India{\textquoteright}s heavy dependence on\ imported oil\ (90 \%) and industrial\ coking coal\ (80 \%) exposes the country to the volatility in global energy markets, impacting foreign exchange reserves \& economy-wide\ inflation. This study assesses a pathway for India to meet its growing energy needs \& achieve near-complete energy independence by 2047, focused on India{\textquoteright}s three largest energy consuming sectors {\textendash}power, transport, and industry {\textemdash} which collectively account for more than 80 \% of energy consumption and energy-related\ CO2 emissions. We find that India can achieve energy independence through aggressive deployment of clean technology {\textendash} renewables, electric vehicles, and\ green hydrogen\ - reducing the\ fossil\ energy imports by 90 \% (or $240 billion). Clean energy deployment will inflation-proof India{\textquoteright}s energy expenditure, create $2.5 trillion in net consumer savings, and avoid over 4 million air pollution related\ premature deaths\ by 2047. India{\textquoteright}s electricity demand could increase nearly fivefold to over 6500\ TWh/yr by 2047, while\ CO2 emissions\ from power, transport, and industrial sectors will peak in the early 2030\ s before dropping to \~{}800 million tons/year. Clean energy deployment will be more capital-intensive, needing a net additional investment of $1.5 trillion. Managing the clean energy transition would require significant policy support, including deployment mandates for cost-effective clean\ technologies, financial support for emerging\ technologies, long-term infrastructure planning, accelerating domestic manufacturing, and planning for a\ just transition.
}, year = {2023}, booktitle = {The Electricity Journal}, journal = {The Electricity Journal}, series = {The Electricity Journal}, volume = {36}, month = {06/2023}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1040619023000404?via\%3Dihub}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tej.2023.107273}, note = {This is a pre-print version of an article published in The Electricity Journal. The published version is available here.\
}, language = {eng}, }