What should India put forward as the mitigation component of its climate contribution (or ‘Intended Nationally Determined Contribution’ (INDC))? Since energy accounts for 77% of India’s greenhouse gas emissions, this question can only be answered as one part of a larger discussion about India’s energy future.

A key development challenge for India is addressing poverty and deprivation through inclusive sustainable development. One-third of the global poor, living on less than $1.25 a day, are in India – the highest in any country.

Africa needs power - to grow its economies and enhance the welfare of its people. Power for all is still a long distance away - two thirds of the population remains without electricity and enterprises rank electricity as a top constraint to doing business. This sub-optimal situation coexists while vast energy resources remain untapped.

This paper by the New Climate Economy’s India Initiative argues that India’s efforts to achieve rapid, inclusive and sustainable development have been hampered in the past by pervasive inefficiencies that arise from market, policy and institutional failures and weaknesses.

The electricity sector is undergoing an unprecedented transition. Significant penetration of renewable sources, combined with technological innovation on the grid and demand side, has provided the opportunity to decarbonize while reducing dependence on imported fuels.

Renewable energy technologies can address trade-offs between water, energy and food, bringing substantial benefits in all three key sectors.