US-India Clean Energy Finance (USICEF)
From 2016-2023, CPI managed the US-India Clean Energy Finance (USICEF) initiative: India’s first project preparation and pipeline development facility to support promising distributed solar projects to develop into viable investment opportunities and drive long-term debt financing.
USICEF is a keystone of the commitment made between the Indian and US governments to mobilize finance for Indian distributed clean energy projects.
USICEF supported more than 45 early-stage businesses across 20 states in India that went on to mobilize more than 30x in commercial capital over the initial grants provided.
Featured work
Publication
The Future of Distributed Renewable Energy in India
India will require an annual DRE investment of USD 18 billion by 2024, a 10x increase from current levels to meet its sustainability targets. This CPI report outlines the benefits and market potential of India’s DRE sector, examines the current policy and institutional landscape, and provides tailor...
Publication
Credit Support Pathways for Rooftop Solar Projects in India
The proposed Credit Guarantee Mechanism addresses the most important barriers to scaling rooftop solar in the MSME sector; and could be crucial if India wants to achieve its rooftop solar target by 2022.
Publication
Drivers and Challenges for Rooftop Solar Loans to Small and Medium Enterprises in India
A CAPEX model with a commercial loan for the off-taker is a potential solution for these categories of customers. In this report, we assess the viability of the CAPEX loan model with a focus on the MSME sector, identify barriers to uptake, and recommended policy solutions to these barriers.
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Latest work
Publication
The State of Global Air Quality Funding 2026
The State of Global Air Quality Funding 2026 highlights challenges and opportunities for air quality action amid major shifts in global development finance. Drawing on the latest data and expert insights, it tracks five years of funding trends and explores how future finance can be better targeted.
Publication
Landscape of Climate Finance in Latin America and the Caribbean
Climate finance in Latin America and the Caribbean doubled to USD 108 billion in 2024, but growth has plateaued and investment remains below what the region needs. The report reveals where finance is flowing, where the gaps are, and where capital can help accelerate the region’s climate transition.
Publication
Unlocking Finance for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in Indian Cities
Building on previous research on financing urban Nature-based Solutions in India, this report examines nine case studies to explore how financing and business mechanisms have been applied in practice, key implementation challenges, and lessons to inform future NbS investments.
Publication
Top-down Climate Finance Needs
CPI collects and standardizes data on climate finance needs from a wide variety of scenarios to provide a comprehensive and unique understanding of the scale of the climate finance gaps in different sectors.
Data Visualization
Top-down Climate Finance Needs Data Dashboard
This dashboard tracks estimated mitigation climate finance required across different sectors to keep the average global temperature rise within 1.5°C by the end of the century.
Publication
Landscape of Technical Assistance to Agri-SMEs
This report maps over 200 organizations providing technical assistance (TA) to agri-SMEs across sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, providing insights for funders, investors, and TA providers to improve ecosystem efficiency.
