Archives: Real World

CSTEP developed the E-bus Depot Electrification Planning and Operational Tool (E-DEPOT) to support India’s electric bus (e-bus) transition under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles, or FAME, scheme. E-DEPOT assists state transport undertakings (STUs) and electricity DISCOMs in planning and managing the charging infrastructure required for depot-based e-bus operations.

By providing evidence-based guidance on charging infrastructure, schedule viability, and cost estimation, E-DEPOT offers a robust planning framework to help cities scale up their e-bus deployment efforts efficiently and sustainably.

The tool was showcased to STUs in Bengaluru, Kochi, Pune, and Chennai, where it generated significant interest because of its practical utility.

CSTEP also took part in a capacity-building workshop and demonstrated the tool and its features to technical engineers from various STUs.

The workshop equipped the engineers with the skills to utilise the tool for fleet electrification planning, tender preparation, and negotiations with e-bus operators.

 

 

Check out CSTEP’s E-DEPOT tool

To improve scientific understanding of air pollution in India’s non-attainment cities, CSTEP partnered with 12 leading Institutes of Repute under the National Knowledge Network to develop emission inventories for 76 cities across 16 states and one union territory in 2024. Known as EI 76, this open-source dataset is among the largest in India, offering 1 sq. km resolution data on PM10, PM2.5, NOx, and SO2 from different sources such as transport, residential use, industries, commercial cooking, and waste burning. The inventories estimate emissions for the base year 2019–20 and project future trends up to 2030, along with mitigation measures and their costs.

EI 76 is designed to complement other inventories and enables researchers to model pollution dynamics, including from peri-urban and industrial areas that are often overlooked. It provides critical input for clean air action plans by helping cities identify key polluting sectors, understand reduction potential, and prioritise interventions such as regular servicing of public transport, tighter vehicle controls, and public participation.

Several cities and research institutions are using the EI 76 dataset, accessible through a dedicated portal featuring city-specific visualisations and downloadable reports.

Prior to this, the Forest, Ecology, and Environment Department and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) commissioned CSTEP in 2018 to develop an emission inventory for the city’s 60 km × 60 km air-shed.

CSTEP’s inventory for Bengaluru was adopted by KSPCB and uploaded to PRANA, the Portal for Regulation of Air Pollution in Non-Attainment Cities.

CSTEP also developed emission inventories for six cities in Jharkhand for the base year 2019–20, independent of the EI 76 project.

 

 

CSTEP developed the SAFARI model to explore the energy, emissions, resource, and macroeconomic implications of achieving key developmental goals in India—such as food security, housing, healthcare, and transport—through a systems-thinking-based approach up to the year 2050.

Unlike conventional models that rely on gross domestic product (GDP), SAFARI uses desired quality of life (DQoL) benchmarks to simulate low-carbon development pathways and policy trade-offs. By using SAFARI, you can create integrated scenarios across sectors and test out the impact of policy choices on energy, emissions, and resources.

SAFARI has been showcased at global and national forums, including COP26 (IDFC Pavilion) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) regional conference ‘Systems Analysis in Eurasia’. At the national level, NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) used SAFARI to model ethanol demand scenarios for the Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India 2020-2025, a contribution acknowledged by Dr Rakesh Sarwal (Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog) in his foreword to the report, released by the Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on World Environment Day 2021. SAFARI also informed scenarios for NITI Aayog’s Vision 2035 document

Energy has been a core focus for CSTEP since its inception. One of our landmark initiatives was participation in the SERIIUS, a joint research consortium launched by former US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2009.

One of the most impactful outcomes of this initiative is the RTSE tool, a transformative platform that helps users accurately estimate the solar potential of their rooftops and evaluate financial feasibility.

RTSE aligns with India’s vision to achieve 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2070, directly contributing to the decarbonisation of the energy sector. Currently, the tool covers 120 cities across 25 states and four union territories under the Government of India’s flagship programme, PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.

The tool’s journey began in 2019 with the launch of CREST in Bengaluru. Using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology, CREST created detailed rooftop maps, allowing BESCOM to identify and scale up solar adoption in the city.

By 2024, the tool had evolved into the innovative RTSE tool that could offer accurate information regarding solar generation potential, optimal system design, and economics for each consumer and provide a list of all buildings suitable for rooftop solar panels with geographical coordinates and system sizes to the DISCOMs. This was done with the help of drone and satellite images.

RTSE has been implemented in cities in Madhya Pradesh (including Bhopal, Jabalpur, Indore, and Gwalior) and Chhattisgarh (including Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur, Korba, and Raigad), enabling effective rooftop solar rollout in collaboration with state DISCOMs.

Meanwhile, MNRE’s push for solar energy gave a fillip to the tool to assist the nation in the uptake of solar energy, with the Government’s official portal for PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana integrating RTSE.

Between July and December 2024, over 100,000 users utilised RTSE to assess their rooftop solar potential and project financial savings over 25 years.

 

 

CSTEP has played a critical role in supporting the PAT scheme under India’s National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) by working closely with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) to develop methodologies for computing specific energy consumption (SEC) tailored to Indian industrial conditions.

This involved conducting detailed techno-economic studies; building energy consumption models for sectors such as cement, iron and steel, and textiles; and participating in consultative workshops with industry stakeholders to refine approaches.

In the cement sector, CSTEP analysed how variations in plant operations influenced baseline energy performance and helped improve methods for normalising SEC calculations.

For the iron and steel sector, sub-process-level energy models were developed to assess potential interventions and identify opportunities for improvement.

These contributions supported the PAT cycle design, implementation, and evaluation by enabling more accurate benchmarking and realistic target setting for industries.

Through its data-driven analysis and sector-specific insights, CSTEP continues to strengthen the effectiveness of PAT, making industrial energy efficiency a cornerstone of India’s broader climate and development strategy.

At the request of the Ministry of Power (MoP), CSTEP collaborated with Infosys to update the 2002 IT Task Force Report for the Power Sector. The revised report, titled Technology: Enabling the Transformation of Power Distribution, was published in 2008 and marked CSTEP’s first publication. It highlighted the potential of digital technologies to transform India’s struggling power distribution sector into an efficient, consumer-centric, and financially sustainable system.

 

CSTEP played a critical role in analysing the intersection of technology, business needs, and policy frameworks, emphasising that IT alone was not sufficient to drive meaningful reforms. The report advocated interoperable, future-ready smart grid systems, with recommendations tailored to each utility’s unique maturity and business context.

 

CSTEP’s contribution was crucial in highlighting the importance of strategic technology adoption, programme management, the integration of IT with communication and automation technologies, which are collectively referred to as digital technologies.

 

Importantly, the report stressed that the transformation should be holistic and systemic, involving not just technical upgrades but also governance reform, capacity building, and consumer engagement. CSTEP helped shape a long-term vision where digitally empowered utilities use advanced metering, Geographic Information System (GIS), and network management tools to reduce losses, enable real-time monitoring, and support renewable integration.

 

The report helped chart a roadmap that reflected India’s evolving energy landscape and, in doing so, positioned CSTEP as a thought leader in powering this change.

 

CSTEP also highlighted the need for the creation of a national institution to lead this transformation, offering coordinated guidance on technology standards, financial viability, policy alignment, and innovation.