
Mongabay series: Clean Energy
In response to global discussions on climate change, India has been steadily increasing the growth rate for renewable energy vis-à-vis conventional energy. The years 2016-17 and 2018-19 averaged an annual growth rate of around 24% for the renewable sector. Reducing the use of coal and increasing the use of renewable energy is the overall objective of the transition to clean energy. For this to happen effectively, a host of factors need to come together, including policy support for renewables, improved grid connectivity, better pricing, etc. It also requires larger public support, which would strengthen the hands of the policymakers. A vibrant and robust discussion in the media on the clean energy transition can support and strengthen the public as well as policy understanding, discussions and decision making. Through the Clean Energy series, Mongabay-India aims to explore the nuances that build the larger picture of India's clean energy ambitions. The series of stories will look at India’s performance in clean energy and whether it is anywhere close to what it is meant to achieve. This would include progress in the generation, transmission, distribution and pricing of renewable power. The series will also look at the efficacy of linking renewable power generation to local grids and the progress made towards making grid-linked systems viable for the producer-consumers. It will analyze the distribution between centralized, utility-scale installations vis-à-vis decentralized, rooftop installations. In addition, the series will also look at whether India’s transition from fossil-fuel based energy production to renewable energy is just towards the environment and society.


Clean energy startups innovate on products to aid farmers, rural areas

Purulia pumped storage project shows why pumped hydropower may not be clean

[Webinar] Rooftops as solar superstores

Addressing challenges in food systems with climate-smart agriculture

Bihar farmers await PM-KUSUM rollout

Solar power station at Bihar’s ‘first solar village’ is now a makeshift cattle shed

To boost its slow progress on clean energy, Bihar looks at floating and rooftop solar alternatives

From pollution to power, what stops paddy straw from becoming the fuel of choice

[Webinar] Should your next vehicle be electric?

Floating solars illuminating Indian hinterlands, likely to see more expansion

[Commentary] COP26 opens doors for India to push for a just transition

Small steps are making energy sector more inclusive for women

Rooftop solar prepares prosumers in Odisha for power cuts during disasters

Solar power could emerge as a dependable energy alternative for Uttarakhand

Solar power helps farmers irrigate fields in water-scarce Bastar

More progress on state-level electric vehicle policies needed to boost India’s transition to EVs

With land acquisition challenges, Telangana eyes floating solar parks

[Analysis] Will Glasgow be just another talk shop while climate crisis worsens?

India can lead the fight for climate justice as global carbon budget shrinks
Special series
Wetland Champions
- [Commentary] India establishes the largest network of Ramsar Sites in South Asia
- [Commentary] Wetland champions: Promise from the grassroots
- The story of Jakkur lake sets an example for inclusive rejuvenation projects
- Welcome to Tsomgo lake: Please don’t litter

Environment And Health
- Sewing their way to a sustainable menstruation
- Continued fluoride contamination of groundwater is a glaring public health issue in central India
- In a Himachal village, people accuse a waste management plant for contaminating water
- [Commentary] Worsening water quality in Ganga’s lower stretches and what it means for us

Almost Famous Species
- From a life among royals, to fighting for survival
- What do bees see? Developing urban gardens to attract pollinators
- [Interview] Whitley Award winner from Nepal emphasises on crossborder collaboration to protect the red panda
- [Interview] Priyan Perera: Shining a light on the little-studied Indian pangolins in Sri Lanka

India's Iconic Landscapes
- [Commentary] Is expansion of aquaculture in the Indian Sundarbans an ecological threat or a pathway to sustainable development?
- One year of Similipal forest fire: The hits and misses
- Grasses spur mangroves to grow in an erosion-riddled Sundarbans patch
- Scientists raise caution as mangroves erode faster along the Bengal coastline

Beyond Protected Areas
- India has high proportion of priority areas for tree conservation and restoration, says study
- Tiger movements between India and Nepal become increasingly restricted, even as numbers rise
- Failure to cut GHG emissions is putting species conservation in eastern Himalayas at risk
- [Commentary] Connecting corridors for tigers in Central India

Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- Farmers fear low fruit production as Kashmir records decline in precipitation
- Scientists sequence chickpea genome which could inform crop improvement efforts
- [Video Explainer] What is the significance of the Biological Diversity Amendment Bill and why did it face opposition?
- Tackling agrobiodiversity loss in Odisha’s Similipal protected area
