The India Energy Hour Presented by 101Reporters

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. Mayank will interview co-host & co-founder of The India Energy Hour, Sandeep Pai on his recently published dissertation on Just Transition and talk about the unique datasets that Sandeep used, and the ground work he did to underline the challenges of jumping from fossil fuel to clean energy in developing economies. Suggested Readings: https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0398719 https://india.mongabay.com/by/mayank-aggarwal/ https://india.mongabay.com/series/just-transitions/ Follow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.

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. To understand this decision of G7 and its far-reaching repercussions, we spoke with Vijaya Ramachandran, Director for Energy and Development at the Breakthrough Institute in the US. Vijaya is a renowned economist with over three decades of experience working in public policy and academia. She has served on the faculty of Duke University and Georgetown University as well as worked at the World Bank, the Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the Center for Global Development. Suggested readings: 1. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01020-z 2. https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/541554-economic-growth-in-africa-will-not-be-achieved-by-a Follow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.

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. To understand the impact of Covid on the renewable energy in India, we spoke with Sunil Jain, former CEO, Hero Future Energies and a renewable sector veteran. Sunil has led two clean energy companies in India. He has also been vital in pushing the government to adopt policy changes that shaped the renewable energy sector in the country. Follow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.

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. However, several issues still remain. To understand the Indian and global energy access challenge and the required interventions, we interviewed two renowned energy access experts - Shalu Agrawal, Program lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water and Dr Hisham Zerriffi, Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia. Over the years, both Shalu and Hisham have independently led numerous studies on energy access in India and in other countries. This is our first episode with two guests. An important disclaimer - Hisham is Sandeep’s PhD supervisor at the University of British Columbia. Follow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.

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. Dubash whether India should declare a net zero target? Dr. Dubash is India's leading climate expert and has been a scholar, policy adviser and an activist for over three decades. Follow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.

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. While these efforts may help make electric vehicles the future of mobility in India, there are several roadblocks that need to be resolved to unleash the true potential of electric vehicles. In our fifth episode, we spoke to Sumant Banerji, Senior Journalist and Associate Editor of the Business Today magazine, about the current and future prospects of electric vehicles in the country. Sumant has researched and written about the Indian auto sector for well over a decade and is considered a leading expert in this area. Follow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.

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. Anil is the former federal coal secretary of India and one of India’s most well-known bureaucrats. Anil’s three decades working at various levels of government have given him a ringside view of policymaking. In this episode, he provides a 360-degree view of energy policies in India. Follow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.

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. Swati is one of the top experts on oil and gas in India and is currently working as the Research Lead on climate change at the National Foundation for India. Follow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.

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. In 2018, he defended his dissertation at Harvard University that focused on the economic and political history of coal in India. Rohit is one of the most balanced voices on the subject of fossil fuels and energy transition. Follow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.

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. As the head of the foremost consultancy in the renewable energy space, Vinay is renowned for offering analytically critical views on the energy sector and its policies. Follow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.