My research focuses on climate finance, sustainable investment strategies, and economic policy. By leveraging data-driven insights and financial modeling, I aim to contribute to the development of innovative financial solutions for a more sustainable future.
The article proposes sustainability-linked green bonds (SLGBs) as a solution for India to balance its growing energy needs with climate goals while addressing the sensitive issue of coal power plant retirement. It suggests that private utilities controlling 35% (73 GW) of India’s coal capacity could use SLGBs to finance the repurposing of coal plants into […]
The article discusses how India’s 63 million MSMEs, which contribute 30% of GDP and consume 20-25% of industrial energy, struggle to access financing for decarbonization despite high energy costs (10-30% of production costs). It proposes a green finance platform governed by SIDBI to help MSMEs access green bond capital, leveraging SIDBI’s AAA credit rating and […]
The report examines how NTPC and Tata Power need massive capital to transform into clean energy companies, requiring access to foreign capital markets through sustainability-linked bonds and loans. To achieve India’s 2070 net-zero target, which needs US$10.1 trillion (with US$8.4 trillion for the energy sector alone), these companies must establish science-based emissions reduction frameworks. Currently, […]
The article argues that India needs a green taxonomy to address two major issues in sustainable finance markets: capital not reaching needed assets and greenwashing. With banks holding US$2.5 trillion in assets and insurance companies managing Rs49 trillion (US$636 billion), India’s financial institutions need clear guidelines to assess climate risks and align investments with sustainability […]
The Battery Subscription Facility is a conceptual financial instrument designed to address key barriers to electric bus adoption in India. The proposed mechanism would reduce upfront costs by 40-50% through a battery-as-a-service model, where the Facility would own batteries while bus operators subscribe to their use on a daily or per-kilometer basis. If implemented, this […]
India aims for a renewable energy target of 175 GW by 2022, including 40 GW from rooftop solar, requiring an estimated USD 39 billion to achieve, with only 1.25 GW currently installed. This paper, developed by Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), and ICRIER, proposes using municipal bonds to finance rooftop solar projects. […]
The Solar Investment Trusts (SEITs) are innovative investment vehicles designed to help small-scale rooftop solar developers in India raise equity capital at lower financing costs. Structured as Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs), they pool multiple solar projects to reduce risk through diversification and increase market participation by opening investment to various investor classes with different risk […]
This report analyzes pathways for decarbonizing Indian Railways (IR), the world’s second largest railway network and India’s largest electricity consumer. The study finds that complete decarbonization through a mix of solar and wind power would be 17-32% cheaper for traction operations and 40-61% cheaper for non-traction operations compared to business-as-usual by 2030. The authors recommend […]
India ranks fifth in wind energy installations in the world; with an installed wind capacity is 22 GW at the end of 2014. This has been made possible by a combination of federal financial incentives and state-level feed in tariffs. The federal policies are accelerated depreciation, which allows for higher depreciations in earlier years; and […]
The FX Hedging Facility is a customizable currency hedging product comprised of a foreign exchange (FX) hedging facility backed by an FX tail risk guarantee. The mechanism targets a particular tranche of FX risk and allows allocation of risks to suitable parties, and also eliminates the credit risk premium otherwise charged in a commercial currency […]