Nikit AbhyankarUC Berkeley · Berkeley Lab

Energy research & public policy

Nikit Abhyankar

Understanding energy systems.
Informing public policy.

Dr. Nikit Abhyankar is a faculty member at the Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley, and Co-Faculty Director of the India Energy and Climate Center. He is also a Scientist in the Energy Markets and Planning Department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

His research examines how countries can take advantage of dramatic declines in clean energy costs to meet their energy and development needs at the lowest cost, while building on existing infrastructure and institutions. His work spans the power sector, transportation, industry, and energy markets, with a particular emphasis on in-depth techno-economic analysis and policy design. It covers the United States and major economies including India, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Vietnam.

He regularly advises national and state governments, regulators, and utilities in multiple countries on designing clean energy policies and programs.

He has published over 100 journal articles and research reports, and his research has been widely covered in the media. Nikit holds a Ph.D. in Environment and Resources from Stanford University.

Curriculum vitae October 2026 · PDF ↗ nikit@berkeley.edu
Nikit Abhyankar
Berkeley, California

Faculty

Goldman School of Public PolicyUniversity of California, Berkeley

Co-Faculty Director

India Energy and Climate CenterUniversity of California, Berkeley

Scientist

Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryEnergy Technologies Area

Research

Selected collaborative studies

My work combines energy-system modeling with economic and policy analysis. These collaborative studies address questions of affordability, reliability, energy security, and decarbonization.

India · Energy security

Pathways to energy independence

A study of how India could approach energy independence by 2047 through changes in electricity, transport, and industry.

Berkeley Lab, 2023

United States · Electricity

A clean U.S. power system by 2035

Assessing the feasibility, reliability, and consumer costs of a U.S. electricity system with 90% carbon-free generation by 2035.

UC Berkeley & GridLab, 2020

India · Solar and storage

The economics of firm clean power

Comparing the cost and reliability of solar-plus-storage with coal generation, including the role of geographic diversification and coordinated dispatch.

India Energy & Climate Center, 2026

United States · Transmission

Expanding the existing grid

Evaluating the potential of advanced conductors to expand transmission capacity within existing rights-of-way.

The 2035 Report series

Related work on demand-side resources, green steel, and industrial electrification.

Policy engagement

Research in conversation
with practice

Alongside my academic research, I work with national and state governments, regulators, and utilities on the design of clean energy policies and programs. This includes long-term electricity planning, energy efficiency, market design, and the electrification of transport and industry.

Recent policy discussions & invited talks

  • India’s energy future: Opportunities and challenges

    Pune International Center, Pune · July 2026

  • Economics of 24x7 clean firm power

    Madhya Pradesh pre-bid meeting for 24x7 clean power procurement, Bhopal · July 2026

  • Opportunities in India’s energy markets

    Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies, Rice University, Houston · May 2026

More invited talks from 2026

  • Building Climate Solutions at Scale

    Earth Day event organized by the Consulate General of India as part of SF Climate Week, San Francisco (April 2026)

  • Global Perspectives on Energy Transition

    Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative (BERC) Summit, as part of SF Climate Week, UC Berkeley (April 2026)

  • Energy Transition in India

    , at Global Energy Transition Summit 2026, organized by Netzero Energy Transition Association (NETRA) in collaboration with EARTHDAY.ORG (April 2026)

  • Clean Energy as Economic Statecraft

    , at Raisina Dialogue, New Delhi (March 2026)

  • Resource Adequacy: Preparedness, Challenges, and Solutions,

    national workshop on Resource Adequacy organized by Idam Infrastructure Advisory, New Delhi (February 2026)

  • From Operations to Energy Transition

    SLDC Summit 2026 organized by Maharashtra State Load Despatch Centre, Lonavala (January 2026)

Ideas in the public conversation

Writing & media

Opinion pieces, research coverage,
and commentary on energy policy.

Recent op-eds & commentary

More op-eds from 2026 · 9 articles
Earlier selected op-eds · 2022–2025

News coverage & interviews

Full media record in the CV ↗
More news coverage from 2026 · 21 articles
Selected earlier coverage

Publications

Selected recent work

Full CV & bibliography · PDF

2026

  1. Aligning offshore wind deployment with local priorities to accelerate power system decarbonization

    Liqun Peng, Gang He, Nikit Abhyankar, Haozhe Yang, Umed Paliwal, and Jiang Lin

    Communications Earth & Environment, 7, 533. Journal article

  2. India’s next energy efficiency challenge: Cooling, flexibility, and electrification

    Nikit Abhyankar and Amol Phadke

    Confederation of Indian Industry Green Business Council, 2026. Research contribution

  3. India’s renewable energy breakthrough: Coal-like reliability at a lower, fixed price

    Umed Paliwal, Amol Phadke, and Nikit Abhyankar

    India Energy and Climate Center, UC Berkeley, August 2026. Research report · PDF

More publications from 2026

  1. Renewable energy with storage can match coal’s reliability and operating profile at a lower, fixed price: Evidence from India’s market test

    Amol Phadke, Nikit Abhyankar, and Umed Paliwal

    The Leap Blog, September 2026. Research commentary

  2. Beating the heat: How stronger air conditioner efficiency standards can avert power shortages and cut consumer bills in India

    Nikit Abhyankar, José Domínguez Bennett, and Amol Phadke

    India Energy & Climate Center, UC Berkeley. Research report

  3. Geographic diversification and coordinated dispatch for firm solar power in India

    Umed Paliwal, Nikit Abhyankar, and Amol Phadke

    India Energy & Climate Center, UC Berkeley. Working paper · PDF

  4. Closing the credibility gap: Solar-plus-storage delivers coal-equivalent reliability at lower cost in India

    Umed Paliwal, Nikit Abhyankar, and Amol Phadke

    India Energy & Climate Center, UC Berkeley. Working paper · PDF

  5. Economic case for green steel production in India

    José Domínguez Bennett, Neelima Jain, Emilia Chojkiewicz, Nikit Abhyankar, and Amol Phadke

    India Energy & Climate Center, UC Berkeley. Research report · PDF

  6. India’s green steel turning point: A policy roadmap for green hydrogen–DRI/EAF steelmaking

    Neelima Jain, José Domínguez Bennett, Nikit Abhyankar, and Amol Phadke

    India Energy & Climate Center, UC Berkeley. Policy brief · PDF

  7. Electrifying industrial heat in India: Technologies and policies to transform Indian manufacturing

    Sonali Deshpande, Nikhil Sawe, Jeffrey Rissman, Amol Phadke, Jose Luis Dominguez Bennett, and Nikit Abhyankar

    Energy Innovation and India Energy & Climate Center, UC Berkeley. Research report

  8. Clean energy as economic statecraft: Ten strategies for powering Viksit Bharat 2047

    Nikit Abhyankar, Amol Phadke, Samir Saran, and Gopalika Arora

    Observer Research Foundation and India Energy & Climate Center, UC Berkeley. Research report

Forthcoming

Forthcoming

  1. India can rapidly deliver among the world’s lowest-cost, inflation-proof, 24x7 clean power to data centers

    Nikit Abhyankar, Paritosh Jaiswal, Umed Paliwal, Mohit Bhargava, and Amol Phadke

    India Energy & Climate Center, UC Berkeley. Research report · Forthcoming

Selected earlier work, 2024–2025

2025

  1. Declining costs make solar plus storage economical for industrial captive power

    Emilia Chojkiewicz, Nikit Abhyankar, and Amol Phadke

    iScience, 113763. Journal article

  2. GreenCycles: A framework for designing solar-plus-storage tenders in Indian states

    Shashwat Kumar, Ammu Susanna Jacob, and Nikit Abhyankar

    Center for Strategic and International Studies. Research report · PDF

  3. Strategic pathways for energy storage in India through 2032

    Nikit Abhyankar, Umed Paliwal, Sambit Basu, and Himanshu Chawla

    India Energy & Climate Center and Power Foundation of India. Research report

  4. Accelerating room air conditioner efficiency in India: Grid, economic, and policy implications through 2035

    Nikit Abhyankar, Jose Dominguez, Nihar Shah, and Amol Phadke

    The Electricity Journal, 38(3), 107493.

2024

  1. Accelerating transmission expansion by using advanced conductors in existing right-of-way

    Emilia Chojkiewicz, Umed Paliwal, Nikit Abhyankar, Casey Baker, Ric O’Connell, Duncan Callaway, and Amol Phadke

    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(40), e2411207121.

  2. Decarbonizing the US energy system

    Thomas P. Hendrickson, Nikit Abhyankar, and coauthors

    Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 49, 163–189.

The October 2026 curriculum vitae includes the full selected bibliography, invited talks, opinion pieces, and academic service.

Academic background

I hold a Ph.D. in Environment and Resources from Stanford University, with a focus on energy economics and policy. Earlier in my career, I worked with Prayas Energy Group in India. Alongside my work in India and the United States, my research has examined energy transitions in China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, and South Korea.

Education

  • Stanford University

    Ph.D., Environment and Resources
    Energy Economics and Policy

  • University of Pune

    M.A., Economics

  • College of Engineering, University of Pune

    B.Eng., Electrical Engineering
    University of Pune Gold Medal

Honors

  • Director’s Award for Exceptional Scientific Achievement in Societal Impact

    Berkeley Lab · 2021

  • Spot Award for Initiatives in Power System Modeling

    Berkeley Lab · 2020

  • Rudolph and McGee research fellowships

    Stanford University · 2008–2012

Service & advising

My academic service includes guest editing a special issue of The Electricity Journal on the Indian power sector, and peer review for journals including Nature Communications, Energy Policy, and Environmental Research Letters. I have also served as a reviewer for the World Bank’s energy-efficiency scale-up loan program in India.

Doctoral committees & academic advising

  • Emilia Chojkiewicz

    University of California, Berkeley

  • Mohammed B Mohammed

    University of California, Berkeley · Graduated 2026

  • Paridhi Kapil

    University of California, Berkeley · Graduated 2026

  • Sindhu Sreedhara

    Stanford University · Graduated 2024

  • Prafulla Varhade

    University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, India · Graduated 2022

Contact

nikit@berkeley.edu

For academic correspondence, policy discussions,
and media inquiries.

Goldman School of Public Policy
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California