India’s energy demand is projected to double over the next 20 years. Electricity demand could potentially triple as a result of increased appliance ownership and cooling needs. Fossil fuel resources have been critical to India’s growth story, and they account for more than 75 percent of India’s power needs.

But the impending global climate crisis coupled with the need for indigenous and affordable energy sources is driving India to rethink its existing energy systems. In this context, India stands at a critical juncture as it lays the groundwork for one of the world’s largest power systems.

India’s efforts towards pivoting away from fossil fuels has been gaining traction with the deployment of renewable energy having doubled over the last five years and already representing close to 40% of the power generation capacity of the country. But India’s mission to decarbonise its energy system has just started as more than 80 % of the carbon emissions stem from coal which remains the backbone of the country’s power sector.