Energy Access

Despite the rapid developments in clean energy solutions, 1.1 billion people around the world still live without access to any form of electricity. We work on initiatives that use sustainable energy as a catalyst for socio-economic development of rural communities in a gender-inclusive manner. Innovations in technological solutions, business models, partnerships, and knowledge generation remain the cornerstones of our action-research.

energy-access

NEW IN ENERGY ACCESS

  • lighting billion lives

    Discussion Paper

    Potential for electrifying Indian MSMEs

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  • micro grid installation

    Report

    Renewable Energy to Responsible Energy: A Call to Action

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  • micro credit

    Article

    Bringing down the sun to power India's small enterprises

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  • micro credit

    Article

    Firewood Consumption and Forest Degradation in Himalayan states: A Review of Research Gaps

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  • energy access

    Blog

    Improving reliability for underserved communities: How lessons from Nigeria could strengthen the Indian electricity grid

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Projects

Scaling up of Solar PV

Scaling up of Solar PV in Chitarpur sewing cluster of Ramgarh, Jharkhand

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Articles

Hope amidst floods and challenges – A story on IDES technology "Lighting a Billion Lives Program" of TERI from Bihar

Dr Amit Kumar Thakur
,
Mr Arun Kumar

Hope amidst floods and challenges – A story on IDES technology "Lighting a Billion Lives Program" of TERI from Bihar

In response to the demand for clean energy access in rural households, TERI, in collaboration with JEEViKA and J-WiRES, has implemented ‘Lighting a Billion Lives’ in Bihar. The programme proved to be a game-changer for rural households.

Tourism in the new normal post Covid-19: Is eco-tourism the solution?

Ms Rashmi Murali

The acknowledgement by policymakers, host communities, and even some travellers on the negative effects of mass tourism have led to formulation of policies on sustainable tourism

Sustainable tourism builds on the basic principles of local procurement while assimilating local culture.

Firewood Consumption and Forest Degradation in Himalayan states: A Review of Research Gaps

Dr Deborshi Brahmachari

The usage and dependence on firewood is more prominent in the Indian Himalayan region due to the additional requirements of room and water heating throughout the year

Improving reliability for underserved communities: How lessons from Nigeria could strengthen the Indian electricity grid

Dr Debajit Palit

Designed to help address the millions of customers who remain underserved in Nigeria, the undergrid model has wide-reaching implications for countries – worldwide – particularly countries like India, where reliable last-mile supply of electricity continues to be a challenge.

Bringing down the sun to power India's small enterprises

Mr Prashanta Kumar Swain

A study by TERI explored the feasibility and potential of solar PV applications in the MSME sector in rural India. Here's what it found

Can decentralised cold storage models be a piece of the puzzle in easing farmer distress?

Mr Amit Kumar

Decentralised models such as solar-biomass cold storage can help preserve horticultural produce, giving farmers the freedom to look for the best price and providing a buffer in uncertain times like the Covid-19 crisis

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Events

WSDS 2026 Thematic Track: Accelerating AgriPV in India: From Pilots to Policy-Led Scale-Up

February 25, 2026
to February 25, 2026

India is advancing rapidly toward its clean energy and decarbonisation goals, with a commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070. Electricity consumption crossed 1,532 TWh in 2024 and is growing at nearly 7% annually, with future demand expected to rise sharply due to electric vehicles, data centres, and green hydrogen, which together could contribute 20–25 per cent of incremental demand. Meeting this growth while conserving land and water resources highlights growing pressures across the Water–Energy–Food (W–E–F) nexus.

TERI and CSR TIMES Forge Strategic Alliance via an MoU

January 6, 2026
to January 6, 2026

TERI and CSR TIMES entered into a formal strategic partnership on January 6, 2026. This collaboration was solidified through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Dr Dipankar Saharia, Senior Director, TERI, and Mr Harish Chandra, Publisher and Managing Editor of CSR TIMES. The agreement marks a transition from traditional philanthropy toward a robust, knowledge-driven CSR ecosystem designed to align corporate resources with India’s national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

WSDS 2025 Thematic Track - Growth of Per Capita Energy Consumption in India: Role of LiFE Initiative

March 5, 2025
to March 5, 2025

India, the world's third-largest energy consumer, presents a paradox: despite its massive energy demand, the country's per-capita energy and electricity consumption remains significantly low. This disparity is evident in India's per-capita energy consumption, which is approximately one-third of the global average, while its per-capita electricity consumption stands at merely 40% of the global average. As the fifth-largest economy and the most populous country globally, India is poised for sustained high economic growth, driven by its Vikshit Bharat aspiration.

Coal Dependence: Lives in an Extractive Economy Photo Exhibition

July 25, 2024
to July 25, 2024

The photo exhibition "Coal Dependence: Lives in an Extractive Economy", curated as a part of the "Just Transition: Understanding and the Implications of Moving Away from Coal" project supported by the MacArthur Foundation, was held in the Seminar Hall, Ground Floor, TERI, India Habitat Centre from July 25th to July 26th 2024. The exhibition intended to illuminate the lives of communities that are intricately connected to the coal economy, which is at the heart of the just energy transition debate.

World Sustainable Development Summit 2024

February 7, 2024
to February 9, 2024

 7-9 February 2024 | New Delhi

COP28 Side Event | Just Energy Transitions and SDGs: Tools and Enablers

December 5, 2023
to December 5, 2023

Energy transition is key to meeting the Paris Agreement temperature goals. Energy contributes the largest share to net global greenhouse gas emissions when considering both supply and demand sectors. According to the IPCC, CO2 from fossil fuels and industry accounted for 64% of the share of global net anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases in 2019.

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News

From Lighting Lives to Powering Livelihoods: TERI's LaBL 2.0 Targets the Next Billion

March 6, 2026 |
March 10, 2026
The Tribune

Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) emphasized that India’s low per capita energy consumption reflects challenges of accessibility and affordability, particularly in rural areas. Guided by the vision of universal and affordable energy access, TERI launched the Lighting a Billion Lives initiative to support inclusive and sustainable development.

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From Lighting Lives to Powering Livelihoods: TERI's LaBL 2.0 Targets the Next Billion

March 7, 2026 |
March 10, 2026
Business Standard

Building on the transformative success of TERI’s original Lighting a Billion Lives (LaBL) initiative, which demonstrated how DRE can empower communities, LaBL 2.0 moves beyond the basic energy access. The LaBL 2.0 focuses on enabling large-scale productive use of DRE, promoting green livelihoods and women-led enterprises, strengthening local clean energy value chains for wider impact.

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TERI launches LaBL 2.0 to power green livelihoods in India

February 27, 2026 |
March 9, 2026
Manufacturing Today

At a pivotal moment in India’s clean energy transition, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) launched LaBL 2.0 at a ‘Dinner of Hope’ in New Delhi, aiming to leverage decentralised renewable energy for green livelihoods and women-led entrepreneurship. 

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From lighting lives to powering livelihoods: TERI's LaBL 2.0 targets the next billion

March 8, 2026 |
March 9, 2026
The Times of India

At a defining moment in India's clean energy transition, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) launched LaBL 2.0 (Lighting a Billion Lives 2.0) at an inspiring 'Dinner of Hope' in New Delhi, reimagining decentralized renewable energy as a catalyst for green livelihoods, women-led entrepreneurship, and measurable climate action.

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NGT seeks report on pollution from coal-based rotary kilns in steel production

August 21, 2025 |
August 21, 2025
Down to Earth

Petitioner argues for a shift to clean fuels like hydrogen or natural gas. In support of the petition, reference was made to several expert studies. A report by The Energy and Resources Institute, Financing Decarbonization of the Secondary Steel Sector in India: Towards an Enabling Environment, was cited to show pathways for reducing carbon emissions. The report proposes replacing obsolete technologies with modern, cost-effective options such as DRI, Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF), Induction Furnaces (IF) and re-rolling mills.

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Union Budget 2024: What are the new initiatives in energy security?

July 23, 2024 |
July 23, 2024
The Week

There are a few new initiatives in the energy sector in the union budget 2024. Except for the announcement to set up a Critical Mineral Mission for domestic production, recycling of critical minerals, and overseas acquisition of critical mineral assets, the budget provisions in the energy sector are strengthening existing schemes.

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Policy

Green Steel by 2030: Building the business case for the first green steel plant in India

January 22, 2026

Green Steel by 2030: Building the business case for the first green steel plant in India presents new analysis to support steel companies, policymakers, financiers, and civil society in identifying the conditions necessary to make commercial-scale green steel viable in India.

India’s PV Manufacturing & Its Strategic Inflection Points

January 9, 2026

The report, “India’s PV Manufacturing & Its Strategic Inflection Points,” was released on 9 January 2026, at the ITC Maurya, New Delhi. The launch took place between 6:30–7:00 PM as a cornerstone of the formal unveiling of India’s National Cleantech Manufacturing Implementation Plan during the Bharat Climate Forum 2026.

Just Energy Transition Partnerships, Climate Action, and Minilateralism

November 24, 2023

Transitioning towards clean energy and renewable sources is a significant measure to restrict Greenhouse Gas emissions and meet the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement. Upcoming minilateral mechanisms, especially partnerships such as JETPs, despite setting ambitious targets have little to offer on recognizing the specific needs of the Global South to support sustainable energy transitions.

Clean fuel for cooking: Solution to achieve better air quality

February 5, 2021

The discussion paper 'Clean Fuel for Cooking: Solution to Achieve Better Air Quality' aims to analyse and estimate the financial support that may be required to encourage Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) consumers to switch to LPG for cooking their major meals, over and above the existing subsidy and other financial incentives, as well as to identify a

Opportunities with Biofuel: Co-benefit of Air Quality Improvement

December 5, 2019

While biofuels have been discussed as one of the ways to reduce air pollution, changing the process of bio-diesel production is needed to reduce tailpipe emissions of nanoparticles. These are lesser known pollutants even more harmful than PM2.5 and PM10.

An implementation plan for a kerosene-to-solar subsidy swap

April 25, 2019

A new report provides a six-step implementation plan for governments to switch kerosene subsidies to solar and ensure clean energy for all

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Services

CSR engagements to provide clean energy solutions

We customize and disseminate clean technologies to facilitate the energy starved population in benefitting from clean and affordable solar lighting solutions. This is done by replacing kerosene/paraffin lanterns with solar lighting devices, thereby facilitating the provision of better illumination, and a kerosene smoke-free indoor environment for women.

Impact evaluation of CSR intiatives

We help prepare impact evaluation reports of the CSR initiatives for communities.

Team

Dr Amit Kumar Thakur

Associate Director, Social Transformation and CSR

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Headquarters

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)     
Darbari Seth Block, Core 6C,     
India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road,     
New Delhi - 110 003, India

 
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mailbox@teri.res.in

 
Call Us

(+91 11) 2468 2100, 7110 2100