An Assessment of India’s Energy Choices: What it Means for the Economy, Jobs, and Energy Security

The analysis finds that renewable energy growth is positively associated with India's GDP, employment, and energy security, while helping to reduce the fiscal deficit and net energy imports. Despite these benefits, the report projects that India will likely miss its 175 GW renewable energy target by 2022, instead reaching it between 2027 and 2033 depending on the scenario. Under an optimistic scenario, renewable energy could add up to 4.52 million domestic jobs by 2042.

• Renewable energy penetration is positively correlated with several key macroeconomic indicators in India: as GDP grows, renewable energy generation increases; as renewable energy generation increases, the fiscal deficit and net energy imports decrease; and higher renewable energy generation corresponds to lower unemployment.
• India is projected to miss its target of 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022. Depending on the scenario, this target is expected to be achieved in 2027-28 (optimistic), 2029-30 (business as usual), or 2032-33 (pessimistic).
• The potential for job creation in the renewable energy sector is significant, with the optimistic scenario projecting 4.52 million jobs by 2042. For the year 2022, direct incremental job generation is estimated at 311,000 (optimistic), 286,000 (business as usual), and 251,000 (pessimistic).
• India's energy security, measured by the energy security index (ESI), is currently low at 0.41. It is projected to improve to 0.58 by 2042 under the optimistic scenario, representing a more than 40% improvement.
• The analysis found an unexpected negative correlation between renewable energy generation and both the total population and the percentage of the population with energy access, which the authors suggest may be due to the limited 27-year time series dataset and existing dependence on fossil fuels.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (2018). An Assessment of India’s Energy Choices: What it Means for the Economy, Jobs, and Energy Security. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/What-it-Means-for-the-Economy-Jobs-and-Energy-Security_Executive-Summary.pdf

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. An Assessment of India’s Energy Choices: What it Means for the Economy, Jobs, and Energy Security. 2018. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/What-it-Means-for-the-Economy-Jobs-and-Energy-Security_Executive-Summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=An Assessment of India’s Energy Choices: What it Means for the Economy, Jobs, and Energy Security |date=May 2018 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/What-it-Means-for-the-Economy-Jobs-and-Energy-Security_Executive-Summary.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiative2018assessment, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{An Assessment of India’s Energy Choices: What it Means for the Economy, Jobs, and Energy Security}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2018}, month = may, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/What-it-Means-for-the-Economy-Jobs-and-Energy-Security_Executive-Summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }