Reports

Despite dramatic declines in clean-energy costs, more than $1 trillion investments in new coal and gas plants is under consideration worldwide, largely because conventional plants are assumed to be the only economical way to provide reliable, round-the-clock power, such as that required by data centers.

India’s power grid is buckling under the summer heat. Air conditioners (ACs) are fast becoming the single largest driver of peak electricity demand - contributing as much as 60-70 GW or 25%. ACs are power guzzlers, each consuming 100-150 times the electricity of an LED bulb.

India has crossed a structural threshold: clean energy is no longer a climate choice; it is now economic statecraft. Handled strategically, it can halve economy-wide energy costs and halve fossil-fuel imports by mid-century, converting over US$200 billion per year currently spent on fuel imports into domestic capital formation and infrastructure investment. This would deliver a decisive boost to industrial competitiveness, energy security, and trade stability. Managed poorly, however, it risks remaining a fragmented sectoral transition, leaving India exposed to import volatility, fuel-price shocks, and stranded capital.