Energy is an indispensable input for economic growth and human development. There is a strong two-way relationship between economic development and energy consumption. To achieve a sustained economic growth rate of 8%-9%, till 2031/32 and to meet the lifetime energy needs of all its citizens, India needs, at the very least, to increase its primary energy supply by 3 to 4 times and its electricity generation capacity by approximately 6 times. Demand for energy will keep increasing because of accelerated industrialization, urbanization and an emerging consumer society.

This report accepts the premise that most energy efficiency technologies are cost effective and wind generation technology are lowest cost renewable energy sources, and that their implementation is hampered by institutional, procedural, and process barriers. This is not unique to India. There are lessons to be learnt from other developed and developing countries, such as the US and China, in understanding ways that energy efficiency and renewable energy could be promoted in the Indian market environment.