The power sector plays an important role in India's climate mitigation strategy. In 2015, electricity generation in India alone generated 954 million tonnes of CO2. A transition to low carbon electricity generation, distribution and transmission can play a game-changing role in helping India achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions. This study aims to provide detailed insights into the future electricity-mix anticipated by various India specific modeling studies in the last five years and intends to address several energy policy issues in an Indian context.

Developing low carbon electricity transition roadmaps that evaluate future power supply options can prove important in contributing to India’s climate mitigation strategies. Electricity system modeling can help determine future trajectories and developments of the power sector, making it an important tool for nations in coming up with their energy policies. With energy modelling studies abounding, it is important to harmonize, compare and interpret the results of different modeling studies within a single framework.

Some questions that the study seeks to address include:

1. What kind of impacts could future electricity-mixes have on multiple sustainability indicators?

2. What are the projections for the major electricity sources in India’s future roadmaps?

3. How much increase in renewable energy share is expected across the modeling studies?

4. What types of electricity system models are prevalent in India-specific modeling studies?

5. How do future Indian electricity-mix projections compare with other emerging and developed economies across the world?

The methodology involves a comparative review of major low carbon electricity transition roadmaps developed specifically for India from a supply side perspective. 16 India-specific modeling studies with a total of 41 roadmap scenarios have been reviewed for the report.