US-India Clean Energy Finance (USICEF)
CPI manages 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.
Since 2017, US-India Clean Energy Finance has identified over 30 early-stage businesses across 20 states in India and has committed a total of $5.1 million in grant-based funding to these projects.
The initiative is led by Dhruba Purkayastha.
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 tailored recommendations for the different stakeholders.
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.
