Financing India’s Green Leap | Episode 15

There is a sudden upsurge of green sector financing in the world - from direct climate financing, ESG goals, to green bonds. India, one of the fastest growing energy markets with ambitious renewable energy plans is looking at these modes to fuel its green targets. How successful though we have been? And as the country and key investors in the green energy space look outward, does India have a robust domestic financing model or agencies to support its green dreams? In this episode, we interviewed Kanika Chawla to understand how climate and green energy financing works. We also explored whether the latest green financing trends are sustainable. Kanika is the program manager for the United Nations Inter-agency Mechanism on Energy where she is working on Sustainable energy for all. She has earlier worked with Centre for Energy Environment & Water in India. Time stamp: 0:00 - Podcast intro 1:22 - Intro of guest 2:17 - Kanika’s journey, key projects by her 9:54 - Challenge or Reward of being a woman professional in a male-dominated energy sector 13:59 - Prevalent financing models in the clean energy sector 22:28 - Financing options for a renewable company who wants to start projects in India 27:56 - Has financing fallen behind the growth of solar and wind in India? 33:11 - Is renewable manufacturing the stepson of financing? 37:43 - Lack and need of proper financing ecosystem for the renewable sector in India 44:04 - Financing support to state owned power distribution companies 51:17 - Are ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) funds a fad or are sustainable? 56:41 - Role and importance of this COP26 in accelerating green energy transition 01:05:43 - Podcast outro Follow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.