Renewable Energy Procurement Perceptions among Commercial and Industrial Consumers: Current Practices and Future Possibilities

The research examines renewable energy (RE) procurement among 101 corporate and 185 SME consumers across five Indian states. It finds a dominant preference for on-site solutions, with large corporations favoring open access off-site projects due to higher capital and energy needs. Green Tariffs (GTs) face low awareness—up to 82% of corporate consumers and 94% of SMEs are unaware of them—and poor acceptability, as 62% of corporate and 55% of SME consumers are unwilling to pay a premium for GTs. The paper recommends that state energy departments restructure GT models with lower premiums and fiscal incentives, while utilities should act as information disseminators to prevent C&I consumers from migrating from the grid.

• Commercial and industrial (C&I) consumers show a primary preference for on-site renewable energy solutions. Large corporations specifically favor open access (OA) off-site projects because they possess greater capital, have larger energy requirements, and can manage the procedural complexities associated with OA transactions.
• Awareness of Green Tariffs (GTs) is very low among C&I consumers, with up to 94 percent of SMEs and 82 percent of corporate consumers unaware of the concept. Those aware of GTs generally hold negative perceptions, citing concerns over the longevity of premiums, the certainty of 100 percent RE-based supply from DISCOMs, and RE additionality.
• There is low willingness to pay (WTP) for premium-based Green Tariffs, with 62 percent of corporate consumers and 55 percent of SME consumers unwilling to pay any premium. Despite this, SMEs are more open to GTs than corporations because GTs allow them to access RE without the heavy capital investments required for on-site solutions or the complexity of off-site OA transactions.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Renewable Energy Procurement Perceptions among Commercial and Industrial Consumers: Current Practices and Future Possibilities. https://www.wri.org/research/renewable-energy-procurement-perceptions-among-commercial-and-industrial-consumers

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Renewable Energy Procurement Perceptions among Commercial and Industrial Consumers: Current Practices and Future Possibilities. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/renewable-energy-procurement-perceptions-among-commercial-and-industrial-consumers.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Renewable Energy Procurement Perceptions among Commercial and Industrial Consumers: Current Practices and Future Possibilities |url=https://www.wri.org/research/renewable-energy-procurement-perceptions-among-commercial-and-industrial-consumers |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendrenewable, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Renewable Energy Procurement Perceptions among Commercial and Industrial Consumers: Current Practices and Future Possibilities}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/renewable-energy-procurement-perceptions-among-commercial-and-industrial-consumers}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }