Rahul Tongia
Nonresident Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Energy Security and Climate Initiative
Rahul Tongia is a nonresident senior fellow in the Energy Security and Climate Initiative, and is currently a senior fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress.
His work focuses on technology and policy, especially for sustainable development. He leads the energy and sustainability group at Brookings India, and also is active in broader issues of technology. Tongia’s work spans the entire gamut of electricity, with focuses on supply options including renewable energy (covering finance, grid integration, etc.); smart grids, which use innovative information and communications technology to improve management of the electric utility grid; issues of access and quality; and broader issues of reforms and regulations, including electricity pricing. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and was the founding Technical Advisor for the Government of India’s Smart Grid Task Force.
Representative Publications
Future of Coal in India: Smooth Transition or Bumpy Road Ahead?
Edited by Rahul Tongia and Anurag Sehgal, with Puneet Kamboj
Power System Management
- R. Tongia and G. Gupta “Amendments to the Electricity Act 2003: A summary, analysis, and public comments” Discussion Note, November 2018
- R. Tongia, S. Harish and R. Walawalkar “Integrating Renewable Energy Into India’s Grid ̶ Harder Than It Looks” Brookings India IMPACT Series No. 112018-01. November 2018.
- R. Tongia, V. Rai, and G. Shrimali, “Data management: India needs agency for energy data”, Correspondence in Nature, 541, 30, doi:10.1038/541030d, January 5, 2017.
- V. Rai, R. Tongia, G. Shreemali, and N. Abhyankar, “Data for Development: The Case for an Indian Energy Information Administration” in Energy Research & Social Science, 25 (2017) 105–109, March 2017.
- H. Safiullah, G. Hug, and R. Tongia, “Design of Load Balancing Mechanism for Indian Electricity Markets” Energy Systems, pp 1 – 42, doi:10.1007/s12667-016-0199-3, uploaded April 2016.
- R. Tongia, “Rating of Distribution Utilities in India: Linking the Financial with Operational, with Granularity” Brookings India Discussion Paper 01-2015, October 2015.
Renewable Energy
- R. Tongia “Renewable Energy "versus" coal in India - A false framing as both have a role to play” Policy Brief-1, October 2018
- R. Tongia and S. Gross “Working to turn ambition into reality” Brookings India Paper-4, September 2018
- R. Tongia “Renewable Energy Forecasting in India – Not a simple case of ‘more is better’,” Brookings India Discussion Note, No. 112017, November 2017.
- R. Tongia, Chair and lead author, Working Group 4 Report on Policy Issues for Scaling up RE, for the Final Report of the Clean Energy Finance Forum (CEFF), December 2016.
- R. Tongia, “India’s Updated (2016) Renewable Energy ‘Guidelines’: Bold targets, but can we meet them?” Brookings India IMPACT Series, No. 082016-2.1, August 24, 2016.
- “Blowing Hard or Shining Bright?: Making Renewable Power Sustainable in India” (2015), Rahul Tongia (Ed.), Brookings India, New Delhi.
Coal
- P. Kamboj and R. Tongia “Indian Railways and Coal: An unsustainable interdependency”, Brookings India report, July 2018.
- Tongia, R; Seligsohn, Deborah (2017). “Challenges and Recommendations for Meeting the Upcoming 2017 Standards for Air Pollution from Thermal Power Plants in India,” Brookings India IMPACT Series, Research Paper No. 022017. February 2017
- R. Tongia and A. Sehgal, “Coal Requirement in 2020: A Bottom-up Analysis,” Brookings India Report, July 2016.
Electricity Access and Supply
- Ali and R. Tongia “Electrifying Mobility in India: Future prospects for the electric and EV ecosystem”, Brookings India IMPACT Series No. 052018. May 2018.
- Tongia, Rahul (2018). “Microgrids in India: Myths, Misunderstandings, and the Need for Proper Accounting”, Brookings India IMPACT Series No. 022018. February 2018.
- Tongia, Rahul (2017). “Delhi’s Household Electricity Subsidies: High and Inefficient,” Brookings India IMPACT Series No. 042017b. April 2017.
- R. Tongia, “A Game Changer — Electricity Feeder Monitoring, Visualization, Analytics and Consumer Notifications: Suggestions for improvements” Brookings India Discussion Paper 02-2016, June 2016.
- Tongia, Rahul (2014). "Re-thinking Access and Electrification in India: From Wire to Service", Brookings India Discussion Note 1. September 2014
- S. Harish and R. Tongia, “Do rural residential electricity consumers cross-subside their urban counterparts?” Brookings India Working Paper 04-2014, August 2014.
IT and sustainable development, including Smart Grids
- R. Tongia, “Improving India’s mobile phone service” in Mint, April 17, 2018.
- R. Tongia, Contributor, Smart Grid Handbook for Regulators and Policy Makers, by India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF), December 2017.
- R. Tongia, “Making a smart energy grid work for India”, in Mint (Technology Special), June 29, 2017.
- R. Tongia, “Updating Aadhaar for better Privacy”, Opinion in The Hindu, March 28, 2016.
- R. Tongia, “A Developing Country’s Perspective of the Smart Grid” in IEEE Newsletter, March 2016.
Rahul Tongia is a nonresident senior fellow in the Energy Security and Climate Initiative, and is currently a senior fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress.
His work focuses on technology and policy, especially for sustainable development. He leads the energy and sustainability group at Brookings India, and also is active in broader issues of technology. Tongia’s work spans the entire gamut of electricity, with focuses on supply options including renewable energy (covering finance, grid integration, etc.); smart grids, which use innovative information and communications technology to improve management of the electric utility grid; issues of access and quality; and broader issues of reforms and regulations, including electricity pricing. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and was the founding Technical Advisor for the Government of India’s Smart Grid Task Force.
Representative Publications
Future of Coal in India: Smooth Transition or Bumpy Road Ahead?
Edited by Rahul Tongia and Anurag Sehgal, with Puneet Kamboj
Power System Management
- R. Tongia and G. Gupta “Amendments to the Electricity Act 2003: A summary, analysis, and public comments” Discussion Note, November 2018
- R. Tongia, S. Harish and R. Walawalkar “Integrating Renewable Energy Into India’s Grid ̶ Harder Than It Looks” Brookings India IMPACT Series No. 112018-01. November 2018.
- R. Tongia, V. Rai, and G. Shrimali, “Data management: India needs agency for energy data”, Correspondence in Nature, 541, 30, doi:10.1038/541030d, January 5, 2017.
- V. Rai, R. Tongia, G. Shreemali, and N. Abhyankar, “Data for Development: The Case for an Indian Energy Information Administration” in Energy Research & Social Science, 25 (2017) 105–109, March 2017.
- H. Safiullah, G. Hug, and R. Tongia, “Design of Load Balancing Mechanism for Indian Electricity Markets” Energy Systems, pp 1 – 42, doi:10.1007/s12667-016-0199-3, uploaded April 2016.
- R. Tongia, “Rating of Distribution Utilities in India: Linking the Financial with Operational, with Granularity” Brookings India Discussion Paper 01-2015, October 2015.
Renewable Energy
- R. Tongia “Renewable Energy “versus” coal in India – A false framing as both have a role to play” Policy Brief-1, October 2018
- R. Tongia and S. Gross “Working to turn ambition into reality” Brookings India Paper-4, September 2018
- R. Tongia “Renewable Energy Forecasting in India – Not a simple case of ‘more is better’,” Brookings India Discussion Note, No. 112017, November 2017.
- R. Tongia, Chair and lead author, Working Group 4 Report on Policy Issues for Scaling up RE, for the Final Report of the Clean Energy Finance Forum (CEFF), December 2016.
- R. Tongia, “India’s Updated (2016) Renewable Energy ‘Guidelines’: Bold targets, but can we meet them?” Brookings India IMPACT Series, No. 082016-2.1, August 24, 2016.
- “Blowing Hard or Shining Bright?: Making Renewable Power Sustainable in India” (2015), Rahul Tongia (Ed.), Brookings India, New Delhi.
Coal
- P. Kamboj and R. Tongia “Indian Railways and Coal: An unsustainable interdependency”, Brookings India report, July 2018.
- Tongia, R; Seligsohn, Deborah (2017). “Challenges and Recommendations for Meeting the Upcoming 2017 Standards for Air Pollution from Thermal Power Plants in India,” Brookings India IMPACT Series, Research Paper No. 022017. February 2017
- R. Tongia and A. Sehgal, “Coal Requirement in 2020: A Bottom-up Analysis,” Brookings India Report, July 2016.
Electricity Access and Supply
- Ali and R. Tongia “Electrifying Mobility in India: Future prospects for the electric and EV ecosystem”, Brookings India IMPACT Series No. 052018. May 2018.
- Tongia, Rahul (2018). “Microgrids in India: Myths, Misunderstandings, and the Need for Proper Accounting”, Brookings India IMPACT Series No. 022018. February 2018.
- Tongia, Rahul (2017). “Delhi’s Household Electricity Subsidies: High and Inefficient,” Brookings India IMPACT Series No. 042017b. April 2017.
- R. Tongia, “A Game Changer — Electricity Feeder Monitoring, Visualization, Analytics and Consumer Notifications: Suggestions for improvements” Brookings India Discussion Paper 02-2016, June 2016.
- Tongia, Rahul (2014). “Re-thinking Access and Electrification in India: From Wire to Service“, Brookings India Discussion Note 1. September 2014
- S. Harish and R. Tongia, “Do rural residential electricity consumers cross-subside their urban counterparts?” Brookings India Working Paper 04-2014, August 2014.
IT and sustainable development, including Smart Grids
- R. Tongia, “Improving India’s mobile phone service” in Mint, April 17, 2018.
- R. Tongia, Contributor, Smart Grid Handbook for Regulators and Policy Makers, by India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF), December 2017.
- R. Tongia, “Making a smart energy grid work for India”, in Mint (Technology Special), June 29, 2017.
- R. Tongia, “Updating Aadhaar for better Privacy”, Opinion in The Hindu, March 28, 2016.
- R. Tongia, “A Developing Country’s Perspective of the Smart Grid” in IEEE Newsletter, March 2016.
Renewable energy growth has been strong but won’t be enough to avoid more coal. India’s focus should be on cleaning up coal, instead of wishing it away.
Indian Railways’ business model is based on passengers underpaying and freight overpaying. Already, in financial year 2016-17, coal’s extra freight charge increased the cost of power by about 10 paise per kilowatt on average. For power plants in distant states, which inherently rely on Railways for coal, this number can be three times higher.
Gujarat, Punjab, Tamil Nadu that are far from coal mines, and therefore pay more than others, will contribute proportionately more to recover the coaching loss — the passenger subsidy. This overpayment by coal-based power applies to all coal generation in States like Punjab as all their coal comes via Railways.
