India is a perfect example of the sustainable energy challenge. On the one hand, rapid economic and population growth threaten global efforts to mitigate climate change. On the other hand, hundreds of millions live without access to electricity and clean cooking fuels.

Given the magnitude of this challenge, ISEP considers India a top priority. In collaboration with our core partner, the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW) in New Delhi, we work on a wide range of projects on rural electrification, clean cooking fuels, coal, and renewable energy. With support from international and Indian agencies, and in continuous exchange with the central and state governments, we conduct top-notch research to inform and improve energy policy. Projects include:

• In collaboration with CEEW, the ISEP Founding Director supervised ACCESS, the largest energy access survey in the world. The dataset with 8,568 households from 714 villages in six states of India is fully documented and freely available for non-commercial uses. The collaboration also produced a video on India’s energy poverty problem. ISEP is currently preparing for the launch of ACCESS-2, a groundbreaking study that re-interviews the original ACCESS households to establish definite patterns of change in energy access in rural India.
• The ISEP team also conducted the first randomized controlled trial on the socio-economic benefits of solar micro-grids in rural India. The study was widely covered in international media, including The Economist, and triggered a major debate in the off-grid space.