Catalyst for Change
CSTEP Annual Report highlights innovative solutions that drive change on the ground.
Our Annual Report 2023–2024 highlights how CSTEP continues to be a catalyst for change by building tools to support decision-making and developing innovative approaches to problems.
Air Quality: Over the years, our work on clean air for all has brought about real change on the ground. The scientific evidence we have gathered on identifying local sources of air pollution is informing city-level Clean Air Action Plans (CAAPs) across the country. The India Clean Air Summit (ICAS), our flagship event, has entered its sixth year, stimulating purposeful dialogue and collaborative action. We have developed high-resolution emission inventories for over 80 non-attainment and million-plus cities, which have helped us identify targeted air pollution reduction measures.
Energy: CSTEP has developed technologies for rooftop solar mapping of cities, calculating the potential of power generation and identifying the orientation of panels. As more states focus on meeting India’s commitment to developing 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030, CSTEP has been actively collaborating with many states, including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala, to devise their renewable energy plans for the future. It is important to note that when we approached state power departments to prepare a plan for 2030, many were keen on taking it a step further and planning for 2036, 2040, and beyond according to their vision.
Climate: Through economy-wide modelling and deep dives into sectors such as buildings, transport, and agriculture, our Sustainable Alternative Futures for India (SAFARI) model is furthering the importance of systems thinking in long-term forecasting and in informing policy discourse. It is one of the youngest models included in the IPCC Assessment Report (AR6) database. The team’s pioneering work in West Bengal, which culminated in the development of a climate co-benefits framework, has established the importance of measuring the climate co-benefits of development programmes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. We have also developed a PAN-India recycling framework for end-of-life photovoltaic (PV) waste, which is being disseminated to industry partners for uptake, in collaboration with the National Solar Energy Federation of India.
Digital: The Rooftop Solar Explorer (RTSE) tool developed by CSTEP enables consumers to assess rooftop solar potential and equips solar developers to set up rooftop systems, thereby accelerating the clean energy transition. The tool was piloted in Bengaluru in 2021 and launched in 2023 in several cities in Madhya Pradesh, such as Bhopal, Jabalpur, Indore, and Gwalior. It has also been implemented in cities in Chhattisgarh, such as Bilaspur, Korba, Durg, Raigad, and Raipur.
Strategic Initiatives: CSTEP had the opportunity to contribute to the safety and standards mechanism for carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) systems for a committee established by the NITI Aayog. We are also developing a comprehensive hydrogen ecosystem (H2 Valley) for various applications and examining the transition challenges within the freight segment.
Communication: eARTh, CSTEP’s latest initiative, explores the medium of art to nudge behavioural change towards climate action. This is a natural progression of the organisation’s belief that science can be an important decision-making tool for not only policymakers but also the public. The Initiative invites artists into the world of climate science and public policy to figure out how science and citizens can be brought together for climate action.
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