Abhishek Nath is head of the energy and power sector at the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), a science and technology-based think tank. He entered this space during the early stages of climate and clean energy action. Nath started working in the energy and environment domain at TERI around the turn of the century, conducting energy audits in industries, disseminating technology in the small-scale sector, and engaging in early-stage climate action initiatives such as the National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, clean development mechanism projects, and green energy policy studies. During a secondment to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), he helped set up the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises programme. He also contributed to the International Energy Agency’s work on energy service companies. He has worked in the energy and climate domain for organisations such as WWF India and UNIDO, and for several for-profit companies.
Nath has been working with CSTEP for the past five years, overseeing work on grid planning, renewable energy and energy efficiency, energy storage, as well as regulatory and policy matters. In addition, he is involved in cross-sectoral work with the climate and strategic study teams at CSTEP. His primary interest lies in distributed renewable energy and transmission and distribution infrastructure. It excites him to see small innovative interventions driving policy change, such as the rooftop solar programme, which the prime minister has announced as the PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, covering 10 million households.
Nath believes in democratic leadership and encourages young individuals to come up with innovative ideas that can be converted into projects. He considers the opportunity to work on new ideas as the biggest advantage of the think tank space. He believes that in a country as diverse as India, a range of options are essential to achieve the goal of 500 GW of non-fossil energy by 2030. He aims to play a pivotal role in the ecosystem when India achieves this target.
Nath has a bachelor’s degree in materials and metallurgical engineering from IIT Kanpur and a master’s in industrial engineering from IIT Delhi. He has travelled across the country and has worked on energy and climate issues in almost all the states. In his leisure time, he pursues various interests, including gardening, carpentry and writing.
