The India Energy Hour Presented by 101Reporters

As India races towards a cleaner energy future, the conversation often revolves around solar and wind. But are we overlooking a reliable, round-the-clock source of clean energy that lies beneath our feet?

In this episode of The India Energy Hour, Karthik Ganesan, Fellow and Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), joins Dr. Sandeep Pai to discuss the untapped potential of geothermal energy in India. Drawing on CEEW's recent report, The Future of Geothermal in India: Powering Economic Growth and Prosperity with Abundant Domestic Energy, he explains why geothermal deserves a place in India's clean energy mix.

The conversation explores India's geothermal potential, its role in providing reliable clean energy, the challenges to scaling the sector, and the policies needed to accelerate its growth.

Full transcript of the episode is available in English.

Over the past decade, India has emerged as one of the world's leading renewable energy markets. Clear policy direction, competitive markets, and strong public and private investment have helped drive this transformation. But as the energy transition enters its next phase, new challenges are emerging—from grid modernization and energy storage to affordable finance and regional cooperation.

In this episode, we are joined by Gauri Singh, Deputy Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and one of the key architects of India's flagship National Solar Mission. With over three decades of experience in renewable energy policy and international cooperation, she shares insights from India's clean energy journey and discusses what lies ahead for India and the Global South.

Full transcript of the episode is available in English.

Energy transition of India, like any other country in the world is currently marred with wars, energy map reset and new challenges of AI and climate financing. Every nation is back on the drawing board to plan their energy future and climate action in a warming, conflicting world. 

As The India Energy Hour enters the century club, informed conversations tracking the transition, especially of the Global South led by India become more important than ever. 

To get an overview of how far India has come in its transition journey, the lessons that have been learnt along the way and what lies ahead, we hosted a guest who has seen the inside and outside of policymaking and its real-world implementation. 

From working in the IT sector to the corridors of the Parliament, from India’s federal ministry of finance to civil aviation and now in the global climate finance universe, Jayant Sinha has donned several hats. He is currently President, Everstone Group and Visiting Professor in Practice, London School of Economics. He is the former minister of state for finance and civil aviation, Government of India (2014 to 2019) and was also chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance, Parliament of India (2019 to 2024). Sinha is also a prolific writer and his columns on green finance, transition modelling and AI have appeared in leading mainstream publications and research organisations. 

India is facing more frequent and intense heatwaves. The challenge is not just rising temperatures. Cities, infrastructure, and public systems must also adapt.

In the second part of the Heat Series, we hosted Dr. Indu K. Murthy, Sector Head - Climate, Environment & Sustainability at CSTEP.

She explains how extreme heat is reshaping urban life, straining energy systems, and exposing inequalities in access to cooling and resilient infrastructure. She also highlights the need for better urban planning, climate-responsive buildings, localized data, and stronger coordination across energy, water, and public health systems.

Extreme heat is no longer just a seasonal inconvenience. It is now the most pervasive and under-recognized risk which can distort India’s growth plans. As temperatures rise, the impacts are being felt across health systems, labour markets, agriculture, and energy demand, yet the issue remains fragmented in how it is understood and addressed.

We present a special two-part series exploring how heat is emerging as a defining climate and development challenge, and explore probable solutions.

For the first part of the series, we are joined by Kartiki Negi and Dr. Vishwas Chitale to understand the science of heat and its growing prominence in India’s climate reality. We discuss the challenge of data collection, under-reporting, and poor understanding of heat in the public discourse, and how it evolves into a living and livelihood crisis.

Negi is Climate Impact Leads at Climate Trends, where she builds compelling narratives on the impact of extreme climate change and extreme weather events across socio-economic sectors. Dr. Chitale is a Fellow and lead-Climate Resilience at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water. His work focuses on assessing risks and building resilience. His latest report on heat data highlights the growing intensity of heat stress across India and the urgent need for better data, stronger heat action plans, and climate-resilient systems

As India’s electricity transition gathers pace, the real story lies in the complexity unfolding across states. What appears straightforward from a distance, adding more renewables and reducing fossil dependence, quickly becomes layered when viewed through states' lens.

In the second part of our State Series, we take a data driven view of this transition. We spoke with Saloni Sachdeva Michael , Lead Energy Specialist, India Clean Energy Transition at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Drawing on the recent India State Electricity Transition (SET)Report which she has co-authored, she explains how states are navigating the transition.

What seems like a linear shift reveals deeper operational challenges, from rising peak demand to the constraints faced by distribution companies. Tools like smart metering and demand side management are becoming central. This episode explores how India’s transition is a mosaic of state level pathways shaping the sector’s future.

As India’s energy transition accelerates, much of the real momentum is happening at the state level, where policy meets implementation. From electricity markets and regulatory design to industrial decarbonization and green growth, states sit at the center of how policy translates into action. But what does it take to drive large scale change within these systems?

We present a special series exploring the changes shaping state-level transitions. How can incentives be aligned across institutions, political and economic realities managed, and programs designed to be both ambitious and implementable? And as clean energy becomes increasingly cost competitive, what is shaping the choices states make today?

For the first part of the series, we spoke with Neelima Jain, Director of Industrial and Trade Policy at the India Energy and Climate Center at UC Berkeley. With experience spanning consulting, government, and global think tanks, she has played a key role in shaping and implementing some of India’s most significant energy efficiency and transition efforts, including scaling up UJALA and advancing international energy cooperation.

What does it take to build companies from the ground in a novel sector in India?

In this conversation, Parag Sharma, Chief Executive Officer at Resolven (formerly Zelestra), reflects on a three-decade journey from growing up in a thermal power plant campus to building gigawatt-scale renewable businesses.

Drawing from his experience across engineering, consulting, and entrepreneurship, he explains how India’s renewable energy market matured into one of the world’s largest investment destinations. The discussion explores the forces shaping the sector today, from global investor confidence and competitive bidding to the evolving balance between solar, wind, and battery storage.

As India races toward ambitious clean energy targets, the conversation also looks ahead: what will define the next generation of renewable companies? From disciplined bidding and smart project development to hybrid energy solutions and emerging opportunities in green hydrogen, data centers, and AI-driven energy demand.

Mr. Sharma is the former Founder and CEO of O2 Power, previously served as COO at ReNew Power, and currently holds leadership roles as President of the Wind Independent Power Producers Association (WIPPA) and Chairperson of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Northern Region.

At a time when wars dominate headlines, climate disasters intensify, and newsrooms themselves face funding cuts and political pressure , who tells the story, and how, matters more than ever.

In a conversation that is both personal and structural, we spoke with Ms. Mitali Mukherjee, Director, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, UK. Having led a distinguished career as a business journalist, and now heading one of the world’s leading centres for journalism research and policy engagement, she brings both newsroom experience and a global institutional perspective to the discussion. Drawing from her experience in India’s broadcast media landscape to the structural shifts reshaping academic and research institutions worldwide, she reflects on what it means to report and research in an era defined by disruption.

This conversation looks beyond the daily news cycle to understand the structural forces shaping journalism today. From social defunding and the changing business models of media to the difficulty of sustaining consistent, in-depth climate reporting in an increasingly saturated media environment, we discuss what it takes to support independent journalism and research in uncertain times, and why it continues to matter.

Further Reading:

The repurposing of coal power plants is an underexplored challenge as many countries, including India, strive to achieve net-zero targets. Some countries in the Global South, such as South Africa, have more experience with coal power plant repurposing than India.

To understand what Indian coal-fired power plant owners can learn from the South African experience, we interviewed Dr. Vikesh Rajpaul, General Manager, Just Transitions at Eskom Holdings SOC Limited. With over three decades of experience at Eskom—the largest supplier of electricity in South Africa—Dr. Rajpaul has worked across a wide range of functions, including renewables and research.

India’s energy economy has started 2026 on both a chaotic and a promising note. Last year’s storms of trade wars and the disarray of the country’s energy supply chain have spilled into this year as well. But 2025 was also the year India crossed the threshold of 50 per cent non-fossil fuel power generation capacity and took promising steps in nuclear energy. This year has commenced with policy shifts in the long languishing power distribution sector and trade deals with focus on sustainable development. 

To guide through this maze of varied developments which would impact India’s energy transition and security, we spoke with Richa Mishra, seasoned energy journalist and author. Ms Mishra has been writing on the energy sector for more than two decades and has first-hand witnessed the evolution of India’s energy sector and has covered notable milestones in her journalistic journey. 

She is currently Resident Editor at Hindu Business Line. Ms Mishra also runs a podcast called Energonomics where she unpacks the developments of the oil and gas sector. Her first book Unfilled Barrels: India’s oil story published in 2022 offers a ringside view of India’s oil and gas sector from past to present.

As The India Energy Hour completes five years, the hosts come together for a special recap episode reflecting on how the podcast began and how it has evolved alongside India’s energy transition. From the early motivation behind starting the show to the moments that shaped its direction, this episode revisits key milestones from the last five years.

The hosts discuss some of the most impactful episodes and conversations, memorable guests, and how listener engagement has influenced the podcast’s journey. The episode also looks ahead to what listeners can expect in the coming year—from new themes to deeper dives into India’s evolving energy and climate trends.

As climate risks intensify across India, state governments are emerging as critical drivers of climate action, adaptation, and energy transition. In this episode of The India Energy Hour, we explore how states can plan, finance, and implement climate action on the ground. While several state-specific models are in the works, New Delhi–based IPE Global recently unveiled a one-stop Climate Readiness Index for states. This index, which relies on tech-based tools and modelling, aims to provide authoritative guidance to states for building their climate action plans.

In this episode, we speak with Abinash Mohanty, Global Sector Head – Climate Change and Sustainability at IPE Global, to understand why such an index is needed, which states face the most urgent risks, and how sub-national plans shape India’s net-zero pathway. Mohanty has nearly two decades of experience working across government, development finance, and policy research.

Having committed to the ambitious target net zero by 2070 and 50 per cent energy from green sources, India would need transition planning across sectors. The most important planning would be in the electricity sector which would need to decarbonise faster than any other sector. This transition would depend on India's ability to produce round-the-clock clean energy, or 24/7 carbon free energy (24/7 CFE), at cost and scale to meet the country’s rapid economic development. But it faces the challenge of grid management and conducive energy planning which would integrate renewable energy across the power systems of the country. 

To understand one such model of 24/7 CFE, we spoke with Irfan Mohamed, South Asia Analyst at climate analytics nonprofit TransitionZero to delve into the concept of 24/7 CFE and why, according to TransitionZero’s modelling, 24/7 CFE planning and procurement is a ‘no regrets’ option for India’s energy planners, grid operators, and corporates. Irfan is an energy modeller and analyst with multiple years of experience in modelling electricity markets. Before joining TransitionZero, Irfan worked at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero developing decarbonisation policies for the UK.

Achieving a low-carbon economy will require trillions of dollars in new investments across renewable energy, infrastructure, industry, and climate adaptation. As India races toward its clean energy and net-zero goals, one question looms large — where will the money come from? What roles will domestic and international finance play, and how can innovative instruments such as green bonds and blended finance help bridge the gap?

In this episode of The India Energy Hour, we speak with Neha Kumar, Head of South Asia at the Climate Bonds Initiative, to unpack the complex and rapidly evolving world of climate finance. Neha, a globally recognized expert on climate finance, shares insights on how India can mobilize capital for its green transition and unlock opportunities for sustainable growth.

As India deepens its energy transition and the United States recalibrate its global partnerships, the US–India energy relationship stands at a pivotal moment. From energy  technology collaboration, clean energy supply chains to geopolitical strategy, the partnership is evolving into a key pillar of bilateral engagement shaping both nations’ economic and climate futures.

In this episode, we speak with Richard Rossow, Senior Adviser and Chair in India and Emerging Asia Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). We discuss the evolution of the US–India energy ties — from the 2005 Civil Nuclear Agreement to today’s cooperation on clean energy and LNG. Richard unpacks how energy fits into the broader US–India strategic relationship, the growing role of private capital, and what milestones to watch over the next decade in building a resilient, low-carbon future.

Coal India Limited or CIL — the world’s largest coal mining company and one of India’s most influential state-owned enterprises — is now 50 years old. Established to secure the India’s energy needs, Coal India has long been the backbone of India’s industrial and power sectors. But as the country moves toward its net-zero by 2070 goal, the company is now undergoing one of the most significant transformations in its history.

From being the guardian of India’s coal reserves, Coal India is venturing into new frontiers — investing in critical minerals, solar energy, and coal gasification — signalling a bold pivot toward a cleaner, more diversified energy future.

In this episode of The India Energy Hour, we speak with P.M. Prasad, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Coal India Limited, who reflects on his four-decade journey within the company and shares insights into its evolution, challenges, and vision for the future. Mr. Prasad discusses the founding mission of Coal India, its major milestones, and how the company plans to redefine itself in a decarbonising world.

Since the dawn of the Electricity Act, 2003, India's power transmission sector has undergone a transformation during the last two decades. The gates of the sector were open for the private sector, which brought with it investment and innovation. While the private sector continued to face the challenge of competing with an almost monopolistic government organisation, it has been able to grab a sizeable share while also bringing the cost down.

And just like any other part of the electricity supply chain in the country, the power transmission sector also stands at the cusp of another transformation with the advent of large-scale renewable energy and new energy solutions.

To understand the growth of the country's power transmission sector and what its focus areas are and how it is evolving along with the ever-changing landscape of the power sector, we talked with Pratik Agarwal, managing director of Sterlite Electric and chairman of Resonia. Agarwal has been one of the early movers in the power transmission sector and has a diversified portfolio of businesses in power equipment, manufacturing, renewable energy generation, and allied businesses.

Solving the climate crisis—whether by scaling renewable energy or phasing down fossil fuels—requires rigorous, science-based policy that delivers win-win solutions for stakeholders. 

In this episode, Dr. Jai Asundi, Executive Director of the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), shares how to navigate India’s complex energy and climate policy landscape to ensure research doesn’t just sit on shelves, but actively shapes decisions for a sustainable future.

If there is one common issue that all electricity reforms face in India it is the state of power distribution segment. State owned power distribution companies (discoms) while being marred with financial and operational inefficiencies also plague the rest of the electricity supply chain. Multiple bailout packages and reform schemes have moved the needle of improvement only so much.

So what will it take to revive the discoms and fix the forever leaking pipe? To understand this and the transformation that the distribution sector is undergoing, we talked with Alok Kumar. Kumar was former secretary, union ministry of power. An IAS officer, Kumar has held notable positions at state level and in the central government. He is currently director general, All India Discoms Association (AIDA), a newly formed body to further better policies for power distribution sector.

As India moves to reduce its coal dependence and reach its climate goals, the spotlight is turning to hard-to-abate sectors that are both energy-intensive and vital to economic growth. What would a realistic transition look like for these industries? And how can finance, policy, and innovation come together to drive change?

In this episode, we speak with Girish Sethi, Senior Director of the Energy Program at The Energy and Resources Institute  or TERI to unpack one of the toughest challenges in India's clean energy journey — decarbonizing the steel and cement sectors.

The evolution of India’s electricity grid reflects the ever-changing dynamics of the country’s economic and infrastructure growth. Built as a backbone to coal-based power, the grid is now upgrading itself to handle green electricity, give space to energy storage and be flexible to fluctuating demand-supply scenarios. 

The India Energy Hour brings a special series on the progress of the grid in India, how far it has come in last the 78 years and what the future looks like as we aim to be a net carbon zero economy in the next two decades. From policy to technology, the series scans all aspects of the country’s electricity grid. 

In the second part, we spoke with tech-entrepreneur Vishal Pandya, co-founder, REConnect Energy, a Bengaluru based digital energy platform. REConnect builds AI and grid automation software products for energy utilities, and provides tech solutions for electricity market products and renewable energy management.

The evolution of India’s electricity grid reflects the ever-changing dynamics of the country’s economic and infrastructure growth. Built as a backbone to coal-based power, the grid is now upgrading itself to handle green electricity, give space to energy storage and be flexible to fluctuating demand-supply scenarios. 

The India Energy Hour brings a special series on the progress of the grid in India, how far it has come in last the 78 years and what the future looks like as we aim to be a net carbon zero economy in the next two decades. From policy to technology, the series scans all aspects of the country’s electricity grid. 

In the first part, we spoke with a man synonymous with the grid’s evolution – S K Soonee – first CEO of the Power System Operation Corporation (now Grid India), country’s central power grid operator. Soonee was at the helm of creation of Grid India, key development milestones and policy-altering incidents. 

The oil and gas sector in India has been a story of evolution from once private entities turning into nationalised companies and then again the entry of private sector in 1990s. Initially, the upstream oil exploration sector witnessed a lot of private investment but then it slowed down. The downstream oil sector simultaneously saw a variety of social schemes, billions of government funds, and private investment from marquee names. The natural gas sector, on the other hand, is a story where import dependence has only increased over the years, making the supply to key sectors, like power generation difficult, since imported gas price cannot match the cost advantage of coal. At the same time, India is aspiring to be a gas-based economy. Mega scale city gas distribution and piped gas network expansion is also under works. In the middle of this, ethanol blending programme for petrol has taken off well. Simultaneously, a pilot project on green hydrogen blending with natural gas has also started in Madhya Pradesh.

To unwrap the past, present and what could be the future policies and plans for India’s oil and gas sector, we talked with Jyoti Mukul, a seasoned energy infrastructure writer. Ms Mukul was a journalist for nearly three decades and has followed milestone developments of the country’s energy security and transition efforts. She is a well-known policy analyst for energy and infrastructure sectors and her first book ‘The Great Shutdown: A story of two Indian Summers’, highlighting the infrastructure challenges posed by the Covid pandemic, came out in 2022.

As the impacts of climate change intensify and clean energy deployment becomes crucial, energy and climate diplomacy have emerged as powerful tools to drive international cooperation and unlock finance, technology, and ambition. From global summits like COP, G7, and G20, to bilateral and multilateral partnerships, countries are negotiating entire frameworks for energy access, green industrial growth, and just transitions.

But how does climate diplomacy actually work? What are the real levers for influencing outcomes in a fragmented, multipolar world? And once big declarations are made, how do we ensure follow-through and accountability on the ground?

To unpack these questions, we speak with Madhura Joshi, Programme Lead - Asia Hub at E3G. Madhura is an expert in international energy and climate negotiations.

Like other peers, India has increasingly started focusing on securing critical minerals for its energy and industrial sectors. From lithium and cobalt to rare earth elements, these minerals are essential for clean technologies like batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines. As the world races to secure these resources, India is looking to position itself strategically. But, how big is India’s mining sector today, and how much could it grow in response to rising global demand? Can India realistically find its space when China and the West are in a geopolitical race for critical minerals? What does India’s evolving critical minerals policy look like, and who are the major players – especially state-owned enterprises?

To help us unpack these questions, we speak with Abhinav Sengupta, energy and mining expert who brings deep insights into India’s policy and industrial strategy around critical minerals.

Methane is often overlooked in the climate change discourse, as against carbon. Methane is over 80 times more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 20-year period. Released from sources like livestock, landfills, and leaky oil and gas infrastructure, methane is a tricky problem to solve. 

In this episode we understand what methane emissions are and how to plug them. Cutting methane emissions can be one the fastest ways to slow global warming.

For this relevant issue, we talked with Hisham Mundol, Chief Advisor in India to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Mundol is a seasoned development sector executive with experience in both government and private entities.

Hydrogen is gaining significant traction as a key element in the global and Indian transition to clean energy. However, with different types of hydrogen production—green, grey, and blue—there’s much to unpack. Green hydrogen, produced from renewable energy sources, is widely regarded as the most sustainable option but is very expensive to produce. India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission, with a target of 5 million metric tons of green hydrogen by 2030, is a bold move in the country’s energy transition. But is this target too ambitious? What does the policy landscape around hydrogen in India look like, and what challenges and opportunities lie ahead?

To understand the role of hydrogen, especially green hydrogen, in India’s energy transition, we interviewed Vijay Shekhawat, Vice President (Public Affairs), Thyssenkrupp Nucera. Vijay is regarded as an energy expert with a deep understanding of India’s energy landscape.

As India eyes its net zero targets, Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) is becoming central to decarbonizing core industries like steel, cement, and petrochemicals. While the technology holds immense promise, its adoption in India remains limited—hindered by cost concerns and lack of policy clarity.

To understand the road ahead, we spoke with Mr. Atanu Mukherjee, CEO of Dastur Energy. From shaping early internet technologies to leading CCUS innovation in India, Mr. Atanu Mukherjee shares a compelling perspective on the need for supportive policies, financing models, and industry-wide collaboration to scale CCUS in India’s energy transition.

As India transitions toward a low-carbon future, the private sector’s role in embracing sustainability and ESG is paramount. While top corporations lead with ambitious net-zero goals, many small and mid-sized firms are yet to begin their sustainability and ESG journey — held back by data challenges, lack of awareness, and complex disclosure frameworks.

To understand how Indian companies can embrace sustainability and ESG, we spoke with Ms. Prarthana Borah, Vice President, Momentum. With decades of experience across environmental education and corporate sustainability, she offers valuable insights on simplifying ESG frameworks, building internal capacity, and unlocking the potential of India’s private sector in the net-zero transition.

State-Owned Enterprises (SoEs) in the Oil & Gas sector play a critical role in ensuring energy security for the country. They are among the most diversified entities, spanning the entire oil & gas value chain—from upstream to downstream operations. But as India moves toward its net zero goals, the question arises: Can oil & gas SoEs diversify into clean energy sectors? What challenges must they overcome to adapt? And how can they improve carbon management in a Net Zero India?

To explore the evolving role of Oil & Gas SoEs in India's energy transition, we spoke with Mr. Deepak Tandon, Executive Director of the Carbon Management and Sustainability Group at ONGC Ltd. With over four decades of experience in Indian SoEs, Mr. Tandon shares invaluable insights into how SoEs future in a net zero India.

The role of State-Owned Enterprises (SoEs) in India's energy transition cannot be overstated. SoEs, or Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), control majority of India’s fossil fuel production and provide millions of jobs across the country. As India accelerates its energy transition, these enterprises will play a crucial role in scaling the rapid deployment of clean energy. Historically, SoEs have been key drivers of economic growth and local welfare. However, they are often seen as bureaucratic, slow in decision-making, and susceptible to political influence.

To gain insights into the role Indian SoEs can play in this energy transition, we spoke with Dr. B. Veera Reddy, Former Director (Technical) of Coal India Limited and Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Central Coalfields Limited. Dr. Reddy brings nearly four decades of experience working with Indian SoEs.

India's foray into renewable energy (RE) started with its thermal power giant NTPC Ltd.In the mid-2000s, NTPC, which is also the country's largest power generator, formed a division that would bundle RE with thermal and sell it together. Cut to 20 years later, NTPC has become the first public sector enterprise (PSEs) to publicly list its dedicated RE company.

Most of the paradigm shifts in the Indian economy have been invariably led by PSEs, which Nehru called the Temples of Modern India. From coal mining to power generation, mega hydroelectric dams, and now green transition.

To understand the history of energy policy making in India and the role of government and government-owned entities, we talked with Mohit Bhargava, former CEO, NTPC Green Energy Ltd.

Bhargava, a career NTPC executive, has been involved with key responsibilities in the organisation, the last and most significant being expansion in the RE sector. Bhargava has served in several departments and plant locations of NTPC, earning him rich experience. He is known for his deep insights on policy, corporate strategy, and energy transition.  

Climate crisis unfolding in India will first impact our plates! 

Farms lands, agri commodities, coastal areas are in ten first line of impact from climate change induced extreme weather conditions. Not only does it spike the cost of food, several researchers say it alters its taste and texture too. Close to 60% of India population is dependent on farming as primary employment. Extreme weather is now playing huge role in food inflation in India. 

To understand what is happening to our food givers and how the Indian economy can cope up, we talked with Sanjeeb Mukherjee, Agriculture Editor, Business Standard. 

Mukherjee has been a journalist for more than two decades and has been closely covering India's rural, agriculture sector and the food economy. An incisive reporter, Mukherjee regularly travels across the country to understand the changes on the ground, innovations which are making our farmlands better and what the other India outside our cities want.  

The consecutive G20 presidencies of Indonesia (2022), India (2023), Brazil (2024), and South Africa (2025) has resulted in four consecutive G20 presidencies held by emerging economies. This moment is hailed by many as a grand opportunity for Global South countries to make a push on different topics including on energy transition, and climate action. Collectively, in the climate and energy space, these countries have shown leadership on topics like Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), Green Development, Climate Finance & LiFE, Energy Transition and Sustainable Development among others. Can they do more? How much more and what are limits of G2O process? 

To understand how G20s works, and how best can it be used for advocating for stronger energy and climate policies by Global South countries, we interviewed Dr. Prabhat Upadhyaya, G20 and Multilateral Advisor, African Climate Foundation.  Prabhat is a leading climate and energy expert who has previously worked with G2O secretariat in India and is currently in South Africa leading work on G20 in South Africa.  

With Donald Trump scheduled to take over as the 47th President of the United States of America, there is widespread anxiety on the impact on global climate action. A climate change denier, Trump is a vocal supporter of fossil fuels and in his last tenure made US exit from the Paris Agreement on climate action. It is feared climate financing will take a serious hit.

We talked with Anisha Dutta, a New York based investigative journalist focusing on politico-economy to understand the why and how of America electing Trump, the impact it will have on energy transition policies of the US, and the domino effect on climate action and green funding across the globe. 

Dutta has been a journalist for over a decade, earlier in New Delhi and now in New York. She has worked with some of the leading newspapers in India - The Hindustan Times as an political and  infra reporter and for The Indian Express as an investigative journalist. Recently she has also reported from war and conflict zones in Northern Iraq. Her recent works have been published in The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Columbia Journalism Review, The Hindu Frontline, among others.  

Climate change is already impacting many rural areas of India. Farmers in rural areas of India are facing rise in temperatures and changes in rainfall that negatively impacts production as well as monetary returns. There are many ways to adapt to the impacts of climate change.  One way to assist farmers is the District Agro-met Units (DAMUs), a project of Indian Meteorological department. DAMUs provide free-of-cost weather advisory services, and crucial information related to sowing, use of fertilisers, harvesting and storing crops. Instead of expanding the DAMU, Government of India decided to shut them down.

To understand the broader impacts of climate change on farmers, the role of DAMU’s and why government decided to shut them down, we interviewed Rishika Pardikar an Indian environmental journalist and PhD scholar Rakesh Nannewar. Both Rishika and Rakesh have been extensively written about the role and importance of DAMU units.  

Every year, between May to September, the same images make the rounds. The national capital first sweats and then drowns with even a few millimetres of rain. The city that never sleeps braces water logging every year without fail. The silicon valley of India while facing traffic snarls the whole year dreads the monsoon months which make it worse. 

Why is it that India's megacities crumble under the slightest variation in weather? Why are our national, financial capitals and metro cities not built to adapt to extreme weather conditions? Is it myopic city planning or unprecedented events? 

As climate change related impacts intensify, cities have to prepare a long term plan to adapt to changing climatic conditions. 

To discuss the same, we talked with Jaya Dhindaw, Executive Program Director, Sustainable Cities and Director, WRI India Ross Center.

Jaya is an urban development professional and researcher with over two decades of global experience in sustainable development, urban resilience and natural resource management. 

Jaya has in the past worked for the Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transport and Urban Planning (CISTUP) at the Indian Institute of Science. She has also worked with the City of Charlotte for over 8 years, first with the transit system and then with the planning department. 

This summer was all about breaking records - from temperature to electricity demand. India clocked the highest ever electricity demand of 260 Gw during the summer months, thanks to sweltering heat in all parts of the country. 

But is it just the heat? Has the electricity usage behavior changed in the country? Are ACs shaping our power demand? Are the demand drivers shifting from commercial to domestic segment? 

Is the electricity supply landscape prepared for extreme weather events impacting both the infrastructure and the supply planning? 

To take a micro look at India's electricity demand supply system, we talked with Rajiv Goyal. Goyal has served in various positions across power distribution companies. He is credited with the successful setting up of the Noida Power Company Ltd. He is considered an expert in power distribution planning, smart metering, and power sector regulations among other things. He is currently CEO and whole time director at EKI Power Trading. 

Can political leaders be taken to court over climate change impacts? Can the Indian Constitution recognize climate change under the right to live? A recent Supreme Court hearing explored these questions, sparking a national debate. The case ruled against the livelihood rights of an endangered bird, but what could laws against extreme weather and climate change mean for us?

Join us as we discuss this with Shibani Ghosh, Advocate on Record Supreme Court of India and a visiting fellow at the Sustainable Futures Collaborative, a New Delhi-based research organisation, as she shares her outlook on citizen-driven climate actions and the vital role of the National Green Tribunal. Could this be the beginning of a strong climate law for India? 

Nearly 2.8 billion people around the world depend on solid fuels such as firewood and biomass for their cooking needs. Majority of such people reside in African and Asian countries including in India.

India has made significant progress in enhancing access to modern fuels through policies that support greater use of LPG cylinders. However, several issues still remain.

To understand the Indian clean cooking challenge and the required interventions, we interviewed Abhishek Kar, Senior Programme Lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water. Abhishek have led numerous studies on energy access in India and in other countries, and is a known expert in this area. 

Imagine a future where every rooftop is a mini power station, contributing to a cleaner and greener environment. This isn't just a dream—it's the potential of decentralized renewable energy projects. From innovative micrgrids to efficient rooftop solar panels, these solutions are revolutionizing the way we power our lives.

To know more, We sat with Dr. Debajit Palit; He has a PhD in Energy Policy and an MSc in Physics. He is currently a professor at the NTPC School of Business. He has dabbled in the roles of professor, author, and researcher. 

India has ambitions to install 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030. Achieving this target would require large scale finance, sound policies and much more.

To understand how India can achieve its renewable energy targets, we interviewed Vibhuti Garg, Director of South Asia at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.  Vibhuti is an expert on energy pricing, adoption of new technologies, subsidy reforms, enhancing clean energy access and more. 

Season 4 of The India Energy Hour Podcast is here. 

To kickstart the season, the hosts are here to give a primer on what all to expect in India's journey towards energy transition. 

It is the year of general elections in India. A lot of policies and political decisions hinge on that. 

But there is other exciting stuff too. From India's maiden critical mineral auction to more engagement on just transition, this could be the year India walks the talk on energy transition. 

Tune in to get a 360 degree view of India's energy and climate action landscape as we step into the new year.

This year’s Conference of Parties (COP28), hosted in the oil-rich UAE, was full of ironies. There were apprehensions over the host, which has oil wells in its backyard. The COP28 President was the CEO of the national oil company. It was expected that at least the rich nations would drive more climate finance.

But the negotiations that unfolded over the 12 days and the outcome caught many by surprise. The COP final text, for the first time, mentioned a transition away from fossil fuels. The decision was lauded, but the fine print is not that promising. There was no major uptick in climate finance; adaptation goals were left untouched, and the language towards the oil and gas sector was lopsided.

To unfold the facets of the negotiations at COP28 and their impact on global climate dialogue and global warming, we talked with Jacob Koshy. Koshy is Deputy Science Editor at The Hindu and has been writing on science and technology for more than a decade. An engineer-tuned journalist, he has worked in some of the leading news dailies in India and is known for incisive reporting and comprehensive writing. 

India’s energy transition is central to global climate action. But where does India’s energy transition stand? What are the key challenges and opportunities in areas such as energy access, clean transportation and critical minerals.

To understand the intricate dynamics of India's energy transition journey, we interviewed Aditya Ramji, Director of the India Zero Emission Vehicle Research Centre at the Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis. Aditya is a leading expert in areas of clean transportation, energy systems, and electric mobility.

India's energy transition currently comprises a set of ambitious targets, the pathway for which is yet to be designed. 

While at the Central level, there are a variety of policies, the real challenge lies in their execution. And at the execution level there are at least 28 different clogs to be taken care of. 

States will need to play a larger role if India has to effectively meet its energy transition goals while being in sync with economic growth. Coal rich states face the challenge of transitioning away from an existing socio-economic framework built over fossil fuels. Non coal ones need to plan for a greener future. And both sets need to have an economic adaptation plan in place for future climate risks. 

To unfold this complexity of India's energy transition, we talked with Ann Josey, Fellow at Prayas, and Rohit Chandra, Assistant Professor at IIT Delhi.

Both Ann and Rohit study different aspects of Indian policymaking with focus on the energy sector and government institutions -  both at the Central and State level.

Suggested Readings:

Energy efficiency in India has become an important focus due to the country's growing energy demands, environmental concerns, and the need to reduce energy costs. Several initiatives and policies have been put in place to enhance energy efficiency across various sectors in India.

Climate tech is one of the emerging areas in the technology landscape offering a variety of new-age solutions for adapting to changing climate. Largely unexplored, climate tech has the potential to empower even the grassroot sectors with the ability to forecast and adapt to extreme weather and unprecedented climatic events.

In this unique episode, we talked with Himanshu Gupta, the co-founder of Climate AI, who explained the various facets of climate tech, the emerging AI tools, and how he is deploying it in the sectors he operates. From agri to commodity supply chain, Gupta talked about the various tech solutions that AI can offer for safeguarding against climate risks.