Openings : Prayas (Energy Group)

Prayas (Energy Group), or PEG, has been active in furthering public-interest in the energy sector through research-based analysis since early 1990s.

Prayas (Energy Group) or PEG is a leading energy policy research organisation based in Pune. We actively engage in regulatory and policy spaces in the energy sector with the objective of promoting public interest goals such as:

• Making energy available and accessible to all
• Making the energy system socially and environmentally sustainable
• Ensuring viability of the energy sector
• Our contributions and publications are highly regarded in policy, industry, academic as well as civil society circles. We engage with central and state ministries, regulatory commissions, international agencies, civil society groups and other institutions to participate in committees and other deliberations, towards achieving our objectives.

PEG works on various program themes across the energy sector, such as electricity generation and supply, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy resources and development. The work in all themes involves research, analysis, policy innovation, outreach and engagement at state and national levels.

To join the PEG team, you should:

Be a Postgraduate with a good academic record and expertise in Energy Systems, Engineering, Economics, Public Policy, Law, Political Science or Sociology. Graduates with exceptional records and keen understanding of the energy sector may also be considered

• Have strong analytical skills and preferably some work experience
• Be keen to work on challenging social and developmental issues with a flair for using multidisciplinary approaches
• Be able to work independently as well as with a team

PEG is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from all candidates. We encourage an open and democratic work culture and have a cycle-friendly workplace. Prayas has a zero tolerance policy for any form of sexual harassment in the workplace or any organisation-related activity. Our open positions are based in Pune.

However, for modelling profiles, Hyderabad is also an option.

We are looking for motivated individuals for the position of Research Associate in the following areas:

1. Power Sector Modelling
2. Energy System Modelling
3. Electricity Sector Policy and Regulation
4. Data, Tools and Portals
5. Coal sector and the energy transition
6. Energy Efficiency

If you are interested in becoming a part of such a team of socially committed professionals, please fill this google form. 

Applications will be accepted only through the above form. You will receive an automated acknowledgement once you have filled the form.

Since we typically process a number of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be informed.

1. Power Sector Modelling: Production Cost, Capacity Expansion and Resource Adequacy

The candidate would help the team with:

• Collection, processing and analysis of data relevant to power system modelling
• Setting up, running, debugging and analysing scenarios in power sector models
• Formulating topical questions that can be analysed using power sector models
• Reviewing and summarising academic and non-academic literature related to energy and power sector modelling
• Engaging in regulatory and policy processes relevant to power sector modelling

The candidate would be working with a team of experienced modellers on GridPath – an open-source platform for production cost, capacity expansion, asset valuation and reliability modelling (GridPath) . As part of the team, the candidate will be involved in all aspects of power system modelling. This includes data collection, scenario building, and using analysis insights to contribute to critical issues before policy makers and regulators at the central and state levels.

The ability to process data using scripts in Python/R etc., an understanding of the Indian power system as well as prevailing policies and realities, willingness to explore creative solutions and the ability to see the story behind the numbers will benefit the candidate in this role.

2. Energy System Modelling: Demand estimation, Energy-Economy-Environment Linkages

The candidate would help the team with:

• Exploring interlinkages between economic activity, energy production and use, and ecological sustainability
• Detailed sectoral energy demand estimation
• Modelling interlinkages between different sectors of the economy
• Linking a bottom up energy systems model with other complementary models
• Formulating questions that can be analysed using demand estimation and energy-economy-environment models

The candidate would be working within the team that developed Rumi – an open-source energy systems modelling platform developed at Prayas (Rumi-PIER). As part of the team, the candidate will be involved in aspects related to energy-economy-environment modelling, focusing largely on understanding energy demand and energy linkages between different sectors of the economy.

A background in energy systems, macro-economic policy, an aptitude for econometric methods, and the ability to work independently as well as within a team are desirable. Working experience in Excel and/or Python/R would be an added advantage.

3. Electricity Sector Policy and Regulation: Distribution, Transmission, Renewables, Storage and State level Energy Transitions

The electricity sector is undergoing a rapid transformation, driven by increased adoption of renewable energy and storage. This shift entails a fundamental change in the supply mix, demand dynamics, investment in network infrastructure, market structures, techno-economic frameworks, and planning paradigms. Such transformations are occurring globally, but the transition in India is unique due to its existing legal, policy, and regulatory frameworks, institutional structures, and sector development.

In the next decade, as the sector continues to evolve, there will be numerous innovations and novel frameworks at both national and state levels, laying the foundation for future development. We invite you to join Prayas’s research team on electricity sector transitions and be part of this exciting journey. As a team member, your responsibilities will include:

• Researching to track state and national preparedness for managing aspects of the transition in the electricity sector, including analysis of existing and new programs, schemes, and policy-regulatory frameworks. (For example, Govt. Schemes such as KUSUM, RDSS, MSKVY etc. and policy regulatory frameworks on tariff, transmission pricing, competition, open access rollout, etc.)
• Engaging in regulatory and policy processes at the central or state level to further public interest
• Developing innovative ideas to address critical challenges facing the power sector
• The role involves understanding state and national-level developments in the energy sector, analysing regulatory and policy documents, and collecting data from statutory filings and other secondary sources.
• Previous experience or interest in energy policy, regulatory practice, or program evaluation is desirable.
• Given the nature of the work, candidates should be willing to work full-time for at least two years.

A typical day in this role would involve debates on challenges facing the power sector, brainstorming ideas to address crucial issues in varied contexts within the country, and finding delight in discovering new and recurring insights into India’s power sector. An understanding of policy and institutional processes, an interest in creative problem-solving under constrained circumstances, an appreciation for irony, a propensity towards patience and persistence, good numerical skills, and the ability to find joy in small things will be valuable assets in this role.

4. Data, Tools and Portals : Data analytics for creating energy sector open data platforms

High quality, disaggregated and up to date data and documents are paramount for effective evidence based energy sector related public policy work of the kind that Prayas undertakes. As high as 60-70% of research time goes into finding, cleaning, collating, verifying data (from pure datasets and gleaning it from various official documents) with the result that little time is left for analysis and more importantly, engaging with the policy process. Thus there is a critical need for a comprehensive, up to date open data and document repository to support research work in the sector. We already have built some specific data repositories / portals (ITP, REDP, RPO), and we have built open-source models (GridPath, Rumi-PIER) for which high quality disaggregated data inputs are critical to the quality of the analysis.

The candidate would help the team with:

• Maintaining and further enhancing existing portals like ITP, REDP, RPO
• Downloading/Scraping, cleaning and collating several energy and electricity sector datasets and documents needed for analysis
• Creating visualisations with the data
• Working with the energy and power sector modelling teams to understand their data requirements and doing the appropriate data scrubbing/cleaning
• Contributing to building a document repository covering policy and regulatory documents, laws, rules, legal judgements, annual reports, technical reports, data reports etc.
• Data and documents would be from Central energy sector agencies/Ministries as well as States (with a focus on a few States to begin with)

Experience in all stages of data workflow including automated data collection, preparation, analysis and visualisation would be desired. It would be ideal if the candidate has worked with energy sector datasets or any medium to large scale data analysis in the past. The candidate should be comfortable with softwares/packages such as Excel, Python, data visualisation softwares like Tableau etc. The candidate should have an eye for detail, a propensity towards patience and persistence and be meticulous in this type of work. Those who appreciate well organised spreadsheets and databases and have patience with changing formats and ever increasing, impatient demands from the research community for organised data will thrive in this role.

5. Coal sector and the energy transition 

The energy sector is undergoing a transition, and there will be a gradual phasedown of the role of coal. This requires engagement with policy related issues such as pricing, contracts, retirements, and just transitions.

In this context, we are looking for a candidate who will work with a team towards building a comprehensive understanding of the coal thermal sector, and develop suitable policy responses. This will include compilation of data and data sources, analysis of regulatory documents, evaluation of policy and programs, development of ideas and strategies, and engagement with key sector stakeholders.

Familiarity with policy analysis, and basic quantitative skills is desirable, along with a penchant for public interest issues and the coal-thermal sector. Comfort in working with large datasets, enthusiasm in looking through regulatory documents and the ability to learn and unlearn will be useful in this role.

6. Energy Efficiency

There are multiple open positions under this work area.

As a member of the team, you will work on conducting research to understand factors driving India’s energy demand in the Industry, Buildings, and Appliances sectors. This would involve working on secondary data as well as collecting primary data through surveys. You will also work on developing innovative energy efficiency policies as well as study the effectiveness of existing ones. The role will also involve engaging with multiple stakeholders in the energy efficiency domain.

We would prefer candidates with:

• Excellent quantitative skills with experience of working with large data sets
• Working knowledge of different econometric/statistical tools
• Experience of conducting surveys
• Technical knowledge of either Industry, Building or Appliance sector
• Experience of electric load research, load forecasting, and Demand Side Management

We had organized a webinar to give a broad overview of Prayas (Energy Group)’s activities and a sense of what working with us is like. The webinar includes a brief introduction on various aspects of our work in the energy policy space; experience sharing by Prayas (Energy Group)’s researchers and a question and answer session. The webinar’s recording can be seen below.