India’s renewable energy sector is a bright spot in the country’s efforts to decarbonise electricity generation. The commitment to enhancing India’s renewables capacity is more evident than ever. At COP26, the country committed to meet 50 per cent of its electricity requirements from renewable energy by 2030. A majority of this share is expected to come from solar and wind. Reaching the capacity of 500 GW is vital for India to meet its rising energy needs in a sustainable manner while also achieving its climate commitments, both domestic and international.
With an installed capacity of over 100 GW in 2021, the Indian renewable energy sector is already the fourth-largest in the world. Yet, the sector will need to grow five times to meet the 2030 target. This will require strong policies, technological leaps and a surge in clean energy investment. Over the last decade, India has invested significantly in creating institutional and policy solutions to absorb clean power. Timely research interventions and applied policy research backed by rigorous data can go a long way in accelerating clean power solutions.
The Research Innovation Shakti Expert (RISE) programme is a collaborative effort by Shakti and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to develop high renewable energy policy and technology pathways by means of data analytics, modelling and decision support tools. Through an innovative programme design, RISE assembles young experts, i.e, RISE fellows and civil society organisations to provides multi-year policy inputs to decision makers in the following critical thrust areas:
Data and Analytics | State Resources Studies | Financing | Markets and Regulations | Skilling and Social Transition | Domestic Manufacturing | Technology and Innovation
RISE experts offer expertise in a multitude of RE areas, industries and sectors. The programme is designed to bring RISE experts and key stakeholders together to develop well-founded intelligence studies, strategic roadmaps, future scenarios, and policy solutions in the planning of energy systems with a high share of renewable energy and discuss the challenges that India may face in doing so. As the ambitious clean energy shift proceeds, the RISE programme is intended to strengthen sustainable development and enable the country’s ability to respond to the accelerating pace of the global energy transition.