India's energy challenges

India and China are fast becoming global giants. Because of an economic growth at about 10 per cent per year over the last one or two decades, their impact on the rest of the world is becoming highly visible - not least in the field of energy. The article analyses India's energy supply situation and IEA's estimates for the next decade. It also discusses India's increased need for and import of fossil fuels, the increased emission of greenhouse gases, and the very uneven distribution of energy consumption. Among the more prominent issues discussed are subsidised or free electricity for agriculture, the immense poverty, and the soft state and corruption. Among India's strong points in facing the energy challenges, two are focused upon here. The article underlines the high level of engineering capacity in the country, central to the development of renewable energy, and the democratic institutions that enable political participation in and influence on energy and climate issues.