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The briefing examines how distributed solar, particularly through schemes like PM Surya Ghar and PM-KUSUM, can mitigate the financial distress of Indian Discoms by reducing the cost of supplying subsidized consumers and lowering power procurement costs. It highlights the potential for distributed solar to contribute significantly to India's 2030 renewable energy purchase obligations (RPO) and suggests that the adoption of virtual power plants (VPPs) and battery storage could further modernize the grid and manage peak demand.

Climate Central analysis indicates that human-caused climate change increased the likelihood of an intense heat event in western and northwestern India from May 18-20, 2024. Forecasts predict daily high temperatures 3°C to over 6°C above average, with some areas exceeding 47°C and nighttime lows remaining above 34°C. Approximately 543 million people in India are expected to experience at least one day with a Climate Shift Index (CSI) level of 3 or higher during this period.

The 2024 Indian States’ Electricity Transition (SET) report identifies Gujarat and Karnataka as consistent top performers in decarbonising their power sectors and preparing their market ecosystems. While some states like Delhi and Odisha show high readiness or strong market enablers, they struggle with actual decarbonisation. Conversely, states such as Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh exhibit structural challenges and slow progress across all dimensions. The report recommends strengthening state-level regulatory frameworks and developing specific subnational transition plans to address these uneven disparities.

The document examines the limitations of traditional gender-blind cost-benefit analyses (CBAs) in transport planning and proposes a framework for integrating gender-disaggregated data and qualitative dynamics. Using a case study of a Non-Motorized Transport (NMT) plan in Coimbatore, India, it demonstrates how gender-sensitive mapping can reveal links between infrastructure, women's time poverty, and access to education. The author recommends that planners identify gender-specific dynamics via causal loop diagrams, improve the collection of disaggregated data, and monetize gender-specific outcomes to ensure investments do not inadvertently reinforce existing inequalities.

The SAVi assessment of Coimbatore's NMT plan, which involves 300 km of routes to be implemented by 2035, demonstrates that the project is highly profitable from a societal perspective. While a conventional benefit-cost ratio (BCR) suggests the project is not economically viable (0.47 to 0.50), the sustainable benefit-cost ratio (S-BCR), which includes externalities, ranges from 4.75 to 4.93. The largest individual benefit is the avoided cost of traffic accidents, valued at INR 30,144 million. Other significant gains include health benefits from physical activity and reduced fuel costs, although these are partially offset by the health costs of increased air pollution exposure for cyclists.

The briefing examines the impact of extreme heat and the urban heat island effect in Delhi, highlighting that the city is ranked as the second most heat-stressed city globally. It proposes that while Delhi has significant green space, including 18,000 parks and the Central Ridge, much of it is underutilized or dominated by invasive species like Prosopis juliflora. The author advocates for a transition from emergency heatwave planning to long-term nature-based solutions, specifically through the planting of locally adapted native species tailored to specific micro-habitats. The document provides five recommended practices for maximizing ecosystem health, emphasizing the need for a scientific species selection framework and the prioritization of greening in low-income, high-density neighborhoods to address heat equity.

The briefing highlights how the Delhi government, in collaboration with RMI and the Dialogue Development Commission of Delhi, accelerated the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) for final-mile deliveries. Through a combination of fiscal incentives, a technology-agnostic charging infrastructure strategy, and the Deliver Electric Delhi pilot, EV sales in Delhi rose from 3.3% to 10% of new vehicle registrations within just over a year. The program demonstrates that electrifying delivery fleets can significantly reduce PM and NOx emissions and lower fuel costs for operators.

The report examines India's transition to electric mobility, highlighting the success of demand-side incentives like FAME II for two- and three-wheelers. It identifies critical investment gaps in charging infrastructure and battery manufacturing, while discussing the potential of battery swapping and the risks posed by global supply chain dependencies on China and other mineral-rich nations. The analysis emphasizes the need for binding targets, improved consumer financing, and workforce retraining to ensure a competitive and just transition.

The Deliver Electric Delhi pilot, involving 35 industry players, investigated barriers to electric vehicle (EV) adoption for final-mile delivery to support the Delhi EV policy. The report analyzes the economic case for electrification, comparing EV costs and performance against fossil fuel vehicles, and identifies the roles of policy, charging infrastructure, and finance in scaling adoption. If 100 percent sales penetration of electric final-mile delivery vehicles is achieved by 2030, it could result in 750,000 vehicles on the road, avoiding 14.2 million tons of CO2, 46,900 tons of NOx, and 530 tons of PM emissions over their lifetime.

The report assesses the gender landscape in India's urban transport and e-mobility sectors to identify barriers for women, such as safety concerns and limited workforce participation. It proposes a Gender Action Plan for a financing platform, focusing on increasing female employment, improving safety infrastructure (like lighting and CCTV), and collecting sex-disaggregated data to mitigate gender-blindness in project design.

The Beehive is a modular, electricity-free cooling façade developed by Ant Studio in Delhi, India. It utilizes a terracotta beehive structure and recycled water to achieve evaporative cooling and natural ventilation. In a test at the Deki Electronics factory, the system reduced indoor temperatures from 42°C to 36°C and lowered airflow from 10 m/s to 4 m/s, offering a cost-effective and energy-efficient alternative to traditional air conditioning.

The report finds that fossil fuel subsidies in India increased relative to clean energy in FY 2020, with electricity transmission and distribution (T&D) remaining the largest subsidy category. While electric vehicle (EV) subsidies grew, renewable energy support stagnated. The authors argue that India's energy PSUs remain heavily skewed toward fossil fuel investments and lack clear decarbonization roadmaps. The report recommends a 'second generation' of clean energy support focusing on storage, green hydrogen, and offshore wind, alongside reforms to DISCOM finances and a strategic shift in PSU capital expenditure.

The document analyzes the fiscal challenges facing Indonesia, specifically its low tax-to-GDP ratio and the burden of fuel subsidies. It uses India's experience—where gasoline and diesel subsidies were phased out and replaced by flexible excise duties—as a blueprint for Indonesia. The authors recommend that Indonesia implement a fixed fuel tax to raise revenue for social programs and pandemic recovery, suggesting that such a measure is more politically viable in the short term than immediate subsidy elimination.

The document outlines how involving citizens in urban planning and investment decisions can lead to more innovative sustainable solutions and reduce inequalities. It describes various levels of participation—from informing to empowering—and provides examples of tools such as participatory budgeting, citizen juries, and digital platforms to enhance democratic processes in cities.

EV financing in India is currently hindered by asset and business model risks, leading to higher interest rates and larger down payments compared to internal combustion engine vehicles. The document estimates that India's EV transition will require 19.7 trillion Indian rupees (US$266 billion) in cumulative capital investment over the next decade, with a potential financing market size of 3.7 trillion rupees (US$50 billion) by 2030. To address these barriers, the author suggests a toolkit including priority sector lending, interest rate subventions, product guarantees, risk-sharing mechanisms, and the development of a secondary market.

The document argues that peri-urban ecosystems in India are critical for the resilience of both urban and peri-urban populations but are frequently neglected due to ambiguous administrative boundaries and rapid urbanisation. It highlights the essential services these areas provide, such as flood control, food security, and microclimate regulation, while warning that unplanned infrastructure leads to environmental degradation. The brief recommends integrated, flexible planning at the district level, the revival of District and Metropolitan Planning Committees, and the adoption of participatory, community-led governance to balance development with ecological preservation.

Direct tariff electricity subsidies in India rose 32% between FY 2016 and FY 2019, reaching INR 110,391 crore in FY 2019. The report finds that the Ujjwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme has largely failed to improve the financial health of distribution companies (DISCOMs), as 24 of 31 states and union territories reported revenue gaps in FY 2019 and only 6 met the target of reducing aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses to 15%. Furthermore, no state adhered to the National Tariff Policy's target range for billing consumers relative to the average cost of supply. Subsidy allocation is heavily skewed, with agricultural consumers receiving 75% of total subsidies, while transparency remains low, with only 13 states and union territories clearly reporting subsidy data.

The report finds that electricity subsidies in India are the largest form of energy support, with direct tariff subsidies totaling INR 110,391 crore in FY 2019. Despite the UDAY bailout scheme, DISCOM finances have generally worsened, characterized by increasing average costs of supply (ACoS) and persistent revenue gaps. The analysis reveals significant transparency issues, with discrepancies between Power Finance Corporation (PFC) reports and state regulatory orders. Subsidies are heavily skewed toward agricultural (75%) and domestic (20%) consumers, often without clear consumption limits, leading to regressive distribution where higher-income households capture a disproportionate share of benefits. The report recommends improving data standardization, exploring targeted subsidies via Direct Benefit Transfer for Power (DBT-P), and prioritizing billing and collection efficiency to reduce aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses.

The report analyzes green finance in India for FY 2017-2018, finding that average annual flows of USD 19 billion are insufficient to meet national climate goals, representing only about 10% of the total requirement. Domestic private investors are the largest contributors, primarily funding renewable energy, while international public finance focuses heavily on sustainable transportation and solar projects. The study highlights a critical need for a harmonized green finance taxonomy and an integrated measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) system to address significant data gaps and transparency issues.

The author contends that the Indian government's response to Covid-19 was characterized by a lack of preparedness, the scapegoating of the Muslim community, and a sudden lockdown that stranded millions of migrant workers. The text asserts that the state leveraged the crisis to arrest activists, create a non-transparent relief fund (PM-CARES), and weaken environmental regulations through the Environment Impact Assessment Draft 2020 to favor private capital.