By: Chandra Bhushan Two consecutive days of grid collapse has left almost half of India’s population without power.
The United States Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and the US Exim Bank have evaded any response to the central contention of the recent release from Centre for Science and Environment (http://www.cseindia.org/content/us-using-climate-finance-kill-indian-solar-panel-industry-cse ). Both have chosen to remain silent on use of climate ‘fast start financing’ to give subsidised loans to Indian project developers who buy equipment from US producers, thus undermining the Indian domestic manufacturing industry.
Renewable energy programme in CSE, from its inception, being focused on addressing Decentralized development. Traditionally, the focus of the programme was on improving energy access through renewable energy sources, while accommodating for environmental and social externalities. While CSE continues to pursue this, the overarching objective of the programme is now expanded to mainstream renewable energy in decarbonizing the power sector. CSE’s efforts are thus dedicated to ensuring development and implementation of sound renewable energy policies and programmes at national and local government level that lead to large-scale deployment of renewable energy technologies in various sectors of the economy, to meet the twin objective of combating climate change on one hand and energy security, on the other. .
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) organised a day-long round table on solar energy policy at the Magnolia Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on June 29, 2012.