Research area: Energy Transitions

The Energy Transition in Irrigation: A Case Study on Community Solar Irrigation in Chhattisgarh

Highlights

– Solarisation as a catalyst for the energy transition: With irrigation accounting for one-fifth of India’s total energy demand, solarisation has become a critical policy instrument for decarbonising the agricultural sector. Chhattisgarh is supporting this transition by implementing India’s first large-scale, state-supported Community Solar Irrigation Scheme (CSIS).

– Enhancing energy access and productivity: Transitioning to solar-powered community models enhances energy access, ensuring that the benefits of reliable power reach those beyond the centralised grid. Chhattisgarh’s CSIS has brought irrigation to 2,851 hectares of land in remote forest and hilly regions, directly benefiting 2,740 marginal and small farmers.

– Resource efficiency and financial sustainability: A successful energy transition in agriculture requires moving away from recurring consumption subsidies to durable infrastructure investments. Chhattisgarh achieves this through a distinctive financial convergence model, bundling funds from local and line department budgets.

– Potential to drive cross-sectoral livelihood gains: Projects such as community solar irrigation can serve as a gateway for broader rural transformation, including an increase in the crop cycle, diversification to high-value crops, and potentially non-farm income generation if surplus power can be tapped and used for local productive activities other than irrigation. For example, women’s self-help groups (SHGs) are growing vegetables in the rabi season and can explore the productive use of surplus solar power for non-agricultural activities during off-seasons.

– Social infrastructure and institutional innovation for scalability: The global shift towards renewable energy requires robust local institutions to manage shared resources. Chhattisgarh’s model proves the efficacy of the state–society–market alliance, where the state provides sustained institutional hand-holding and technical support to the community infrastructure through a network of ‘system integrators’ to ensure the long-term functionality and scalability of decentralised energy assets.

Read more

The Cross-Cutting Themes: A Study on Transition Preparedness in Ten Indian States (2023-24)

Highlights

– In the period of this study (2023–24), most of the studied states have updated their State Action Plans for Climate Change (SAPCCs) in accordance with the central government’s mandates. Bihar released an additional Low-carbon Development (LCD) planning document to complement its SAPCC, indicating a progressive shift in state-level thinking.


– There is an improved focus on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks and financing mechanisms within the revised state plans, which is a significant shift from financial year (FY) 2020–21.


– This study cycle (2023–24) found significant progress in the preparation of city/district-level LCD or climate action plans. Of the 10 studied states, 5 have prepared such plans have prepared such plans for at least 1 city or district, which is a notable advance over the previous study cycle (2020–21).


– There has been incremental progress in articulating a just transition within state climate planning, a concept that was largely absent in the previous study cycle.

Read more

Re-Powering Rural Dignity: Rural Transformation Through Energy Transition

Abstract


In the electric power discourse, rural India holds an undignified space. Non-payment for electricity consumption by rural households, free power for farmlands, power theft and pilferage, and the high cost of supplying to geographically dispersed rural load centres have been seen as a bane for the electric power system in India. Moreover, the organised demand for subsidised electricity in rural areas is alleged to be the root cause for a rising and unsustainable pattern of electricity-centred competitive populism. On the other hand, owing to these allegations, rural India is often deprived of a reliable electricity supply and the dignity of consumer service to the extent that electricity access has no meaningful impact on productivity and human well-being.

In this backdrop, this chapter argues that the ongoing transition in the electric power systems from fossil fuel to renewable energy is an opportunity to rethink rural energy demand and thus restore rural dignity in the nation’s growth discourse. The chapter suggests ways to harness renewable energy, particularly solar energy, and reliable access to electricity to boost rural productivity in farm and non-farm activities, diversify rural livelihoods, and thus, contribute to building a resilient rural India. It envisions dignified access to modern energy in rural India through the promotion of electric-powered on-farm value additions, expansion of non-farm activities, in ways that are sensitive to intersectional barriers, and the enhancement of rural energy demand and ability to pay for the cost of electricity.

Read more