India

India is undergoing a rapid growth in renewable electricity generation. Modern renewable energy sources account for 28% of total capacity (July 2022), representing a tripling of installed solar and wind capacity in less than 10 years. The Indian central government’s Paris Agreement target is for 50% of electricity to be generated by non-fossil sources by 2030.

India’s renewable energy transition is being shaped by government support for private ownership of power installations. 96 percent of modern renewables in India are privately owned, whereas around two-thirds of fossil energy is owned by central or state governments. However, government agencies heavily support private investment in renewables through a range of policies, such as auctioning long-term power purchase agreements, facilitating access to land via leasing or acquisition, and providing transmission and related infrastructure.

The expansion of renewables is confronting an energy sector that remains dominated by fossil fuels.

New capacity for coal continues to be built and planned for, reflecting an ‘all of the above’ approach that aligns with goals of expanding electrification. However, the Indian government is actively reducing the capacity utilisation of its coal fleet, which is being undercut by substantially cheaper sources of renewable energy. Though official statistics indicate that nearly 100% of households in the country have an electricity connection, many people are excluded from this calculation and energy access remains an issue as there is very limited supply in many areas, often with a few hours of daily supply.

Our study looks at how the energy transition is unfolding in the state of Karnataka. Karnataka currently has the highest installed non-hydro renewable energy at 16 GW (July 2022), of any state in India, representing over 50% of total capacity. It has consistently outperformed both the central government’s Renewable Purchase Obligation and its own more ambitious state-level targets. Karnataka’s renewable energy transition is being shaped by the pre-existing political economy of electricity in the state, including the liberalization of energy markets, and movements for rural electrification. Karnataka’s rapid, large-scale development reconfigures these socio-ecological relations and has direct implications for livelihood and social justice.

Our research looks at the various factors that make up and influence the ‘social legitimacy’ renewable energy in Karnataka. So far, this research has focused on a 2000 MW solar park in the Pavagada region. The solar park is one of the largest producers of solar power in the world and is also a source of special interest for other state governments in India due to its long-term leasing model with local landowners. Pavagada was chosen as the area for this solar park as it is a relatively poor rural region of Karnataka state.

Our research builds on interviews and discussions in the Pavagada area carried out in 2019-19. We find that developing this critically important source of renewable energy at Pavagada has brought extensive social and environmental change to the area. We are investigating the history, structure and challenges of the ‘Pavagada Model’, providing recommendations for the planning process. In the research we have focused especially on the impact of the project on the capacity to secure livelihood, both for landowners who have leased their land and for landless people who have previously worked as agricultural labourers.

The briefing report produced from this research, outlining the ‘Pavagada model’ for solar energy, its challenges, as well as recommendations is available on this site.

India aims to reach 40% renewable capacity by 2040.

Conventional power sources still dominate the energy mix.