The Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy (ISEP) is partnering with the Oak Foundation. Oak is an organization with global reach whose work aims to promote human rights, social justice, environmental preservation, and sustainable development. With the support of Oak, ISEP will be conducting a number of projects in the state of Jharkhand, India, from 2019-2021.

In this collaboration, ISEP has two goals. First, to develop a better understanding of the state’s energy access needs and to develop a way forward to address them. ISEP will do so by conducting surveys and interviews of households, private sector entities, and government officials in every district of the state. Ultimately, ISEP will be creating: (1) a comprehensive report on rural energy access in every district; (2) a landscape study of Jharkhand’s energy markets, including detailed information and policy recommendations for clean energy policies and investment models; and (3) a clean energy and energy access roadmap for Jharkhand.

Second, ISEP plans to build local capacity in the state. Through collaboration with other India-based organizations such as the Centre for Energy and Environment Development (CEED), ISEP aims to bolster the civil societal, private sector, and governmental infrastructure that can continue to address the state’s energy needs after the study period has ended.

The results of this collaboration will go a long way toward furthering ISEP’s ability to have a durable impact on access to sustainable energy in Jharkhand. For our research to have a truly lasting effect, it is crucial that we enhance local capacity by empowering organizations on the ground. Moreover, the information gained from the research will itself be intrinsically important. Jharkhand has among the lowest per capita energy consumption and household electrification rates in India. However, its energy demand is expected to double by 2023, and the state is making an enormous push to expand its solar energy capacity. Providing a clean energy and energy access roadmap for the state will thus make a contribution to Jharkhand’s effort to expand energy access sustainably.