Center for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP): Grantee Spotlight (Q2 2026)

Grantee spotlight: Center for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP)

The Giving Green Fund plans to award a grant to the Center for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP) to advance India's energy transition through complementary workstreams: 1) integrated grid planning in Andhra Pradesh and 2) evidence generation pilots for agrivoltaics in Uttar Pradesh. CSTEP is a leading Indian think tank working at the intersection of science, technology, and policy to drive solutions for clean energy, sustainable development, and inclusive growth.

CSTEP’s work falls within our philanthropic strategy of supporting a clean energy transition in LMICs and, more specifically, our sub-strategy to accelerate power sector decarbonization in India. Please see Giving Green’s strategy report for more information, including potential risks and co-benefits, recommended sub-strategies, theory of change, funding need, and key uncertainties.

Last updated: May 2026

What Is CSTEP?

The Center for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP), established in 2005, equips policymakers with scientific and technological solutions around a clean energy transition, clean air, and advancing sustainability and energy security in India. 

Within the energy sector, CSTEP acts as a technical and knowledge partner to various stakeholders, including national and state governments, electricity regulators, and utilities. It develops analytical tools, evidence-based solutions, and policy recommendations to help decision-makers plan and implement a clean energy transition. CSTEP's core expertise spans power system modeling, grid planning, techno-economic analysis, and renewable energy integration. 

What Are We Funding, and How Could It Help Address Climate Change?

We are excited to support CSTEP across two projects that address distinct but interconnected challenges in India's energy transition.

Integrated grid modeling: As part of our focus on strengthening grid infrastructure in India, we are funding CSTEP to conduct a first-of-its-kind integrated grid planning study for Andhra Pradesh, complementing existing transmission modeling with sub-transmission and distribution network modeling. Sub-transmission and distribution networks remain largely unmapped across India, limiting grid integration of distributed renewable energy (DRE)—such as energy from small-capacity solar plants, rooftop solar, batteries, and microgrids. CSTEP aims to address this gap through three key activities:

• Data collection and network modeling: Conducting statewide field surveys across electricity grid substations, modeling the state transmission and sub-transmission network, and detailed distribution network mapping for a selected zone in Visakhapatnam.
• Enhance the network hosting capacity: Assessing the capacity of the sub-transmission and distribution networks through load flow analysis to analyze system adequacy for integration of higher DRE in the state, and recommending the required network strengthening measures along with investment requirements.
• Optimal energy storage sizing and siting for DRE integration: Performing scenario modeling to identify DRE hosting capacity constraints and determine optimal size and site of energy storage across distribution substations, feeders, and distribution-transformer levels to improve grid reliability, reduce congestion, and support higher DRE integration.
• GIS-based land tool: Creating a GIS-based land tool to identify low-conflict, feasible land parcels integrated with the transmission and distribution network, along with mapping of feasible DRE and storage locations.

This integrated grid modeling work will help to effectively deploy 7 GW of DRE in Andhra Pradesh while increasing grid flexibility and resilience. Beyond Andhra Pradesh, this work will generate evidence to inform national distribution planning guidelines and provide a replicable planning and optimization framework for other states. 

AgriPV pilots in UP: As part of our focus on scaling energy supply through alternative deployment models in India, we are also funding CSTEP to advance agrivoltaics (agriPV) in Uttar Pradesh. AgriPV is a dual-use approach that co-locates solar panels with agricultural land, generating clean energy while supporting crop production on the same land. CSTEP will build on its prior fieldwork on agriPV in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh (MP) to move from research toward evidence-generation pilots:

• Facilitation cells and pilot deployment: Establish ten district-level facilitation cells, and assist in the commissioning of at least ten agrivoltaics pilots led by farmer-producer organizations (FPOs). 
• Agrivoltaics atlas: Creating a GIS tool mapping land, crop patterns, and nearby demand centers to guide site selection and system design.
• Bankable project pipeline, financing models, and market linkages: Developing investment-ready projects, financing solutions, and market linkages (such as supplying electricity for cold storage and processing facilities) for diversified revenue generation opportunities.

By shifting farmer reliance on diesel-based electricity toward clean energy sources, this work creates a direct pathway for emissions reduction. The pilots will generate evidence to support state-level implementation and scale up in land-constrained and agriculture-dependent states, while also informing revisions to the national AgriPV policy. The work also offers strong co-benefits, including higher farmer incomes, reduced groundwater overextraction, and improved rural energy access. While we remain uncertain about the scalability of FPO-led models given policy and financing constraints, we think these pilots are critical for testing the viability of AgriPV models in India.

Why Do We Think CSTEP Will Use This Funding Well?

CSTEP has strong power sector expertise and has experience developing transmission planning models used by state utilities, providing analytical inputs to Central and State Electricity Regulatory Commission proceedings, and advising NITI Aayog—the Government of India’s policy think tank—on energy transition strategy. Through our previous grants, CSTEP is developing a roadmap for decarbonizing India's thermal power plants, creating the first Net-Zero roadmaps for DISCOMs, and providing transmission planning guidance for Tamil Nadu—all work that is directly informing state-level decision-making.

For the grid planning work, CSTEP secured a formal request from Andhra Pradesh's state utilities (both the transmission and distribution companies) to undertake this study, an institutional endorsement of their credibility and the strength of their relationships with key decision-makers. The proposed work builds on proven capabilities, as CSTEP has already modeled a limited number of distribution substations in the state and previously developed GIS-based land assessment tools for Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and MP.

For the AgriPV work, Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) has specifically requested CSTEP to develop an AgriPV roadmap for Uttar Pradesh, reflecting strong state-level buy-in. CSTEP has conducted field studies in Karnataka and MP, onboarded key implementation partners, and is providing technical inputs to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on revisions to the national agrivoltaics component under PM-KUSUM 2.0.

Philanthropic funding to support utilities and evidence generation pilots for new deployment models remains limited. Our grant is particularly valuable in the case of the integrated grid modeling work, which has neither been undertaken nor funded before in India. We are excited to support CSTEP as it is well-positioned to advance both workstreams given its strong technical capabilities, stakeholder relationships, and focus on replicable, policy-relevant outputs. 

Giving Green believes that additional climate donations are likely to be most impactful when directed to our Top Climate Nonprofits. For several reasons, we may choose to recommend grants to other organizations for work that we believe is at least as impactful as grants to our top recommendations. We are highlighting this grant to offer transparency to donors to the Giving Green Fund, as well as to provide a resource for donors who are particularly interested in this impact strategy. This is a nonpartisan analysis (study or research) and is provided for educational purposes.