Mains Practice Questions

Approach:

• Introduce the answer by briefing about India’s renewable energy ambitions
• Delve into India’s Renewable Energy Transition: Necessity vs. Limitations
• Highlight Environmental and Socio-economic Trade-offs in Large-Scale Renewable Energy Projects
• Suggest measures for Just and Sustainable Energy Transition and conclude suitably.

Introduction

With India’s renewable capacity surpassing 200 GW in 2024, the shift is both timely and necessary to reduce emissions and ensure energy security to achieve 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.

• However, this transition is not yet sufficient, as large-scale solar and wind projects often generate complex environmental and socio-economic trade-offs, raising concerns about their long-term sustainability, equity, and inclusiveness.

Body:

India’s Renewable Energy Transition: Necessity vs. Limitations

Environmental Trade-offs in Large-Scale Renewable Energy Projects

• Land Use and Habitat Fragmentation: Solar and wind farms require vast stretches of land.
  • For example, Pavagada Solar Park in Karnataka spans over 13,000 acres. Such projects often encroach upon commons, forestland, or ecologically fragile zones, leading to biodiversity loss and deforestation.
• Impact on Wildlife and Avifauna: Wind turbines have been linked to high mortality rates of birds, including endangered species like the Great Indian Bustard in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
  • Solar farms can disrupt desert ecosystems, changing surface albedo and disturbing local flora and fauna.
• Pressure from Critical Mineral Extraction: The renewable energy supply chain depends on rare earth metals and critical minerals (lithium, cobalt, nickel), the extraction of which causes significant ecological degradation and often violates Indigenous land rights, particularly in developing countries.
• Water Footprint of Solar Energy: Though solar PV systems use less water during operation, solar thermal plants require significant water for cooling and cleaning, potentially stressing water-scarce regions like Rajasthan.
• End-of-Life Disposal and E-Waste: By 2050, India is projected to generate 1.8 million tonnes of solar PV waste. In the absence of a robust recycling ecosystem, this poses a looming environmental hazard.

Socio-Economic Trade-offs of Large-Scale Projects

• Land Acquisition and Livelihood Displacement: Projects often displace small and marginal farmers, pastoralists, and forest-dependent communities. In Gujarat’s Kutch region, renewable parks have led to conflicts with Maldhari pastoral communities, affecting traditional grazing rights.
• Energy Access and Centralisation: While large-scale projects feed into the central grid, they often bypass energy-poor rural areas. This centralised model benefits industry and urban centres but does little for decentralised energy access and local development.
• Job Creation vs. Job Quality: Renewable energy sectors, though employment-generating, often offer temporary, low-skilled construction jobs.
• Lack of Community Participation: Many projects are executed without Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of local communities, leading to social unrest. Poor transparency and lack of compensation mechanisms aggravate discontent.

Towards a Just and Sustainable Energy Transition

• Promote Decentralised Renewable Models: Encourage rooftop solar, community-based microgrids, and solar-wind hybrid projects in rural and tribal areas to ensure local benefits and reduce land use conflicts.
• Strengthen Environmental Regulation: Mandate comprehensive Environmental and Wildlife Impact Assessments (EIA/WIA) for large-scale projects, especially in eco-sensitive zones.
• Ensure Inclusive Land and Livelihood Policies: Implement fair land acquisition practices, ensuring FPIC, timely compensation, and livelihood restoration. Land lease models can also ensure regular income for farmers.
• Develop a Circular Economy for Renewables: Create guidelines for solar PV recycling, and incentivize R&D in low-impact technologies. Invest in green mineral supply chains with environmental and social safeguards.
• Improve Grid and Storage Infrastructure: Invest in smart grids, battery storage, and pumped hydro to manage intermittency and reduce energy curtailment.

Conclusion:

India’s renewable energy transition is vital for a low-carbon future, but it must evolve from being merely technologically efficient to becoming ecologically sensitive and socially inclusive. Afterall, "Sustainability is not only about switching to clean energy—it's about ensuring that the benefits of that energy reach everyone."