Energy, Environment and Climate Change

Programme About

The Energy and Environment Programme (EEP) teaches and carries out policy-focused research in energy, environment, and climate change. Despite the pandemic, EEP faculty and researchers published eleven papers in peer-reviewed journals, five papers in conference proceedings, one book chapter, and eight articles in national newspapers/magazines and delivered invited talks in other institutions. EEP faculty prepared a NIAS Policy Brief on a transition plan for the power sector. They conducted two stakeholder consultation workshops involving participants from the government and industry as well as experts from academia andcivil society. While NIAS recommendations related to thermal power plants are under implementation by the Government of India, the government also seeks periodic inputs from EEP faculty on matters related to energy and climate change policies. In the coming year, EEP faculty will continue to focus on emerging research areas, such as affordable energy security, water security, sustainable cities, and urban emissions.

Programme Head
R Srikanth R Srikanth
Professor and Dean
School: School of Natural Sciences and Engineering
Programme: Energy, Environment and Climate Change
Room no: S-11
Tel: 080-2218 5135 Fax: 080-2218-5028
rsrikanth@nias.res.in
Srikanth_NIAS_CV_September_2023.pdf
Faculty
AV Krishnan
Raja Ramanna Chair
Phone:
080-22185166
E-mail:
avkrishnan@nias.res.in
AarizAhmed
Doctoral Student
Phone:
+919810326878
E-mail:
aarizahmed066@gmail.com
Post-Doctoral Associate
Phone:
E-mail:
DK Srivastava
HONORARY VISITING PROFESSOR
Phone:
09836176868
E-mail:
dinesh.srivastava@nias.res.in
Gufran Beig
Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee Chair Professor
Phone:
080-22185076
E-mail:
beig@nias.res.in
Post-Doctoral Associate
Phone:
E-mail:
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ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
Phone:
E-mail:
M Gopalakrishnan
ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
Phone:
E-mail:
Doctoral Student
Phone:
E-mail:
R Srikanth
Professor
Phone:
Tel: 080-2218 5135 Fax: 080-2218-5028
E-mail:
rsrikanth@nias.res.in
Raja Ram Singh Yadav
Homi Bhabha Chair Visiting Professor
Phone:
080-22185169
E-mail:
rsyadav@nias.res.in
Rudrodip
Assistant Professor
Phone:
080-22185170
E-mail:
rudrodip@nias.res.in
Sandip Singha Roy
ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
Phone:
E-mail:
Phone:
E-mail:
Sudha.Mahalingam@nias.res.in
Sudip Kumar Kundu
Doctoral Student
Phone:
E-mail:
Tanmay Ghosh
Doctoral Student
Phone:
E-mail:
Tejal
Associate Professor
Phone:
080-22185167
E-mail:
tejalk@nias.res.in
Research Fellow
Phone:
E-mail:
Upendra Tripathy
ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
Phone:
E-mail:
Lavanyaa V P
Doctoral Student
Phone:
E-mail:
Energy Studies

Energy studies includes a very wide range of sub-themes. EECP contributes to many of these sub-themes through its research. This includes studies on the power sector specifically, e.g., evaluating reforms in the power sector, the role and scope of clean coal technologies, developing models for optimal electricity supply, and analysis of inter-regional power flows. Faculty and scholars at the EECP also do research on the energy sector as a whole, including and beyond the power sector, e.g., exploring the role of renewable energy systems and their potential impacts, modelling of solar thermal systems, exploring the potential for sustainable fuels in the transport sector, development of integrated energy-environment-economy models, evaluating the implications of energy transitions for labour and other developmental indicators, and energy use and mechanisation in agriculture, among others.

Environmental Studies

Faculty and research scholars at the EECP are involved in multiple projects that study various aspects of the interaction of human systems and settlements, and the environment. This includes studies on air quality and its impacts on public health, environmental policy and jurisprudence in coal mining regions, integrated water resource management, sustainable transportation in cities, vulnerability and adaptability of ecosystems, ecosystem services with a focus on aquatic systems, evaluating airshed properties of urban regions, rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems, and modelling urban micro-climates, among others.

Climate Studies

Research focusing specifically on climate change, includes studies on climate change mitigation, adaptation, and understanding and addressing vulnerability to climate change. This includes the study of global environmental and climate change policies, climate change negotiations, and exploring ideas of equity in climate action. EECP also studies the nature and scale of socio-economic impacts of weather variability, extreme events, and climatic uncertainty on production of goods and services. Understanding existing responses to ongoing changes and exploring methods of strengthening these responses with access to scientific knowledge and technological instruments is an important part of this work.

Interaction between Earth and Human Systems

Funding Agency: Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India 

Project Description:  This project is primarily designed to conduct PhD dissertation research inter alia in the following areas: 

  • Socio-economic impact of the Agrometeorology (Agromet) Advisory Services and Marine Fishery Advisories (MFAs) provided by IMD and INCOIS, respectively.
  • Impact of air pollution on public health
  • Strategies to enhance the sustainability of public transport
  • Developmental and environmental Impacts of select river linking projects
  • Policies and enablers to achieve SDG 7 (Clean and Affordable energy).

Besides, research is also being conducted on the microclimate of select metropolitan services and air pollution models.

Climate Change Mitigation in India’s Third National Communication

Funding Agency: Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, Government of India 

Project Description: This project aims to provide a draft of the chapter on “Climate Change Mitigation” for India’s Third National Communication to the UNFCCC. Climate change mitigation is one of the most important focus areas in climate policy. It encompasses a vast arena of interventions, policies, technological development, and deployment, that are aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, consequently leading to limiting the rise in global surface temperatures to below certain limits.  

The need to limit GHG emissions on a global scale is increasingly becoming an important determinant of energy policy, even in developing countries such as India. This is a consequence of the fact that effective global climate action requires some form of contribution to climate change mitigation from all nations.  The nature and scale of such contributions may of course vary based on the formulation of domestic policies in accordance with national circumstances, historical responsibility, and an assessment of the country’s role in the global arena. In this context, India’s contribution to climate change mitigation far exceeds its past and current responsibility in causing climate change, despite the developmental challenges the country faces, which are now further exacerbated by the prolonged COVID-19 crises on the domestic as well as international front. 

This is the context in which the assessment of India’s efforts on climate change mitigation will be evaluated and reported. Potential and existing interventions to reduce emissions by either increasing energy efficiency, substituting fossil fuels with green energy technologies, or replacing processes themselves where possible, undertaken in the country since the Second National Communication, will be discussed in this chapter. The chapter will discuss these in the context of India’s role in climate change mitigation as understood within the guiding principles of the UNFCCC, that underline the importance of equity and differentiated responsibility in climate action.

Role and Viability of Nuclear Power

Funding Agency: Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (A Government of India Enterprise) 

Project Description: Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) are based on well-established, safe, and environment-friendly technologies in India that can generate power on a 24x7 basis unlike VRE sources.  Based on the administrative approvals and financial sanctions accorded by the Government for future NPPs, the total installed nuclear power capacity in India is expected to rise to 22,480 MW by the middle of the next decade. Considering the total TPP capacity of 205 GW in India today and the aspirations of India’s young population there is a need to develop a national policy and strategy along with action plans to expedite the construction of NPPs in time to replace a significant part of TPP capacity. In the long term, given the imperatives of mitigating climate change, while meeting India’s developmental requirements, there is a need to realistically assess the potential for NPPs and conduct and honest and transparent comparative analysis of nuclear energy technology vis-à-vis other  technologies in terms of their best possible use in the Indian context. Such an analysis must also consider the strategic role and multiplier effect of NPPs on India’s economy as a whole. 

A Status Report on the Rare Earth (RE) Ecosystem in India

Funding Agency: IREL (India) Limited (A Government of India Enterprise) 

Duration: 9 months 

Project Description: The focus of the report will be on a RE Policy Framework for the Government of India to act on. A critical review of the current global RE industry will form the first section of the report. The second part will take stock of the status of RE developments in India. It will identify the prospects and problems for the development of a viable RE industry in the country. The third part will link Indian capabilities to the global scene and identify a set of options with a ranking scheme that has both supply (technology) side as well as demand (product/ market) side dimensions. The final section of the report will link the different strands into an integrated picture of the various options for consideration of decision and policy makers at the Government of India level. The aim of the report will be to provide a comprehensive assessment of commercial as well as strategic RE value chains. The focus will be on attaining self-sufficiency and meeting domestic needs through all available means that includes both indigenous development as well as technology transfer. The report will only address the downstream part of the RE value chains. In view of the importance of “Green Energy” as well as the initiatives already taken pertaining to Permanent Magnets in India, the report will lay special emphasis on these value chains.

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Rudrodip
NIAS
NIAS
SVP
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SVP
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Equity assessment of global mitigation pathways in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report
A United Nations Sustainable Development Journal
Exploring urban water-energy nexus: A case study of thermal power plants in Raichur and Ballari districts in Karnataka
S3
S3
S2
S2
S2
S1
S1
WCS
Hippu Salke Kristle Nathan
Sarvajeet K Sinha
EP
EP
Geospatial modelling for estimation of PM2.5 concentrations in two megacities in peninsular India
Geospatial modelling for estimation of PM2.5 concentrations in two megacities in peninsular India
EN
EN
AJ
AJ
EJ
CSTP
CSTP
Sage
Sage
Study of Different Flow Configurations of Radial Flow Annular Reactor for Thermochemical Energy Storage
Experimental Investigation of Stratified Sensible Thermal Energy Storage Using Silicone Oil
Societal Impact through eCooking Transition - Observations & Reflections
Assessment and Quantification of Methane Emission from Indian Livestock and Manure Management
Quantification and assessment of hazardous mercury emission from industrial process and other unattended sectors in India: A step towards mitigation
Sage
cpr
echnological Trends in Electric Passenge
Anthropogenic trace gases and their linkages to meteorology and climate change
Triple dip La-Nina, unorthodox circulation and unusual spin in air quality of India
Quantifying effects of long-range transport of NO2
G Parthasarathy
NIAS
Sub-segment-based approach for assessing growth and energy transition trajectories of Indian two-wheelers
Model simulation of carbonaceous fine particulate matter using SAFAR emission inventory and comparison with EDGAR-HTAP simulations
Assessing End-of-Life Room Air Conditioner
Myriad Ways in Which Things Could Have Gone Wrong but Did Not
Annular vertical cylindrical thermochemical storage system with innovative flow arrangements for improved heat dispatch towards space heating requirements
CSTP
Aerosol and Air Quality Research
Small Modular Reactors to Achieve SDG 7 and Net Zero Emission
Decadal growth in emission load of major air pollutants in Delhi
EJ
Functional Use-Based Positioning of Conventional Vehicles in Conjunction with Alternate Low-Emission Fuels
Gufran Beig
Proceedings of the 8th World Congress on Momentum, Heat and Mass Transfer (MHMT'23)
Simulating organic aerosol in Delhi with WRF-Chem using the VBS approach: Exploring model uncertainty with a Gaussian Process emulator
Development of a high-resolution emissions inventory of carbonaceous particulate matters and their growth during 2011–2018 over India
NIAS
Thermal stratification characteristics during simultaneous charging and discharging for different storage tank geometries with immersed discharging coil
Environmental Research
Assessment of hazardous radionuclide emission due to fly ash from fossil fuel combustion in industrial activities in India and its impact on the public
Understanding the influence of Summer Biomass Burning on Air Quality in North India: Eight Cities Field Campaign Study
Role of Coal in India’s Energy Transition
Equity assessment of global mitigation pathways in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report
The real issue at COP27 is energy equity
The real issue at COP27 is energy equity
CSTP
CSTP
CSTP
Moumita Mandal
AJ
Formulation of Prediction Model for Working Fluid Temperature in a Vertical Paraboloid Shaped Thermal Energy Storage Tank during Stand-Alone Operation
Is ultraviolet Radiation a Confounding Variable for COVID-19 in India?
Power Distribution Sector Reforms in India: Role of Regulators and The Private Sector
India Must Stay on its Clean Energy Path
How to make coal mining sustainable
Air quality in Bengaluru improves significantly post the lockdown
A jolt to National Energy Security
Costly solution:Careful on flue gas desulphurisers
A clean energy transition plan for India
Govt must address deep-rooted ills in coal sector
Why India needs a National Electricity Council
Current Science
Role of Electric Mobility in a Sustainable, Energy-Secure Future for India
Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020: Inviting a Bigger Crisis
The Contribution of Shield Movement to Airborne Dust Levels in Longwall Faces
Single Breakage Studies to Determine the Relationships between Respirable Dust Generation and Coal Seam Characteristics
Towards Sustainable Development: Planning Surface Coal Mine Closures in India
India’s Sustainable Development Goals – Glide Path for India’s Power Sector
Viability of Power Distribution in India – Challenges and Way Forward
Dispersion of Particulate Matter and Sulphur Oxides from Thermal Power Plant: A case study
EN
E
A Study of Air Quality in the Coalfields of NSW, Australia and Telangana, India
Geospatial modelling for estimation of PM2.5 concentrations in two megacities in peninsular India
Deepening the Climate Crisis
An integrated modeling framework for energy economy and emissions modeling: A case for India
Electricity (Amendment) Bill
The COVID-19 lockdown in India: Impacts on the economy and the power sector. Global Transitions
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Indian Economy: A Critical Analysis
Equity in Global Climate Policy and Implications for India’s Energy Future
Current Science, Vol 122, p 0557
Current Science, Vol 122,
Equity and Burden Sharing in Emission Scenarios: A Carbon Budget Approach
Sustainable Pathways to Energy Utilisation: Improving the environmental governance of coal mines in India through a unified authority
Urban Management
Harini Santhanam
Harini Santhanam
Blue-Green Infrastructure
Is India concerned about its energy security?
A jolt to national energy security.
Slowdown not the answer to clean air
Why farmers are protesting Electricity Amendment Bill, 2020
No, the lockdown is not a green moment.
A time for extraordinary action
What the 9-minute event means for the power grid.
Newsclick
Reject this inequitable climate proposal.
A time for extraordinary action
Power Play
Economic and Political Weekly
Tejal
Modi’s 450 GW renewable energy: Who will foot the bill?
Story of COP25: Climate Ambition in the Face of Climate Inaction
How to make coal mining sustainable
Sustainability of coal mining: Challenges and way forward
R Srikanth
Optimal Electricity Mix for the Southern Region.
R Srikanth
R Srikanth
R Srikanth
Air quality in Bengaluru improves significantly post the lockdown
Costly solution: Careful on flue gas Desulphurisers
Govt may do away with mandatory washing of coal for thermal power units
Executive Summary of the DST – NIAS Stakeholder Consultation workshop to discuss the NIAS Transition Plan for an Integrated Approach to Development and Environment in the Power Sector, DST – NIAS Virtual Workshop
Book Review of ‘Indian Fiscal Federalism’
A landscape analysis of fortification in Tamil Nadu using satellite images.
IHMTC2019-ENE-170
Study on the behaviour of thermal stratification in encapsulated PCM-based storage system.
Performance evaluation of an open thermochemical energy storage system integrated with flat plate solar collector.
Tuberculosis: A brief overview and recent advancements in clinical treatment.
Rudrodip
Framework for energy economy and emissions modeling: A case for India
India in a warming world
An Integrated Forecasts
Comparative evaluation of circular truncated-cone and paraboloid shapes for thermal energy storage tanks based on thermal stratification performance. 
Computational study of the performance of cascaded multi-layered packed-bed thermal energy storage for high temperature applications.
Hybridisation of geothermal source with ORC-based load loop for uninterrupted generation of steady power.
Transition plan for thermal power plants
Sustainable coal mining – stakeholder consultation workshop
Report of the expert group on washing of thermal coal is vital for India
Future of Coal in India
Viability of power distribution in India – challenges and way forward.
Permeable pavements as sustainable nature-based solutions for the management of urban lake ecosystems
Sludge hygienisation+ - a novel technology for urban areas to deal with incursion of COVID-19 viral particles in wastewater
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Why India needs a Coal Mines Environment Authority
Equity in Global Climate Policy and Implications for India’s Energy Future
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Energy
New Emission Norms
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Is India concerned about its energy security?
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imageImpact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Indian Economy: A Critical Analysis
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Past Events
NIAS EECP Workshop
Identification of Emission Hotspots using Drone Technology in Bengaluru
Energy, Environment and Climate Change Programme
Lecture Hall
27 June 2023, 1400 hrs
Lecture Hall NIAS Wednesday Discussion
International Collaborations in Basic Research and Conflicts between Nations
Dinesh Kumar Srivastava, Homi Bhabha Chair Professor, Energy, Environment and Climate Change Programme, School of Natural Sciences and Engineering
Lecture Hall
06 April 2022