Nikit Abhyankar

Nikit Abhyankar

Energy research & public policy

I am an Associate Adjunct Professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley, and Co-Faculty Director of the India Energy and Climate Center. I am also a Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

My research examines the technological, economic, and policy questions that shape the transition to clean energy. I work primarily on India and the United States, with related research in China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, and South Korea.

I advise governments, regulators, and utilities on electricity planning and clean energy policy. 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.

Research interests
Power systems and electricity markets; renewable energy and storage; energy efficiency; electric vehicles; industrial decarbonization.

Research

Selected projects

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

The 2035 Report

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.

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. 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

  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 July 2026 curriculum vitae includes an extended bibliography, invited talks, opinion pieces, and academic service.

Policy engagement

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 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

Academic background

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

Writing & media

Selected contributions

More coverage in the CV · PDF

Opinion

Coverage

Contact

nikit@berkeley.edu

For academic correspondence, policy discussions,
and media inquiries.

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