significant potential for rare earth elements, lithium and tin, minerals India needs for batteries and clean energy technology under its Critical Mineral Mission.
Other work includes research led by Dr Bhawna Lamba, worth ₹73 lakh, on turning waste into clean biofuels, and the Centre for Alternative Energy Research, which works on biofuels and waste-to-energy.
In UPES's mapping of its intellectual property to the Sustainable Development Goals, Affordable and Clean Energy is the second-largest of the ten goals the portfolio covers, after Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (UPES R&D, December 2025).
UPES has measured its carbon footprint, set public targets to cut it, and planned the energy upgrades to get there.
UPES has measured its carbon footprint, set public targets to cut it, and committed by policy to the buildings, audits and fuels that will get it there.
The UPES Energy, Environment & Sustainability Policy[3] (2025) commits the university to the following.
An Energy, Environment & Sustainability Committee implements the policy. It reviews the design of new buildings and renovations for compliance and approves and monitors the building upgrade plan, the energy efficiency plan and carbon reduction targets.
The UPES Divestment Policy[4], embedded in the Energy Policy, Environment Policy, Green Campus Policy and Climate Action Plan, moves the university away from fossil fuels such as coal-based electricity, diesel and petrol. In practice this means solar power and solar water heating, LED lighting, electric carts and battery-operated vehicles for getting around campus, restrictions on fossil-fuel vehicles on campus, and cleaner cooking and heating.
UPES set up the RISE (Research on Impact, Sustainability and ESG) Centre with Aspire Impact in September 2024 to lead its work on climate change and carbon neutrality. It works through three pillars:
UPES has also received the Gold Leaf certification from Aspire Impact, becoming the first university in India to complete a standards-based impact assessment with full Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas accounting, with Platinum-level performance in emissions management.
The RISE (Research, Impact, Sustainability and ESG) Centre's Climate Action Plan sets out a phased path to net zero. Purchased electricity makes up 55.3% of emissions, commuting and procurement 40.7%, and direct fuel use 4%.
Planned actions include:
A Climate Action Task Force of senior leaders, academics, operations staff and students oversees the plan, and the RISE Centre is building a live Green Dashboard to report progress.
An ISO 14064-1 greenhouse gas inventory by Colliers covers June 2023 to May 2025, tracking diesel generators, LPG, vehicles, refrigerants, grid electricity and air travel. Grid electricity use rose from about 45.2 lakh kWh to 51.0 lakh kWh, while refrigerant emissions fell by a third.
| Emission source (tonnes CO₂e) | 2023–24 | 2024–25 |
|---|---|---|
| Grid electricity (Scope 2) | 3,718 | 4,197 |
| Refrigerants (Scope 1) | 1,806 | 1,203 |
| LPG (Scope 1) | 480 | 491 |
| Diesel generators (Scope 1) | 297 | 371 |
| Air travel (Scope 3) | 82 | 92 |
| Vehicles (Scope 1) | 16 | 20 |
The audit's roadmap shows that adding 600 kWp of on-site solar would cut direct emissions by more than 15%, and 1,650 kWp would cut total emissions by more than 15% by 2029.
As the Energy, Environment & Sustainability Policy requires, these periodic audits serve as energy reviews. They show where UPES uses the most energy and creates the most emissions: grid electricity first, followed by refrigerants from air-conditioning, LPG in kitchens and diesel generators. That analysis shapes where savings are targeted, through on-site solar, renewable power purchases where rooftop space is limited, and the lighting and HVAC upgrades in the Climate Action Plan.
UPES used about 51 lakh kWh of grid electricity in 2024–25, along with diesel and LPG. Under the policy, the university's annual energy and carbon report will track total energy use and energy use intensity (energy used per square metre of floor space) against its reduction targets.
UPES shares its energy expertise with schools, industry, policymakers and start-ups.
UPES shares its energy know-how with schools, industry, government and start-ups, and speaks publicly for a renewable future.
14 events from UPES schools and departments advance clean energy, with industry, government and research partners.
Sustainability Fair 3.0 at UPES School of Advanced Engineering was a celebration of ideas, innovation, and collective responsibility. Over two days, the event brought…
The Department of Chemistry, Applied Science Cluster, under the School of Advanced Engineering, UPES Dehradun, is organizing the 2nd International Conference on…
The School of Advanced Engineering, UPES, proudly presents the 4th Edition of the Energy Summit – #International #Conference on #Sustainable and #Affordable #Energy…
A strong academic and leadership presence from UPES School of Advanced Engineering marked the 16th World Petrocoal Congress, held in New Delhi on 16–17 April 2026.…
A five-day online course with speakers from industry and academia on the global impact of their renewable energy research.
With IIT Roorkee and NIT Rourkela, UPES will develop battery energy storage systems for extreme environments such as Siachen and Ladakh.
Prof Sunil Kumar Khare’s study in the Geological Journal finds rare earth, lithium and tin potential in the Dongargarh granite of the Bastar Craton.
UPES is proud to share that research by our esteemed faculty — Dr. Anup K. Yadava Soumyajit Chakraborty, and Sonal Gupta, PhD — has been published in the high-impact…
At UPES School of Business, we recently had the honor of hosting a seminar by remarkable experts: Mr. manish upreti, Dr. Anand Gupta and Dr. Amit Sharma, who shared…
Powering Responsible Leadership in Energy The School of Business, UPES, reaffirmed its commitment to shaping future-ready leaders in the energy domain by hosting…
When Business Education Meets Energy Industry Leadership Uniper visited the UPES School of Business to engage with MBA Oil & Gas students on the evolving #energy…
NAFTANOMICS’25 – Transitioning Energy, Transforming Economy: Towards a Viksit Bharat. The School of Business, UPES, brings together industry pioneers, thought…
With shifting geopolitics, evolving policies, and rapid #technological advancements, ensuring long-term energy security, affordability, and independence is more…
We had the privilege of hosting Mr. Mayank Bhardwaj (VP - Legal, Hexa Climate) and Mr. Arpit Jain (Chief of Staff, Hexa Climate) for an engaging interaction with…
Goal 7 has five targets agreed by the United Nations for 2030. UPES contributes to all five through its research, campus operations and work with industry, government and communities.
UPES activity reaches every Goal 7 target, with its deepest impact on renewable energy, energy efficiency and international cooperation on clean energy.
Targets where UPES runs sustained programmes and plans with measurable results.
UN target 7.2Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
UN target 7.3Double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.
UN target 7.aEnhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, and promote investment in clean energy.
Targets supported through specific research, projects and partnerships.
UN target 7.1Ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.
UN target 7.bExpand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services.
UN target wording is summarised. The full official text is on the United Nations SDG 7 page[39].
Each SDG 7 indicator, and the report on this page that covers it.
| Indicator | Report |
|---|---|
| Research on clean energy | Report 1: Clean energy research |
| Energy-efficient renovation and new-build standards | Report 2: A low-carbon campus |
| Upgrading existing buildings to higher energy efficiency | Report 2: A low-carbon campus |
| Carbon management and reduction process | Report 2: A low-carbon campus |
| Energy efficiency plan | Report 2: A low-carbon campus |
| Energy review to identify areas of highest wastage | Report 2: A low-carbon campus |
| Divestment from carbon-intensive energy | Report 2: A low-carbon campus |
| Energy use per square metre | Report 2: A low-carbon campus |
| Energy efficiency outreach to the local community | Report 3: Clean energy beyond the campus |
| 100% renewable energy pledge and advocacy beyond campus | Report 3: Clean energy beyond the campus |
| Energy efficiency services for industry | Report 3: Clean energy beyond the campus |
| Policy development for clean energy | Report 3: Clean energy beyond the campus |
| Support for low-carbon start-ups | Report 3: Clean energy beyond the campus |
The full list of UPES energy research publications indexed in Scopus, with a link to each paper.