- India aims to achieve 175 GW of renewable capacity this year. It becomes pertinent to look back and analyse how the target evolved, as it will guide the roadmap to the 500 GW renewable energy target for 2030.
- Mongabay-India’s seventh webinar on clean energy explored why India’s energy-poor states are not able to increase their renewable energy capacity and what is the relationship between the purchasing power of people and capacity addition in the energy sector.
- The webinar explored the possible impacts on the people and the economy in the future, if certain states are left behind in India’s clean energy journey.
Renewable power in India has remained concentrated in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and a few others. Meanwhile, energy-poor states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and others have been unable to meet substantial clean energy targets. The states which have gained significantly in terms of installed renewable capacity, are industrialised, and have better social indicators. Whereas energy-poor states are poor in many other development indicators.
Mongabay-India’s seventh Clean Energy Talks webinar explored why the energy-poor states are not able to increase their renewable energy capacity and explore the relationship between the purchasing power of people and capacity addition in the energy sector.
Panellists included K. S. Kavi Kumar, Professor and Dean of Academic Affairs at the Madras School of Economics, Debajit Palit, Director, Independent Senior Researcher, Former Director & Senior Fellow, TERI, Hippu Salk Kristle Nathan, Associate Professor, Institute of Rural Management Anand and S. Gopikrishna Warrier, Managing Editor, Mongabay-India. The webinar was moderated by Kundan Pandey, Contributing Editor, Mongabay-Hindi.
Mongabay-India’s series of talks on clean energy will continue every month and will feature industry specialists, researchers and senior environment journalists. Sign up for our newsletter or follow us on social media @mongabayindia for updates on the next and future webinars.