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The report finds that while energy finance disbursements in high-impact countries grew by over 61% between 2013 and 2018, they still significantly lag behind commitments, with USD 32 billion disbursed against USD 52 billion committed. Between 2002 and 2018, 58% of planned disbursements and 49% of projects experienced delays. These delays are attributed to cumbersome administrative processes, design flaws not adapted to local capacities, and limited access to local financial services.

The report finds that while energy financing disbursements in High-Impact Countries grew by over 61% between 2013 and 2018, they still lag significantly behind commitments, with $32 billion disbursed against $52 billion committed. These delays affect 49% of energy projects in HICs, driven by administrative burdens and poor project design. The document argues that an annual increase of $45 billion in disbursements is needed by 2030 to meet SDG7 goals.

The report examines the high cost and regressive nature of India's energy consumption subsidies, which totaled INR 87,830 crore (USD 13.1 billion) in 2017. It highlights a critical knowledge gap, as the last comprehensive distributional analysis is based on 2011 census data. The document proposes several targeting mechanisms, including opt-out schemes, volumetric quotas, categorical targeting based on social or geographic criteria, and the use of proxy means testing via income and asset data. It specifically analyzes the Ujjwala scheme's success in connection targeting and the challenges of sustained LPG usage among the poor due to ongoing consumption costs.

The report assesses how India's LPG subsidy schemes, specifically PAHAL (DBTL) and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), affect poor women. It finds that while PMUY has increased LPG access and reduced drudgery—saving women an average of one hour per day—significant inefficiencies remain. Many poor households are still left behind due to affordability and distribution barriers, while a large share of consumption subsidies benefit wealthier households. The report recommends improving targeting, reviewing the PMUY loan system to ensure affordability for the poorest, and adopting a more holistic clean cooking strategy.

The report argues that shifting subsidies from kerosene to off-grid solar is economically viable and socially beneficial for India's rural poor. It details three primary subsidy pathways—targeting households, manufacturers, or financial institutions—and provides a framework for administration, funding, and beneficiary targeting to achieve '24x7 Power for All'.

The document examines the crisis of 'stressed' coal power assets in India, where approximately 21% of operational capacity was identified as non-performing in 2018. It identifies current drivers of stranding, such as the financial distress of distribution companies (DISCOMs) and coal shortages, alongside future risks including water scarcity, air pollution regulations, and the increasing cost-competitiveness of renewable energy. The authors argue that government subsidies and preferential financing have artificially dampened market signals, prolonging the life of unviable assets. Finally, the brief advocates for a 'just transition' framework to prevent the burden of asset stranding from falling on the millions of workers in the coal value chain, particularly in states like Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh.

The report examines India's coal dependency and the challenges of transitioning to a low-carbon economy. Using the AIM/Enduse model, it compares the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) scenario with two 2°C pathways: a 'conventional' one relying on Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) and a 'sustainable' one shifting toward renewables, gas, and nuclear power. Key findings highlight the risk of significant stranded assets—including approximately 220 billion tonnes of unutilized coal reserves valued at USD 6.7 trillion—and the increasing vulnerability of coal power plants to water shortages, which already cause substantial generation losses. The report argues that while coal remains a mainstay until 2030, a managed phase-out is necessary to meet global climate targets, requiring synchronized actions in energy efficiency, renewable scaling, and the retirement of inefficient sub-critical plants.

The document identifies high upfront costs, limited financial inclusion, and persistent kerosene subsidies as the primary barriers to off-grid solar adoption in rural India. It suggests leveraging the 'JAM trinity' (Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar, and mobile payments) to implement Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) for solar and reforming the Public Distribution System (PDS) to reduce kerosene leakage. The brief argues that savings from reduced kerosene subsidies could be redirected to fund solar penetration through results-based financing or direct customer subsidies.

The report finds a significant lack of primary quantitative research on how fossil fuel subsidy reforms specifically affect women. It argues that while subsidies are generally regressive—benefiting wealthier households—their removal can disproportionately harm poor women due to their primary responsibility for domestic energy tasks and limited intra-household bargaining power. The document reviews the potential for mitigation measures, such as conditional cash transfers and targeted energy vouchers, and outlines a mixed-methods research plan for Bangladesh, India, and Nigeria to analyze impacts on women's welfare, productivity, and empowerment.

The report argues that India's kerosene subsidy program is highly inefficient due to significant leakages and poor service quality. It proposes replacing these subsidies with targeted support for solar-based lighting in rural areas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for urban-poor households, asserting that such a transition would be economically beneficial for both the government and the beneficiaries.

The report examines the distribution of centrally financed fuel subsidies in India, highlighting a significant disparity where Bihar, one of the poorest states, consistently receives the lowest per capita transfers for diesel, LPG, and kerosene compared to wealthier states like Haryana, Delhi, and Gujarat.

The report analyzes 11 CDM projects across five Indian states, concluding that sustainable development through these projects is largely a 'myth'. It finds severe discrepancies between PDD promises and actual impacts, noting that industrial projects often use CER revenue to expand production, leading to increased pollution. Most projects failed to provide promised local employment, healthcare, or education, and some caused significant harm through illegal land acquisition and environmental degradation. Only the Muni Seva Ashram solar community kitchen project was identified as successfully contributing to social, economic, environmental, and technological well-being.

The document details the India-UK Energy for Growth Partnership, focusing on four main areas of cooperation: capacity building for legislators, off-grid renewable ventures, the development of the offshore wind market, and the scaling of solar initiatives. It highlights the UK's role in providing technical advisory, financial modeling, and policy frameworks to help India reach its target of 175GW of renewable energy by 2022. Key efforts include the creation of the 'Renewable Energy Local Area Development toolkit' for legislators and the formulation of the National Offshore Wind Energy Policy in 2016.

India aims for net-zero emissions by 2070, with interim 2030 goals including 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity and 50% energy requirements from renewables. The transition faces significant hurdles, including a heavy reliance on coal (84% of power generation) and high import dependency for crude oil and solar components. Financial requirements are immense, estimated between USD 5.7 trillion by 2050 and USD 10.1 trillion by 2070. The report emphasizes the need for a 'just transition' to protect the livelihoods of approximately 13 million people dependent on coal mining and to address regional economic imbalances. Opportunities for acceleration include the green hydrogen policy, expansion of offshore wind, and the development of domestic energy storage manufacturing to reduce reliance on China.

The document identifies specific steel clusters in India—including Angul, Rourkela, Raigarh, Raipur, Jamshedpur, Durgapur, and Vizag—and assesses their CO2 emissions against available storage capacities in saline aquifers, coal fields, and basalt formations. It provides a comparative list of global operational CCUS projects and outlines the regulatory and financial support mechanisms for CCUS in the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, and China.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of India's decentralised renewable energy (DRE) landscape, detailing deployment statistics, government schemes, and the role of R&D in driving innovation. It highlights the transition of DRE from basic lighting to productive livelihood applications and identifies 'weak-grid' areas as a significant growth market. The document emphasizes the necessity of harmonized international standards to prevent market spoilage and facilitate global trade. It also showcases the 'transformational journeys' of Indian companies expanding into Sub-Saharan Africa, leveraging digital technologies like Pay-as-you-Go (PayG) and standardized mini-grid models to address energy poverty.

The document examines the integration of electricity into social sector policies in India, highlighting a gap between the recognized importance of power for health and education and the actual policy mechanisms to implement it. It identifies a lack of interdepartmental coordination, financial flexibility, and data convergence as primary barriers, noting that some policies inadvertently exclude underserved facilities by making electricity a prerequisite for aid.

The analysis evaluates the economic rate of return (ERR) for solar photovoltaic, small hydropower, and wind energy across three Indian states, incorporating health, water, land, and climate impacts against a coal baseline. It finds that most assessed technologies justify public investment based on an 8 percent social discount rate, with the highest returns occurring in Maharashtra.