Sustainable Energy Transition in South Asia

With South Asia's growing energy demand, governments in the region are facing the short-term pressures of facilitating energy access, while attempting to formulate long-term sustainable strategies. This book explores how the key economies of South Asia are addressing issues such as the diversification of energy consumption profiles and import sources, investments in renewables, enabling universal energy access, challenges to regional energy cooperation, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, and the policy changes that can foster bilateral and multilateral action. As governments seek to ensure access to affordable, reliable, secure, sustainable and modern energy, trends and drivers are emerging and shaping the South Asian energy landscape. The first section of the book examines energy trends at the regional level, while the second section focuses on the internal and external challenges faced by India — the largest energy consumer in the region and the third-largest energy consumer in the world. The diverse perspectives in this volume provide a holistic snapshot of South Asia's ongoing low-carbon energy transition, and highlight the importance of the region working collectively to navigate the many obstacles.Contents: About the Contributors Introduction (S Narayan, Christopher Len and Roshni Kapur) South Asia: Energy Demand in South Asia: Implications for the Future (S Narayan) Addressing Challenges to Regional Energy Cooperation in South Asia (Mirza Sadaqat Huda) Regional Integration through Energy Connectivity: The Low Hanging Fruit for South Asia (Syed Munir Khasru) Progression of Renewable Energy Development for Electricity in South Asia: Drivers and Challenges (Thusitha Sugathapala) Transitioning Sustainability through Cross-border Energy Trade in South Asia (Riasat Noor) Climate and Energy Transition in South Asia: The Role of Regional Cooperation (Nitya Nanda) India: Transitioning Towards a Sustainable Energy Future: Challenges and Opportunities for India (Vikram Singh Mehta) India's Belated Energy Transitions: Prospects for Leapfrogging to Low Carbon Sources (Lydia Powell) Solar Energy Financing in India (Amitendu Palit) South Asia's Energy Transition: Key Issues and the Path Ahead (Christopher Len and Roshni Kapur) Readership: Undergraduate students/lecturers of energy economics, South Asian studies, international economics, and Asian politics, and general readers interested in sustainable energy research.South Asia;India;Low Carbon Energy Transition;Regional Energy Cooperation;Energy Access;Renewable Energy;Sustainable Energy0Key Features: The book provides a holistic snapshot of South Asia's on-going low carbon energy transition at both the regional and national levels. The energy security of South Asian countries is interconnected, with India being a key actor in driving energy cooperation. There are two issues in this book. The first is the issue of regional cooperation that has been stalled for a long-time. The second is the issue of South Asia in general transitioning from a fossil fuel-based energy economy to a low-carbon economy in the context of enabling universal energy access and combatting climate change This edited volume examines the internal and external challenges India faces as one of the largest global energy consumers, and the prospects for closer energy cooperation between India and its South Asian neighbours South Asia's energy transition is a topic of growing interest. With a diverse range of authors from varying backgrounds, this edited volume contextualizes how the low carbon energy transition process is unfolding in the South Asia region. It also examines how the South Asian countries are faring in terms of the United National Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 on ensuring affordable and clean energy access