The India Energy Hour Presented by 101Reporters

The last decade has seen a phenomenal growth of renewable energy in India, but many challenges remain even today. In the inaugural episode of the India Energy Hour, Vinay Rustagi, co-founder & managing director, Bridge to India (BTI), joins us to look back at the journey of renewable energy in India and discuss the current challenges and future opportunities...

Coal provides nearly two-thirds of India's electricity but its long-term future is uncertain due to the rise of renewables. Understanding coal's future requires understanding its past. In our second episode, we spoke to Dr. Rohit Chandra, who is an Assistant professor at IIT Delhi and a visiting fellow at the Centre for Policy and Research. Rohit is an expert on India’s coal sector and public sector enterprises...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recently announced that rapid expansion of the natural gas-based economy is a must for the country to become an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-reliant India). However, in the past, the natural gas sector in India has seen very limited growth and is marred with both supply and demand side issues.

In our third episode, we spoke to Swati D'Souza, about the prospects of a gas based economy...

India’s energy sector policies are complex. Federal government ministries promote different energy policies that are sometimes at odds with one another. Adding to this complexity, state governments actually have to implement these policies but may have different priorities.

In our fourth episode, we spoke to Anil Swarup about the complexity of energy policymaking in India and how India can balance its energy sector policies...

Last month, leading car manufacturer General Motors said that by 2035, it will sell only Zero-Emission Vehicles. Many countries around the world are banning the sale of internal combustion engine cars and embracing electric vehicles. In India, the government and leading car manufacturers are also planning to go big on electric vehicles...

More than 100 countries have pledged to get to net-zero emissions in the next 30 years. There is increasing international pressure on India to join the bandwagon of countries that have declared net zero. Within India, this has sparked a deeper debate. While some groups contend that India can leapfrog and declare a net zero target by 2050, others warn that such a target will impede India’s developmental needs.

In our sixth episode, we asked Dr. Navroz K...

Globally, nearly 2.8 billion people depend on solid fuels such as firewood and biomass for their cooking needs and nearly 1 billion people live without electricity connection. Majority of such people lacking basic energy access reside in African and Asian countries including India. In the last two decades, India has made substantial progress in enhancing energy access through policies that support greater use of LPG cylinders and by expanding the electric grid...

Covid-19 pandemic continues to have a crushing impact on economies around the world including India. Facing an economic crisis never seen since Independence, the central and state governments are realigning their focus towards welfare and developmental sectors. Renewable energy which is the newest infrastructure sector in India could take a backseat...

G7 nations or group of world's most advanced economies of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States are reportedly planning to ban all fossil fuel finance globally. In fact, G7 has already declared its intention to stop international funding for coal projects.

This fossil fuel finance ban could have an adverse impact on countries in the Global South who are trying to balance their growing energy needs while taking action on climate change...

The 10th episode is hosted by Mayank Aggarwal, Contributing Editor, Mongabay India. Mayank is one of the best writers on environment and climate change in India, whose work has been a trailblazer...