Tata Power, one of India’s largest vertically integrated power companies, announced the launch of the Energy Insights & Innovation Lab (EIIL) at its Mumbai headquarters, marking a significant step toward accelerating India’s clean energy transition.
The new Lab is a strategic research collaboration with the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the International Growth Centre (IGC). It aims to harness cutting-edge research, data analytics, and real-world experimentation to enhance the quality, reliability, and affordability of electricity services across India, while supporting the country’s net-zero ambitions.
The EIIL will focus on addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing India’s power sector, including managing peak electricity demand, improving grid resilience, and enabling deeper integration of renewable energy in a reliable and cost-effective manner.
The Lab was inaugurated by Tata Power CEO and Managing Director Dr Praveer Sinha, alongside Prof. Robin Burgess, Professor of Economics and Director of IGC and the EEE Research Programme at LSE, and Dr Jonathan Leape, Executive Director of IGC. The event was held in the presence of HM Harjinder Kang, Trade Commissioner for South Asia and British Deputy High Commissioner for Western India, and Dr Chetan Ghate, Professor at the Indian Statistical Institute and IGC ISGH.
The inaugural ceremony also saw the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Tata Power, LSE and IGC, formalising their partnership to co-develop scalable, evidence-based solutions for India’s power sector by drawing on global best practices.
According to Tata Power, the EIIL will leverage consumer behavioural science, advanced data analytics and energy systems modelling to test practical, scalable solutions. A key focus will be applied to pilot projects that use smart meters and Internet of Things (IoT) data to improve demand-side management and strengthen grid resilience.
One of the Lab’s priority areas will be exploring how behavioural insights and advanced analytics can help smooth or shift peak electricity demand in urban households. Such interventions are expected to reduce stress on local distribution networks while maintaining consumer comfort and service quality.
Looking ahead, the partners plan to expand EIIL into a full-scale innovation hub with enhanced funding, wider institutional partnerships and a broader mandate. This would include supporting tariff design for regulatory approvals, promoting consumer flexibility, enabling distributed renewable energy, and advancing energy equity across India.
