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Ember provides a response to India's draft National Electricity Policy 2026, arguing for a shift from sequential to co-optimised generation and transmission planning to address bottlenecks and stranded assets. The brief recommends integrating grid-enhancing technologies to manage stability as renewable energy penetration increases, unbundling state transmission utilities to allow private sector participation, and reforming DISCOM procurement to avoid over-reliance on long-term coal contracts. It also emphasizes the need for a robust data-sharing and cybersecurity framework to manage the increasing volume of electricity data from private aggregators and smart infrastructure.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative, WRI India, and CEEW analyzes the financial and regulatory landscape for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in Indian cities. It identifies significant gaps in private sector investment, which currently accounts for only 10% of global NbS finance, and provides early recommendations to improve project bankability, diversify funding sources, and strengthen the enabling environment for urban climate resilience in India.

The report analyzes the evolving role of India's coal-fired power fleet as variable renewable energy (VRE) expands. It projects a structural shift from steady baseload generation to flexible balancing resources by FY 2031–32, characterized by deeper midday turndowns and steeper ramping requirements to accommodate solar peaks. This transition is expected to lower overall plant load factors (PLF) and disproportionately impact higher-cost, less efficient units.

This report outlines strategies to align electric vehicle (EV) charging in India with renewable energy generation to prevent grid burden and support energy flexibility. It evaluates the effectiveness of time-of-day (ToD) tariffs, green tariffs, rooftop solar, and open access procurement, noting that while these mechanisms exist, barriers such as high upfront costs, price sensitivity, and limited public charging infrastructure hinder their full potential.

This report chapter details the growth of electric vehicle (EV) adoption in India between FY2020 and FY2025, highlighting the role of central and state government subsidies and the specific vehicle segments driving the transition.

This report by RMI analyzes the techno-economic pathways for green hydrogen production in India, examining 17 states to evaluate the impact of national and subnational policies on production costs. It compares various project configurations—including stand-alone on-site, CTU-connected, and STU-connected projects—and highlights the critical role of transmission charge waivers and capital subsidies in achieving cost competitiveness against grey hydrogen.

This report by Ember analyzes the potential for India's steel, cement, and aluminium sectors to integrate renewable energy (RE) via open access mechanisms. It identifies a 20 GW solar opportunity that could reduce emissions by 29 million tonnes annually and lower production costs for some steelmakers by up to 10%. While sourcing 50% RE is currently cost-effective, the report details the steep financial and technical challenges of reaching 24/7 renewable power, where costs can rise to 3.5 times the cost of standard RE generation due to massive storage and capacity requirements.

This case study examines the 'Varanasi model' for scaling rooftop solar (RTS) in India under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. By coordinating state, district, and city administrations with utilities and banks, Varanasi significantly increased RTS installations between February and December 2024, providing a blueprint for other Indian districts to achieve renewable energy targets.

This report by Ember analyzes the impact of India's planned expansion of coal mining on methane emissions. It projects that without mitigation, coal mine methane emissions could more than double by 2029, potentially reaching over 1.67 million tonnes per year. The report proposes a gradual mitigation roadmap to reduce emissions by 35% by 2030, which could save up to $980 million USD by replacing imported gas and significantly reduce short-term climate warming and mining safety risks.

This report by Ember analyzes how the decline in Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) costs can accelerate the phase-down of coal power in India between 2024 and 2032. Using a least-cost optimized (LCO) model, the authors identify that while solar growth is rapid, the transition is limited by the cost-effectiveness of storage for non-solar hours. The report argues that BESS costs must fall by 15% annually to limit new coal capacity to levels projected in the 14th National Electricity Plan (NEP), and must drop by over 50% from current levels to potentially eliminate the need for any new coal additions.

This white paper by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) proposes a Carbon Rating Framework designed to help the financial sector incorporate emissions intensity into investment and lending evaluations, specifically to enable transition finance for hard-to-abate sectors in India.

This report by Ember analyzes India's transition toward solar energy, focusing on the targets set by the 14th National Electricity Plan (NEP14). It details the shift from coal-dominated growth to a phase of "accelerating growth" for solar and wind, while emphasizing the critical need for grid flexibility and storage to manage peak demand during non-solar hours.

This guide by RMI explores renewable energy (RE) procurement strategies for the Indian real estate sector, using the developer Lodha as a primary example. It details how different stakeholders—developers, co-operative societies, residential users, and commercial tenants—can utilize mechanisms such as net metering, green tariffs, open access, and virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) to reduce Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions and align with India's national net-zero goals.

This report by Ember analyzes India's progress toward its 2022 renewable energy (RE) target of 175 GW and its 2030 target of 450 GW, highlighting a strong reliance on solar growth and significant disparities in progress across different states.

The Financing Steel Decarbonization (FSD) instrument is a proposed mechanism designed to accelerate the adoption of low-carbon technologies (LCTs) in the steel sector, specifically targeting India. It combines a blended debt fund (SDF) to provide patient capital with a service company (SDI) that offers technical assistance and implementation support to de-risk projects.

This report by the Climate Bonds Initiative analyzes the state of the sustainable debt market in India as of December 31, 2021. It details the growth of green, social, and sustainability (GSS) bonds and sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs), highlighting the dominance of the green sector and the role of non-financial corporates. The document also explores growth avenues in renewable energy, electric vehicles, waste management, and agriculture, while outlining the policy framework being developed by the Indian Ministry of Finance.

This report by RMI proposes the inclusion of electric vehicles (EVs) within India's Priority Sector Lending (PSL) guidelines to address financing gaps and risks that currently hinder retail EV adoption.

This briefing by RMI argues that reducing embodied carbon (EC)—emissions from the procurement, manufacturing, construction, and disposal of building materials—is essential for India to meet its COP26 climate commitments. The document highlights that while operational emissions are often the focus, the rapid growth of India's urban construction and the energy-intensive nature of its steel, cement, and brick industries present a significant risk of locking in high emissions for decades.

This briefing by RMI examines the financial barriers to electric vehicle (EV) adoption in India, identifying risk as the primary driver of higher interest rates and down payments. It estimates the cumulative capital investment needed for India's EV transition and proposes a toolkit of financial instruments to lower the cost of capital and increase accessibility.

The Residential Rooftop Solar Accelerator is a lease-based financial instrument developed by Peacock Solar to increase the adoption of residential rooftop solar in smaller Indian cities by reducing upfront costs and operational barriers.