Distributed Renewable Energy Programs in India
CPI supports India in fulfilling its climate change commitments through workstreams on the State of Finance & Policy, Alignment & Effectiveness, and Design & Development.
Under its Design & Development workstream, the CPI India office works on increasing the uptake of distributed renewable energy (DRE) to support India’s energy transition.
Building on the tremendous success of the US India Clean Energy Finance Facility, CPI has launched two facilities to support the deployment of distributed renewable energy: the India PURE Finance Facility (IPFF) and India Clean Energy Finance (ICEF).
India Clean Energy Finance (ICEF) is a project preparation facility that promotes DRE applications in India. It supports early-to-mid-stage enterprises that are engaged in the development of DRE projects and that would not typically be able to access commercial funding because of their small scale and high perceived risks. With funding support from the MacArthur Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies, ICEF provides technical assistance that helps increase a project’s bankability, thus catalyzing long-term debt financing and equity investments.
India PURE Finance Facility (IPFF) takes an innovative approach to expanding the productive use of renewable energy (PURE) in under-served communities in rural and semi-urban areas. Its focus goes beyond the energy transition from fossil fuels, emphasizing projects that bring additional benefits, such as creating livelihood opportunities, promoting gender equity, and fostering social and economic growth. With funding from the IKEA Foundation, the IPPF establishes and funds a robust network of technical advisers to support existing and emerging PURE enterprises in securing long-term financing from domestic and international financial institutions.
These initiatives are led by Vivek Sen.
Featured work
Publication
The Future of Distributed Renewable Energy in India
India will require an annual DRE investment of USD 18 billion by 2024, a 10x increase from current levels to meet its sustainability targets. This CPI report outlines the benefits and market potential of India’s DRE sector, examines the current policy and institutional landscape, and provides tailored recommendations for the different stakeholders.
Publication
Credit Support Pathways for Rooftop Solar Projects in India
The proposed Credit Guarantee Mechanism addresses the most important barriers to scaling rooftop solar in the MSME sector; and could be crucial if India wants to achieve its rooftop solar target by 2022.
Publication
USICEF Impacts and Lessons learned, 2017-2021
Since launching in 2016, USICEF supported 47 solar power projects, which went on to mobilize 30x in commercial debt over the initial grants provided.