New Delhi: IIT Delhi has launched the first academic programme at its Sonipat campus -- a postgraduate diploma in solar systems and management, officials said on Friday.

The programme will be offered in collaboration with the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Institut National de l'Energie Solaire (INES), France.

"The inaugural batch has nine international fellows from eight countries. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi's Department of Energy Science and Engineering (DESE) is running the programme," a senior official said, adding that the PG diploma course is a hands-on one-year training programme, which will have ISA-nominated fellows. The participants will be trained by expert academicians and industry partners.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) has sponsored the PG Diploma programme, the official added.

Ramesh Narayanan, Head, DESE, said, "With this initiative, IIT Delhi moved to the global forefront of energy education and management. The programme will train international participants from over 120 ISA countries as trainers in Solar Technology and Application Resource Centres (STAR-C) in ISA member countries".

The ISA fellows, after the successful completion of the PG diploma programme, will have a one-month internship in Europe on applied solar technologies, after which they will be assigned to Solar Technology Application Resource Centres (STAR-C) in their respective home countries.

The programme is the result of a Framework for Action (FFA) formalised between IIT Delhi and the ISA earlier this year to strengthen cooperation in advancing renewable energy, with a strong focus on capacity building, academic collaboration and human resource development across ISA Member Countries.

Somnath Baidya Roy, Professor-in-Charge, IIT Delhi Sonipat campus, said, "This is a milestone as it is the first teaching programme with physical classes at the Sonipat campus of the institute. We are planning more such programmes in the coming years."

Then Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had in 2018 inaugurated the extension campus of IIT Delhi, Technopark, at Sonipat.

So far, the Technopark focussed on research, innovation and product development where IIT-Delhi, industry and government agencies collaborated to create advanced technological solutions. The extension campus emerged as an outreach campus for quality development and aids PhD students, according to officials.