Energy Transition in Action: How GEAPP is Shaping the Future of Clean Energy

The Ashoka Centre for a People-Centric Energy Transition (ACPET), an initiative by Ashoka University, has released the third episode of its podcast series, The Energy Transition Dialogues. The episode features a compelling conversation between ACPET Director Vaibhav Chowdhary and Saurabh Kumar, Vice President of The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) in India.

In this episode, titled "On the Ground with Energy Innovation", Saurabh Kumar delves into GEAPP's vision, his experience in designing innovative energy programs, and the crucial role of performance-driven impact in the philanthropic energy space.

A New-Age Philanthropic Approach to Energy Equity

Kumar explains that GEAPP, though only three years old, is a distinctive philanthropic organization supported by global giants-the Rockefeller Foundation, the Bezos Earth Fund, and the IKEA Foundation. Unlike traditional foundations, GEAPP operates without an endowment, relying instead on demonstrated results and real-world impact to secure continued funding.

"We are not a foundation in the conventional sense," Kumar noted. "We are performance-based. If we do not show impact, we don't get funded. And we work with our own hands, not just through NGOs-this sets us apart."

GEAPP is currently active in eight countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, including India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Brazil, with a mission to deliver energy transition solutions in developing economies.

Pioneering Programs: From Market-Based Efficiency to the LED Revolution

Kumar, formerly Secretary of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), recounted two groundbreaking energy initiatives he helped develop.

The first, a market-based energy efficiency program introduced in 2010, incentivized large industries to cut energy use by issuing tradable energy saving certificates. "It created a marketplace for overachievement. If a company saved more than required, it could sell that surplus to others," said Kumar. Now entering its fifth cycle, the program has grown from 300 to over 1,000 participating entities and is evolving into a carbon trading mechanism.

The second was the widely celebrated UJALA scheme, which transformed India's lighting market by replacing incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient LEDs. Initially launched in 2014 with a 600,000-bulb order in Puducherry, the project scaled rapidly to reach millions across India.

"The first bulk LED price was ₹500. We brought it down to ₹38 in 18 months," Kumar said. "From distributing 6 lakh bulbs in six months, we scaled to 6 lakh bulbs per day by 2015-16."

A defining moment came when the then Energy Minister, Piyush Goyal, set an ambitious target of 90 million bulbs in a year. "Initially, I thought it was impossible," Kumar admitted. "But we broke it down-20 cities, 10 counters each. We hit the 9-crore mark by March 21st."

UJALA is now a global case study, featured in Harvard and IIM Ahmedabad, and credited with eliminating CFLs from the Indian market.

Real Impact, Not Just Advocacy

Throughout the conversation, Kumar emphasized the need for tangible results in the energy transition space. "Creating impact on the ground is non-negotiable. That's the DNA of GEAPP and the reason we're different," he stressed.

As India and the world move toward clean energy futures, dialogues like these shed light on the transformative potential of policy innovation, market mechanisms, and visionary leadership.

Please visit:

Website: https://www.acpet.ashoka.edu.in/

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