Projects

Against the backdrop of India’s commitment to net zero transition by 2070 as also to the socio-economic and environmental betterment in the form of the SDGs, DRE (decentralized renewable energy) technologies have an important role to play. An ongoing year-long project based on extensive secondary data reviews, consultations and short field studies aimed at baselining, envisioning, partnership building and policy analysis to foster a stronger ecosystem for DRE in India with a focus on North East region.

The project is undertaken in close partnership with CLEAN, the industry association for DRE in India.

Key project outputs are now available online:

WEFT is partnering with Development Solutions for Monitoring-Learning- Evaluation for a long-term industrial decarbonisation initiative involving several think-tanks like TERI, CEEW and CPI. Decarbonisation efforts being studied span hard-to-abate sectors like steel and cement as well as associated MSME sectors. The focus in this decarbonisation initiative is on energy efficiency improvement, renewable energy integration and CCUS (carbon capture, utilization, storage) alongside market-creation for low-carbon / green outputs.

The WEFT team has been engaging with CLEAN (Clean Energy Access Network) and GIZ through various editions of the India Clean Cooking Forum (ICCF) to help shape recommendations for ensuring clean cooking energy for all with a focus on renewable energy.  ICCF outcomes report and recommendations were collated by WEFT in partnership with CLEAN.

In partnership with and KPMG-India and Ashden India Renewable Energy Collective, the WEFT team sought to understand the impacts of ongoing power sector reforms in 2018-19. The intent was to advance recommendations to make specific power sector schemes more gender-sensitive and socially inclusive. The study involved field surveys and extensive consultations with government officials in Bihar, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The reports on examining inclusion for two programmes – UJALA, an LED bulbs-focused programme and DDUGJY the flagship rural electrification programme, are available here:

The Indian bricks sector is crucial from the point of view of India’s energy transition. As the second largest producer of bricks in the world, Over 200,000 kilns in India employ nearly 15 million people in this sector and consume over 30 million tonnes of coal annually. At over 65 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, this sector is an important target for abatement. There are enormous possibilities for brick kilns to adopt environment-friendly, energy-efficient and resource-efficient practices and technologies. The focus of an effort (in partnership with Greentech Knowledge Solutions and Climate and Health Research Network) was to evaluate the economics of such transitions and explore financing options. The report from an initial exploratory phase, based on a few case studies and consultations, ought to understand the risks and opportunities in this sector. Along with cKinetics, the team sought to engage with progressive clay bricks enterprises and technology suppliers – in bootcamp mode – to move towards more resource-efficient models of brick-making by enabling financing and development of business models.

Mini and micro hydro plants are difficult to run in stand-alone mode due to variations between load and generation at various times of the year.  Due to seasonal fluctuations in the availability of power these plants face the risk of abandonment in the face of arrival of the grid (albeit unreliable). Hybridisation of a certain RE with other RE can often improve reliability. Additionally, the inclusion of micro controllers and grid-interaction and linkages with productive energy uses makes these systems sustainable even after the grid arrives. This constituted the basic rationale for a project involving a grid-interactive micro hydel-solar hybrid system as a pilot plant in Upper Killing, Assam. A recently completed project – supported by Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation– sought to demonstrate the techno-economic viability of solar hybridisation and grid-interactivity of small hydro plants, with a geographical focus in the Himalayan states and the states of West Bengal and Odisha. The project team developed business models and policy suggestions for micro hydro to evolve into a sustainable option for improving energy access in different contexts. Detailed Project Reports and Project Information Memorandums were developed for three varied sites: a remote tribal village in Odisha, a tea estate in Meghalaya and a social enterprise campus in Manipur. The project was executed in technical partnership with the NB Institute of Rural Technology.

A document summarising the observations from this project is available here

WEFT Research partnered with Hansa research, one of India’s leading market research agencies to undertake a study of the Indian biogas market. The focus was on understanding customer aspirations of and responses to biogas systems, while engaging with dealers, retailers and financiers to assess their expectations and knowledge about portable biogas systems.  The study was undertaken for Engie, a French multinational with electricity, gas and energy services as its core businesses.

A label on a cooking energy product that allows an easy understanding of all the features of the product (cleanliness and efficiency of combustion as well as key user preferences) would help consumers choose the product most suited to their needs. Indications of how a stove performs on specific criteria will help researchers and product developers to focus on relatively “weaker” aspects of the product, making the process of product development research more targeted and meaningful. This approach would also be tremendously beneficial for policy makers and funders as well as for retailers and buyers in making appropriate choices. This will ensure that clean cooking energy solutions do not just get distributed or sold, but also get actually used, which is critical to delivering the desired indoor air quality and health benefits.

WEFT Research partnered in a consortium with Clean Energy Access Network (CLEAN) to develop a system of labelling / marking and rating solid biomass cookstoves targeted to help the following stakeholder groups:

• consumers to choose products best suited to their needs and aspirations
• researchers and product developers to identify specific areas for product development
• policy makers and funders as well as retailers to design targeted support measures

Drawing on review of various rating systems, detailed consultations and field studies, the project team arrived at a labelling system that covered thermal efficiency, environmental performance (CO and PM2.5), safety and user expectations (cooking versatility and heat output controllability).

A presentation on the proposed labelling system is available here.

WEFT partnered with Vasudha Foundation and German Watch, to undertake detailed multi-stakeholder consultations and site visits in the city of Gurgaon to understand the needs, aspirations, perceptions of the city of Gurgaon on various aspects of climate-compatible cities including

• Integration of renewable energy and energy efficiency
• Solid waste management
• Wastewater management, water conservation and rainwater harvesting
• Sustainable transport

The team developed case studies around the practices and systems adopted by several residential complexes, office complexes and commercial centres. Gurgaon has vibrant civil society organisations working on various aspects of sustainability and their efforts were also documented. . This initiative was supported by CDKN (Climate and Development Knowledge Network).

In partnership with Greentech Knowledge Solutions supported by UNDP-India and drawing on the past work on solar water heating by Greentech and others, WEFT helped put together targeted, reader-friendly and implementation-ready material on solar water heating for two sets of stakeholders.:

1. Solar Water Heating in India: A Ready Reckoner for Policy-makers and Businesses – is focused on market segmentation, financing and policy imperatives.
2. Solar Water Heating in India: A user manual for implementers and practitioners – contains technical information on design, installation and on operation & maintenance; and is targeted at technicians, manufacturers, aggregators

WEFT is committed to developing several other easy-to-use knowledge products and manuals for specific audiences on subjects relevant for transitions to sustainability.

• As part of briefing to parliamentarians on the potential for renewable energy to green rural lives and livelihoods, WEFT worked with the Ashden India Renewable Energy Collective to develop a Toolkit for integrating DRE to create green and self-reliant villages.
• The WEFT team was involved in developing a Flagship Report on Best Practices and Success Stories in Wildlife Conservation and Ecosystem Management in India for the period 2014-2023”.
• The team also supported the finalisation of the publication – National Multidimensional Poverty Index for India by NITI Aayog.