Revolution of Clean Energy in India and Current Status

Explore how India is leading a clean energy revolution through solar, wind, and green hydrogen initiatives, driving sustainable growth and reducing carbon emissions.

Table of Contents

Context: On the occasion of International Mother Earth Day, it is imperative to reaffirm our commitment to transitioning towards a more sustainable economy that supports both humanity and the planet.

Revolution of Clean Energy

The Revolution of Clean Energy is an elementary and surging transformation in the way the world consumes and produces energy, weaning itself off fossil fuels for cleaner and more sustainable forms of energy. With the pressure of mitigating climate change, cleaning up air pollution, and strengthening energy security, this revolution is transforming economies, industries, and daily life.

Current Environmental Status in India

Environment Pollution Index (EPI) 2024 (Yale University): India ranks 176th out of 180 countries.
World Air Quality Report 2024 (IQAir, Switzerland): Out of the 100 most polluted cities globally, 74 are in India.
Energy Policy Institute (University of Chicago): Residents of Delhi/NCR are losing 9 years of life expectancy due to air pollution.
Despite government rejections, the facts indicate a public health emergency, especially during November-December gas chamber conditions in NCR.

International Mother Earth Day

International Mother Earth Day is celebrated on April 22.
Established by a UN General Assembly resolution in 2009, though its roots trace back to the 1970s.
Objective: To promote the Harmony with Nature initiative for sustainable human development.

Other Key Environmental Issues Beyond Air

Soil

Almost two-thirds of India’s soils have Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) below 0.5%.
Optimal SOC should be 5–2% (as per Rattan Lal, World Food Laureate).

Water

Groundwater depletion (Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan) has been at over 5 feet per year for the last two decades.
Increasing contamination due to fertilisers and pesticides.

Biodiversity

Practices like rice-wheat crop rotation in Punjab-Haryana have severely reduced biodiversity.

These indicate an unsustainable production system, despite increased food output due to scientific advances like the Green Revolution.

Solutions and Way Forward for Clean Energy

Policy Innovations

Introduce Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes.

Reward farming practices that align with nature conservation, like:
Carbon credits for soil and water conservation.
Incentives for promoting biodiversity.

Repurposing Subsidies

Free power, highly subsidised fertilisers (especially urea), and open-ended procurement of rice and wheat are damaging agri-ecosystems.

Redirect subsidies directly to farmers’ accounts (Direct Benefit Transfers).
Deregulate the prices of power and fertilisers.
Promote pulses and oilseeds cultivation:
- They are nutritious.
- Help fix nitrogen in the soil.
- Save groundwater and improve biodiversity.

Clean Energy and Agrivoltaics

Encourage farmers to treat solar energy as a third crop.

If discoms buy solar power from farmers at a 10–15% premium over thermal energy generation costs:
- Cleaner energy production.
- Conservation of ecosystem services.
- Higher farmers’ incomes.
Agrivoltaics could trigger a revolution in clean energy adoption at the farm level.

Conclusion

India has achieved notable economic growth (GDP growth of 3% p.a.; agriculture growth of 3.5% p.a. from 2000–01 to 2024–25).
However, sustainability must now be prioritised alongside economic development.
Balancing growth with nature conservation is crucial to ensure a livable planet for future generations.