How a Think Tank is Tackling India’s Energy Crisis

India is the second most populous country in the world with 1.37 billion inhabitants and a population growth rate of 1.58%. By 2030, India is expected to add another 160 million people to the count. Simultaneously, the nation’s economy is growing so rapidly that it recently surpassed China as the world’s fastest growing large economy.

To meet the demands of booming business and a growing population, India has turned increasingly towards imported oil, coal, and natural gas. Without a proper energy strategy, this swelling South Asian nation is headed straight for environmental and energy disaster.

Load blackouts and shortages are a daily occurrence in India as energy demands skyrocket to meet the needs of industry and the population. Seventy percent of India’s oil is imported and their coal resources are depleting fast. If India hopes to meet these increasing demands, they must tap into their clean and renewable energy potential.

Fortunately, the Center for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP) is working to ensure India’s renewable energy future, and to leave no Indian household behind, by conducting evidence-based research to provide suggested solutions to policy makers.

CSTEP is an Indian not-for-profit research organisation and one of South Asia’s largest Think Tanks. They are a crucial player in securing wind and solar energy in India.

Today, India has installed between 3 and 4 GW of solar and 20 GW of wind power. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has committed to a renewable energy target of 175 GW of renewables by 2022; an ambitious goal that, if achieved, will meet India’s energy needs sustainably, while also creating new job opportunities for the projected 1.6 billion people to inhabit India in 2030.

CSTEP continues to provide the Government of India with focused research on energy, infrastructure, security, materials, climate, and governance. The information has been an invaluable resource for the Government as India explores a long-term renewable energy strategy and works to connect more people to the energy supply. For further insight into CSTEP and their work in India, visit their website.

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Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) is an Indian not-for-profit research organisation incorporated in 2005 u/s 25 of The Companies Act, 1956. As one of the largest Think Tanks in South Asia, its vision is to enrich the nation with technology-enabled policy options for equitable growth. CSTEP has grown to become a multi-disciplinary policy research organisation in the areas of Energy, Infrastructure, Security Studies, Materials, Climate Studies and Governance. Visit www.cstep.in for more information.

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