Operationalizing India’s Clean Energy Future: High-Impact Opportunities

India faces critical global imperatives that demand immediate attention. As an aspiring leader of the Global South, India must champion the path toward net-zero emissions while simultaneously capitalizing on the global trend of supply chain diversification and seizing leadership opportunities in emerging green technologies. With the Paris Agreement’s Second Global Stocktake approaching in 2028, India must swiftly identify and prioritize high-impact areas for accelerated decarbonization to solidify its position as a leader in bold climate action.

The rapidly unfolding energy transition presents a unique opportunity for India to address these imperatives while yielding significant domestic dividends. These include job creation, import localization, attraction of new investments, and stimulation of domestic demand. To realize this potential, India must identify transition-led strategic avenues that maximize its demographic dividend, propel its manufacturing as an export growth engine, and leverage its comparative advantages.

In light of these challenges and opportunities, the CSIS India Chair at CSIS proposes to organize a half-day event at New York City that coincides with the Climate Week NYC 2024. The event will focus on exploring high-impact decarbonization opportunities for India and strategies for power sector decarbonization. This event will convene India’s federal and subnational policymakers, global investors, experts, multilateral banks, and industry leaders from international energy markets. The program will feature panel discussions, keynote addresses, and presentations of cutting-edge research by sectoral experts such as UC Berkeley on India’s decarbonization opportunities.

The primary objective of this event is to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world application in India’s clean energy transition. Panels will feature a diverse mix of industry leaders, policymakers, and finance experts, fostering discussions on how to translate theoretical insights into actionable strategies. Participants will gain key insights and practical takeaways on viable pathways for India to scale up renewable energy adoption, decarbonize its industrial sectors, and capitalize on the global energy transition. By bringing together diverse stakeholders, this gathering aims to generate innovative ideas and identify concrete steps to accelerate India’s clean energy future, ensuring that research findings translate into tangible progress on the ground.

Objectives:
The event aims to:
1. Explore high-impact decarbonization opportunities for India, considering technological advancements and cost reductions across various sectors.
2. Facilitate dialogue between policymakers, financiers, industry leaders, and experts to identify viable pathways for accelerating India’s clean energy transition, with a focus on power sector decarbonization.
3. Generate actionable strategies for India to strengthen its position as a climate action leader in the Global South, maximizing domestic benefits while addressing global imperatives ahead of the 2028 Second Global Stocktake.