India, United States Seek Proposals for Innovative Off-Grid Clean Energy Projects

In another step forward for the U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE), U.S. Ambassador to India Richard Verma announced today that up to $2 million in grants will be made available for innovative, early-stage off-grid clean energy projects in the first round of the PACEsetter Fund, a joint 50 crore rupee ($7.9 million) fund established in June by the Governments of India and the United States to accelerate the commercialization of off-grid clean energy solutions.  Initial expressions of interest are due October 16,2015.

Speaking at the inaugural India Off-Grid Energy Summit, Ambassador Verma also announced the launch of a new public-private partnership that will work to mobilize $41 million in finance to enable clean energy entrepreneurs to sustain and scale their business models beyond the early stage targeted by the PACEsetter Fund.  This effort, a partnership between New Ventures India, Insitor Management, the Global Social Business Incubator at Santa Clara University, and USAID/India, aims to help 1 million Indians gain access to electricity through off-grid clean energy solutions.

Taken together, these two announcements advance President Obama and Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to embark on a new and enhanced strategic partnership on energy security, clean energy, and climate change.  They are major milestones for Promoting Energy Access through Clean Energy (PEACE), a PACE initiative focused on harnessing commercial enterprise to bring clean energy access to unserved and underserved individuals and communities.