India's energy policy future: Here be dragons

India's energy policy in the future will have to navigate through largely uncharted territory. Never before has a country had to provide access to modern energy and build basic infrastructure for so many millions in so short a time, while also ensuring all-round development and growth in a situation constrained by limited natural resources, environmental degradation and increasing pressures brought on by climate change. There are no easy solutions to address such a complex and seemingly contradictory set of goals and India will have to find a development trajectory that fits its unique requirements. While there are some positive signs of recognizing the need for innovative and different approaches, the overall picture is currently not very encouraging. The key challenge that India has to address, in order to overcome these problems, is to improve its governance processes and institutions to make them more capable, effective and accountable.