The India Energy Hour 101Reporters

For years, multiple Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have relied on integrated assessment models or IAM modelling pathways to achieve global net zero targets. 

The IPCC reports and IAM pathways have become key drivers of government policy on keeping a lid on global warming in many countries. 

However, scholars from Global South have argued that IAMs have failed to incorporate the principles of equity and rights of developing countries while charting decarbonisation pathways. For instance, questions have been raised about how it is fair to ask both the U.S. and India to achieve a net zero by 2050, given U.S. massive historical emissions.

To discuss the issue of lack of equity in net zero pathways, and ways for designing equitable models for climate action, we interviewed Dr. Tejal Kanitkar, Associate Professor at National Institute of Advanced Studies, and Dr. Rahul Tongia, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress. Both Tejal and Rahul are India’s leading scholars and thinkers on climate and energy policy and have decades of experience working in this area.

Full transcript of the episode is available here

Suggested Readings:


IPCC’S climate reports reveal an unequal science: https://carboncopy.info/ipccs-climate-reports-reveal-an-unequal-science/

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Climate financing in India is crucial for achieving sustainable development and mitigating the impacts of climate change. The government’s efforts to mobilize climate finance, along with support from international institutions are essential for achieving these goals.

In order to understand the complexities and challenges of financing climate change initiatives in India, including the role of government, private sector, and international institutions, we interviewed Varad Pande, Climate Finance and Investment Expert. Varad has held diverse roles across government, strategy, multilateral, investment organisations working on issues of economic development, social impact, and base-of-pyramid (BOP) business models.

Full transcript of the episode is available here



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Podcast Producer, Tejas Dayananda Sagar on Twitter & Linkedin

Climate philanthropy globally and in India are starting to play a catalytic role for enabling climate action. They are starting to bet on innovative ideas and projects that enable decarbonisation of key sectors, foster solutions that benefit communities and economies, and bridge the gap between philanthropy and commercial investment.

To understand more about how climate philanthropy works, the different funding models and the main challenges of funding climate projects, we interviewed Vikas Mehta, Executive Director of SED Fund, a venture philanthropy providing funding to organizations in India across their life cycle and continuing to support them in their growth and scale-up journey. Vikas has decades of experience in philanthropy, strategic planning, fundraising, and portfolio management.

Full transcript of the episode is available here

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Podcast Producer, Tejas Dayananda Sagar on Twitter & Linkedin

Under ‘Move for Earth’ initiative, co-founder of SwitchON Foundation Vinay Jaju cycled over 3,000 km across different states in East India, connecting with farmers, women and youth to address clean air, sustainable agriculture and renewable energy.

Vinay Jaju is also the co-founder of ONergy and ONskills. He has collaborated with various ministries of Government of India and bilateral organizations such as US Embassy, United Nations Development Programme, General Electric and World Wildlife Fund. He is currently the Managing Director of SwitchON Foundation and looks after the daily operations of the organization.

Full transcript of the episode is available here

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Vinay Jaju is on Twitter & Linkedin

Our host, Shreya Jai on Twitter, Linkedin & Dr. Sandeep Pai on Twitter, Linkedin

Podcast Producer, Tejas Dayananda Sagar on Twitter & Linkedin

To meet global climate targets, renewable energy sources such as solar and wind will need to be deployed at scale. This will mean large-scale mining and processing of critical minerals such as cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements, which form key components of the solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles required for the energy transition.

To understand the role of critical minerals in energy transition, including whether the world has enough of these minerals, we spoke to Dr. Seaver Wang, Co-Director of the Climate and Energy team at the United States-based Breakthrough Institute. Dr. Wang writes on critical minerals and recently published a paper titled “Future demand for electricity generation materials under different climate mitigation scenarios,” which unpacks the feasibility of using critical minerals at scale to meet climate goals.

Full transcript of the episode is available here

Suggested reading: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542435123000016

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Seaver Wang is on Twitter & Linkedin

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Podcast Producer, Tejas Dayananda Sagar on Twitter & Linkedin

India's wind energy sector has never had a breezy year for close to a decade now. An early mover in the green energy space, wind energy players relied on tax benefits for initial growth. But as incentives and subsidies faded, so did the fortunes.

Recently, in another major policy shift, the bidding regime for the wind sector would undergo significant changes.

To talk about the past, present and future of the wind energy sector, we spoke with Mr. D V Giri. He is the secretary general of Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (IWTMA), the industry lobby body for wind turbine makers. Giri has held senior executive positions in several sectors including foreign wind energy majors. He has been associated with Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association since its inception.

Full transcript of the episode is available here

Follow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube

Our host, Shreya Jai on Twitter, Linkedin & Dr. Sandeep Pai on Twitter, Linkedin

Podcast Producer, Tejas Dayananda Sagar on Twitter and Linkedin