Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change

Will India and China Join Forces To Get Off Fossil Fuels? Ep226: Dr Arunabha Ghosh

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Oct 1, 2025

Dr. Arunabha Ghosh, CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, dives into India’s ambitious clean energy transition. He discusses how India aims for universal electricity access while reducing fossil fuel dependence, spotlighting innovative market designs that have drastically cut solar costs. Ghosh emphasizes the need for collaboration with countries like China and Brazil and the importance of local climate risk assessments. He also shares insights on electrification strategies for transport and the push for green supply chains, highlighting India’s critical role in global climate diplomacy.

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INSIGHT

Twin Transition As India's Global Story

India is executing a simultaneous 'twin transition' of massive energy access and rapid clean power expansion.
This concurrent approach is unique among large economies and reframes India's climate role.

ANECDOTE

Data-Driven Household Electrification

CEW ran the largest household energy access surveys with millions of data points down to household voltage and hours of supply.
Their work supported electrification of 28 million households and clean cooking access for about 400 million people.

INSIGHT

Market Design Slashed Solar Prices

India cut solar costs from ~20 rupees to about 2.5 rupees per kWh through auction and market design innovations.
Solar plus storage is now often cheaper than new coal, shifting the least-cost calculus for new capacity.

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What does it take for India to deliver electricity to hundreds of millions while simultaneously building a fast-growing clean energy system? Can it overcome its fossil dependence to secure its energy futures with renewables? And how will India’s development choices shape the global climate fight in the decades ahead?

India, like China, is home to over a billion people, and is highly reliant on imported fossil fuels and domestic coal. But unlike China, it still has a very rural population and has not yet experienced the rapid rise in per capita energy consumption that accompanied China’s recent development boom. The future path India takes to development is therefore of critical importance.

In this episode of Cleaning Up, Bryony Worthington sits down with Dr. Arunabha Ghosh, founder and CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, and Special Envoy for COP30. Together they explore India’s “twin transition”, achieving universal energy access while driving a massive expansion of clean power. From the data-driven electrification of 130 million households, to innovations in market design that slashed solar prices, to India’s push for secure, diversified green supply chains, this conversation reveals a rarely told side of India’s energy transition story.

Arunabha also shares insights on India’s role in international climate diplomacy, the significance of cooperation with China and Brazil, and the urgent need for hyper-local climate risk assessment to protect communities from extreme weather.

Leadership Circle:

Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.

Links and more:

Council on Energy, Environment and Water website: https://www.ceew.in/
India hits 50% non-fossil power milestone ahead of 2030 clean energy target: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/india-hits-50-non-fossil-power-milestone-ahead-2030-clean-energy-target-2025-07-14/
How can India make the leap to become a green, clean country? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/sep/28/huge-energy-challenges-how-can-india-make-leap-green-clean-country