Manish Ram, a lead author of the report said, “The study highlights how low-cost renewable electricity could emerge as the energy carrier of the future for India with an integrated energy system across the sectors of power, heat, transport and industry. A first of its kind study provides an economically viable integrated energy system model for power, transport and other energy consuming sectors that will bring multiple benefits of more jobs, better industrialization and cleaner environment.”

Christian Breyer, a professor for solar economy at LUT University, said, “Globally, the costs of solar and wind energy have been rapidly declining in recent years. Energy systems are poised to be transformed with high shares of renewables having solar energy and battery storage as the backbone, the study highlights for north India.” This research shows how to get one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world—Delhi-NCR—get sustainable energy by mid-century. Titled “Building Blocks of India’s Energy Future—North India’s Energy Transition based on Renewables”, the study models the transition is not only technically and financially feasible but the deep de-fossilization of northern India’s energy system would also generate five million jobs by 2050, compared to nearly three million jobs in 2020 with the current fossil-based energy system.