REGIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY (A SHARMA, SECTION EDITOR) Renewable Energy Awareness and Education in India Saurabh Mishra 1 # Springer International Publishing AG 2016 Abstract Awareness is a key factor in promoting renew- able energy proliferation. Although a large number of people are aware of the importance of energy and its role in the growth and development of the nation, it is also very much comprehendible that there is a yawning gap which needs to be addressed in the area of energy edu- cation and awareness in India. This paper aims to ad- dress the issue of energy proliferation strategy in India. Among Indian audiences, renewable energy and its re- sources have lower awareness levels. For most, energy is limited to conventional sources. People are familiar but not educated on popular energy issues. Much effort has been showered by government departments and other agencies in India over the past decade in the form of launching various schemes at school, city, and village block levels, but most these have come at abstract tim- ings. Also, the advertising campaigns have been too heavy upon the target audiences leaving them half-baked. The paper proposes a strategic and regimented approach model towards target audiences, preparing them thor- oughly before actually disseminating the knowledge package to them. Keywords Awareness . Energy . Proliferation . Strategy . Audience Introduction Energy stands second to none. For India, a developing nation (economy), the truth stands nurtured by its economic growth. The rapid rate of acceleration in economic forum is impossible without energy as the necessary quantum force. As per Central Statistical Office (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India), BEnergy has come to be known as a Bstrategic commodity^ and any uncertainty about its supply can threaten the functioning of the economy, particu- larly in developing economies^ [1].Thus, in developing econo- mies like India, energy holds strategic importance, qualifying to be dealt with extreme dexterity and utmost attention. Tethering to this goal, Indian policy makers have since independently strived to inculcate the energy policy and in their vision realized the importance of renewable energy as per the World Wide Fund for Nature (Formerly World Wildlife Fund), BRenewable energy (RE) has been an important component of India’ s energy plan- ning process for more than four decades. The importance of renewable energy sources in the transition to a sustainable energy base was recognized way back in the early 1970s. It started with the establishment of the Department of Non-Conventional Energy Sources in 1982, which later became the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES) in 1992, and subse- quently renamed as the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in 2006^ [2]. But with the everlasting hunger in the belly and growth as the target, it needs to have a look at more sustainable options of energy production. Marked by the apathy of the people and the shortsightedness of various stakeholders, energy sources are yet marked through the conventional items of past. Still, most of India today realizes energy as synonym to coal and petroleum. The world is firefighting the energy crisis with new re- search in the areas of nonconventional and renewable energy This article is part of the Topical Collection on Regional Renewable Energy * Saurabh Mishra smishra@rgipt.ac.in; smrgipt@gmail.com 1 Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Ratapur Chowk, Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh 229316, India Curr Sustainable Renewable Energy Rep DOI 10.1007/s40518-016-0055-z