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This policy brief argues that India is uniquely positioned to lead in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production by utilizing its low-cost solar power and abundant agricultural residue. The authors propose the power-and-biomass-to-liquids (PBtL) pathway as a cost-competitive alternative to fossil jet fuel and other SAF technologies, offering benefits for energy security, air quality, and climate targets.

This report evaluates the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme, specifically Components A and C-FLS, which promote decentralized solar power plants (1–10 MW) on farmers' land to improve irrigation and reduce state power subsidies. While the economic case is strong, the report identifies governance, market, and structural barriers that have led to gradual progress, and provides recommendations for a post-2026 scheme architecture.

This report evaluates the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme in India, specifically focusing on Component A (decentralized solar plants) and Component C-FLS (feeder-level solarization). While the scheme aims to add 35 GW of solar capacity by March 2026 to improve irrigation and farmer income, it has faced low uptake, achieving only 7% of targets for Component A and 34% for Component C-FLS as of December 31, 2025. The report identifies critical barriers including poor institutional coordination, grid instability, land acquisition challenges, and tariff mismatches, while providing actionable recommendations for the design of future solar irrigation programs.

This policy brief by RMI evaluates the techno-economic potential of hydrogen trucking in India, comparing fuel cell electric trucks (FCETs) and hydrogen internal combustion engine (ICE) trucks against diesel, battery electric (BET), and LNG alternatives. The analysis finds that while FCETs are projected to be more cost-competitive than diesel for long-haul, heavy-duty applications by 2040, they currently face high total cost of ownership (TCO) due to expensive hydrogen fuel, infrastructure, and taxation. The document recommends a coordinated roadmap involving policy incentives, strategic infrastructure planning, and tailored financial solutions to enable hydrogen to complement electrification in decarbonizing India's freight sector.

The report 'Mapping India’s Energy Policy 2026' analyzes the fiscal impact of energy subsidies in India, highlighting a significant imbalance where fossil fuel subsidies were three times higher than clean energy subsidies in FY 25. It examines how electricity subsidies burden state budgets and utilities, the fiscal vulnerability caused by LPG import dependence during geopolitical crises, and the impact of fuel excise duty cuts on government revenue and EV adoption.

This report by the World Resources Institute examines financing models for the electrification of health facilities in India and Kenya using decentralized renewable energy (DRE), specifically solar photovoltaics and battery storage. It analyzes three primary models—asset ownership, lease-to-own, and energy-as-a-service—highlighting the need to shift from a reliance on upfront grants toward innovative, shared-risk financing to ensure long-term operational sustainability and maintenance.

The Indian States’ Electricity Transition (SET) 2026 report evaluates 21 Indian states across three dimensions: decarbonisation, power ecosystem readiness and performance, and market enablers. It finds that progress is fragmented, with no single state demonstrating consistently strong performance across all three areas, highlighting the need for coordinated, dimension-specific interventions to achieve a system-wide transition.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics challenges the claim that renewable energy increases electricity prices, arguing that real-world data from the US, EU, Australia, and India often show a correlation between high renewable uptake and below-average power prices.

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 policy brief by Ember analyses the implementation of the Ministry of Power's Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Amendment Rules, 2023, which introduces solar-hour time of day (ToD) tariffs for domestic consumers in India starting April 1, 2025. The paper examines how these tariffs, designed to align electricity demand with solar generation, affect different consumer profiles and highlights the critical need for smart meter infrastructure to enable successful deployment.

A briefing by Global Energy Monitor analyzing India's power capacity additions in 2024 and the trajectory required to meet its 2030 non-fossil power target of 500 GW.

The report by Ember analyzes the strategic importance of wind energy in India's energy transition, emphasizing its complementarity with solar power to reduce reliance on thermal power during non-solar hours. It highlights the need to accelerate wind capacity deployment to meet the 14th National Electricity Plan (NEP14) targets and discusses policy interventions, economic benefits, and the potential for offshore wind and repowering.

The 2024 Indian States’ Electricity Transition (SET) report, published by IEEFA and Ember, assesses the progress of 21 Indian states across three dimensions: Decarbonisation, Readiness and Performance of the Power Ecosystem, and Market Enablers. The report identifies Gujarat and Karnataka as consistent top performers, while highlighting structural challenges in states like Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh. It recommends strengthening state-level regulatory frameworks and developing specific state-level transition plans to accelerate the shift toward clean electricity.

This report by Ember analyses India's power generation capacity additions in 2022, highlighting the dominance of solar and wind energy over coal and the significant contributions of the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat toward national renewable energy targets.

This executive summary describes the States’ Electricity Transition (SET) Scoring system developed by Ember to evaluate the electricity transition across 16 Indian states, which represent 90% of India's annual power requirement. The analysis focuses on four dimensions: decarbonisation, power system performance, power ecosystem readiness, and policies and political commitments. While some states like Karnataka show strong performance across all metrics, others, particularly Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, require significant improvements in decarbonisation and system performance to meet national targets.

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.

This report by Ember analyses state-wise renewable energy (RE) capacity in India as of March 2022, evaluating progress toward the national target of 175 GW by December 2022. It highlights significant regional disparities, with a small number of states driving most of the new capacity while many others fall well behind their targets.

This annex provides case studies from Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh on implementing solar irrigation. It highlights the challenges of groundwater depletion and the financial barriers for farmers under the PM-KUSUM scheme. Key successes include Rajasthan's targeting of smallholders, Gujarat's innovative solar cooperatives and 'WatchDog Transformers' for grid management, and Andhra Pradesh's large-scale deployment of standalone pumps and BLDC pilots.

This case study document describes the Land Accelerator South Asia program, a World Resources Institute (WRI) initiative launched in 2020 to support entrepreneurs developing sustainable business models for restoring degraded forests and farmlands. The document details the program's growth from a 2020 cohort of 15 businesses to a 2021 cohort of 58, and provides detailed profiles of 11 specific restoration startups operating across India and Sri Lanka.

This research paper maps the policy landscape for off-grid solar irrigation in India, highlighting that a lack of coordination across the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus can undermine policy effectiveness. It specifically examines policies at the central level and in Bihar and Rajasthan, recommending that the PM-KUSUM scheme be carefully monitored and integrated with sustainable groundwater management to avoid negative environmental impacts while leveraging benefits like reduced electricity subsidies and increased farmer income.