The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is the nodal Ministry of the Government of India for all matters relating to new and renewable energy. The broad aim of the Ministry is to develop and deploy new and renewable energy to supplement the energy requirements of the country.

• Commission for Additional Sources of Energy (CASE) in 1981.
• Department of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (DNES) in 1982.
• Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES) in 1992.
• Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES) renamed as Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in 2006.

The role of new and renewable energy has been assuming increasing significance in recent times with the growing concern for the country's energy security. Energy self-sufficiency was identified as the major driver for new and renewable energy in the country in the wake of the two oil shocks of the 1970s. The sudden increase in the price of oil, uncertainties associated with its supply and the adverse impact on the balance of payments position led to the establishment of the Commission for Additional Sources of Energy in the Department of Science & Technology in March 1981. The Commission was charged with the responsibility of formulating policies and their implementation, programmes for development of new and renewable energy apart from coordinating and intensifying R&D in the sector. In 1982, a new department, i.e., Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources (DNES), that incorporated CASE, was created in the then Ministry of Energy. In 1992, DNES became the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources. In October 2006, the Ministry was re-christened as the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

The mission of the Ministry is to ensure

• Energy Security: Development and deployment of alternate fuels like hydrogen, bio-fuels and synthetic fuels and their applications to contribute towards bridging the gap between domestic oil supply and demand; lesser dependency on oil imports
• Increase in the share of clean power: Renewables like wind, hydro, solar, geothermal, bio & tidal power to supplement fossil fuel based electricity generation.
• Energy Availability and Access: Supplement energy needs of cooking, heating, motive power and captive generation in rural, urban,industrial and commercial sectors
• Energy Affordability: Cost-competitive, convenient, safe, affordable and reliable energy supply options
• Energy Equity: Per-capita energy consumption at par with the global average level by 2050, through a sustainable and diverse fuel- mix

To develop new and renewable energy technologies, processes, materials, components, sub-systems, products & services at par with international specifications, standards and performance parameters in order to make the country a net foreign exchange earner in the sector and deploy such indigenously developed and/or manufactured products and services in furtherance of the national goal of energy security.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is a Scientific Ministry which has been assigned the following subjects/business under the Allocation of Business Rules:

• Research and development of Biogas and programmes relating to Biogas units
• Commission for Additional Sources of Energy (CASE)
• Solar Energy including Solar Photovoltaic devices and their development, production and applications
• Programme relating to improved chulhas and research and development thereof
• Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA)
• All matters relating to small/mini/micro hydel projects of and below 25 MW capacity
• Research and development of other non-conventional/renewable sources of energy and programmes relating thereto
• Tidal energy
• Integrated Rural Energy Programme (IREP)
• Geothermal Energy

Facilitate research, design, development, manufacture, and deployment of new and renewable energy systems/devices for transportation, portable and stationary applications in rural, urban, industrial and commercial sectors through:

• Technology Mapping and Benchmarking
• Identify Research, Design, Development and Manufacture thrust areas and facilitate the same
• Lay down standards, specifications and performance parameters at par with international levels and facilitate industry in attaining the same
• Align costs of new and renewable energy products and services with international levels and facilitate industry in attaining the same
• Appropriate international level quality assurance accreditation and facilitate industry in obtaining the same
• Provide sustained feedback to manufacturers on performance parameters of new and renewable energy products and services with the aim of effecting continuous upgrade so as to attain international levels in the shortest possible time span
• Facilitate industry in becoming internationally competitive and a net foreign exchange earner Resource Survey, Assessment, Mapping and Dissemination
• Identify areas in which new and renewable energy products and services need to be deployed in keeping with the goal of national energy security and energy independence
• Resource Survey, Assessment, Mapping and Dissemination.
• Deployment strategy for various indigenously developed and manufactured new and renewable energy products and services
• Provision of cost-competitive new and renewable energy supply options