In a welcome move, the Interim Budget 2024 provides great impetus to the rooftop solar segment through the ‘Pradhanmantri Suryodaya Yojana’. Under this scheme, the current rooftop solar subsidy rate of 40 percent has been increased to 60 percent. Allocation for the solar power sector has seen an increase of 48 percent compared to the last year. At present, India has 11 GW of rooftop solar installations, but the major potential remains untapped.

With vehicle electrification picking up pace, the winds of change are sweeping the automotive industry. Electric vehicles (EVs) have become the buzzword in the climate space today, playing an important role in emission reduction and in achieving net-zero targets worldwide. Although EVs may seem to be a new-age technology, they indeed have a long-standing history. Here, we take a closer look at the historical twists and turns that shaped the electric mobility sector.

The first blog looked into the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy’s (CSTEP’s) engagement with Climate Asia (CA) on their Climate Action for Civil Society Organisation Development Programme for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). In this concluding blog, we explore the design and development of the climate modules and share insights and learnings from the engagement.

In this two-part blog series, we revisit our experience in capacity building for civil society organisations (CSOs) working across India’s diverse rural landscape, where there is an urgent need to enhance climate adaptation knowledge to address the multi-dimensional challenges of climate change.

The state of Kerala is committed to sustainability, with aims to attain net-zero emissions by 2050 and meet 100% of its energy requirements though renewable energy (RE) sources by 2040. However, currently the state’s internal power generation meets only 30-35% of its energy requirements, while the rest is supplied by imports, predominantly sourced from coal-based resources. This scenario emphasises the need for understanding the state's energy dynamics and developing an actionable plan to reduce the dependence on thermal imports and enable a smooth RE transition.

The narrative on agrivoltaics (agriPV) primarily revolves around farmers, recognising their central role in integrating solar energy with agriculture. Increasing farmer incomes and other co-benefits is a critical component in any government plan for agriPV across the globe. However, in a country as diverse as India, it is crucial to explore innovative strategies for agriPV that go beyond the farmer-centric business model. In this context, engaging companies working in the agricultural space can be instrumental for the advancement of agriPV.