US Programmes a Plus for India’s Energy Playbook

Context: Over the past two decades, the US-India energy cooperation has constantly evolved, expanding both in scope and impact, and progressed despite government changes in both countries. 

India’s Energy Overview:

• Huge Sector: The Indian power system is the third-largest in the world with 373 gigawatts (GW) generation capacity (300 GW was added in the last 25 years) and 300 million customers.
• Shift towards renewable: 80 GW is generated from renewable sources, with the assistance of US, UK, Germany and Japan.

India- US energy cooperation:

• US-India Energy Dialogue: started between US Department of Energy (DoE) and the Planning Commission in 2005. (renamed as US-India Strategic Partnership (SEP) in 2018)

• • • The technologies implemented at large scale for clean energy, smart grid projects, distributed renewable energy and energy storage brought down the costs by over 90% in the past ten years. 

• Programmes running under:

• The Partnership to Advance Clean Energy-Deployment (PACE-D 2.0) programme by US Agency for United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US State Department with India’s ministry of new and renewable energy promotes the use of clean energy.
• Greening the Grid: includes renewable integration and sustainable energy, which is being executed by US Energy Agency 

• Market Integration and Transformation for Energy Efficiency, 

• Smart Power for Advancing Reliability and Connectivity,
• South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy Integration -  provides cross-border energy trade by creating electricity interconnections between India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, helping India’ energy diplomacy in its neighbourhood
• Under the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum: A Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Centre (JCERDC) was established in 2012, undertook 3 programmes successfully:
• Solar Energy Research Institute for India and the US (SERIIUS), 
• Second Generation Biofuels;

• Energy Efficiency in Buildings.

• India Smart Grid Forum in collaboration with the US Department of Commerce, USAID and USTDA have been conducting US-India Smart Grid Workshops every year since 2014 with key stakeholders from both countries.