3 March 2011: The International Energy Agency (IEA) has published a working paper titled “Technology Development Prospects for the Indian Power Sector,” as a part of its four country case study series on energy trends.

Stating that social and economic development in India depends on access to modern forms of energy, the paper investigates the mix of technologies needed to achieve deep emission cuts in the Indian power sector while keeping pace with the strong growth in energy requirements. The IEA argues that investment in low-carbon power technologies will help achieve universal energy access for the over 400 million Indians currently without access to electricity.

The paper finds that India will face significant challenges in achieving these goals and that success will mean commitment to deal with numerous simultaneously, including geographically uneven distribution of natural resources, financial constraints and high system losses. The report concludes that accelerated exploitation of natural resources and increased transmission and distribution capacity are essential to overcome current challenges. [Publication: Technology Development Prospects for the Indian Power Sector]