Windswept? Development Vs Conservation: India's Clean Energy ambition requires retrospection

Should windfarms be permitted at the cost of the environment, and pastoralism?

-  RITUJA MITRA, RITESH POKAR

Several recent protests in Gujarat against wind farms have started questioning the government's intention of relying on renewables as the energy of the future. Sangnara, a village of Nakhatrana Taluka in Kutch District recently rallied for their community grazing land (Gochar land) that was rapidly being converted to wind farms. Another such instance was also reported from Kalyanpur Taluka of Dev Bhoomi Dwarka district of Gujarat within a span of a month. Such protests across the state have stirred the dialogue on the environmental feasibility of renewables. The government of India's mandate to install 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022 was planned as a sustainable policy intervention. States like Gujarat and Rajasthan which are leading in wind and solar capacity have always been applauded for gaining momentum for the state's initiation into clean energy, but there are problems in its path.

PROBLEMS WITH INSTALLATION AND GENERATION

As of January 31, 2021, installed renewable energy capacity in India stood at 92.55 GW, of which wind comprised 38.68 GW. Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi's ambitious project of achieving 175 GW by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030, will make India jump into a hare's race to complete only the installations of 175 GW by 2022. Forget the generation of electricity!

HOW CLEAN IS THIS CLEAN ENERGY FOR LAND?