April 8, 2015, New Delhi: The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with India’s Ministry of Power (MOP) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) today organized a two-day national workshop on “Accelerating Clean Energy Deployment through Innovative Policies & Regulations.”  The workshop was organized as part of the U.S. - India “Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Deployment” Technical Assistance Program (PACE-D TA Program).

More than 100 speakers and participants from central and state policy and regulatory bodies and state nodal agencies took part in the workshop to deliberate on effective policy and regulatory frameworks needed to fast-track energy efficiency and renewable energy into mainstream investment decisions. India has set a target of producing 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022, and 24x7 Power for All.

The event was inaugurated by the Chairman of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, Gireesh Pradhan; the Secretary of MNRE, Upendra Tripathy; and USAID’s Deputy Assistant Administrator, Asia Bureau, Manpreet Singh Anand.

“As partners of the Government of India, USAID is heartened by the current context. India has chosen a green path to growth that treats the transition to a low-carbon economy as an economic opportunity. We are pleased to support this exchange on the design and implementation of instruments to accelerate clean energy deployment in India,” said Deputy Assistant Administrator Anand.

The workshop examined emerging trends in clean energy policies and regulations, including perspectives from consumers and industry. One highlight was the focus on decentralized generation, especially the solar rooftop schemes that India’s states are increasingly implementing. Other sessions discussed the use of energy conservation building codes to drive a shift toward low-energy buildings.

Representatives from all across the clean energy sector, financial institutions, research institutions, and civil society took part in the workshop. The speakers also included representatives from the International Energy Agency, American Council on Renewable Energy, U.S. and European regulators, and the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.