Science Direct
Publication Type: Journal Article
Author: Bhavya Batra, Manish Kumar Shrivastava, Karina Standal, Gopal K. Sarangi, Solveig Aamodt
Abstract:
The global push towards solar energy is widely viewed as a pathway to sustainable development; however, energy justice literature highlights that without context-specific
design, the energy transition may perpetuate socio-economic inequalities. This paper explores the ‘grey areas’ of the green energy transition by examining the distributional
justice implications of decentralised solar energy projects in India. It focuses on the PM-KUSUM scheme, which aims to solarise the agricultural sector and improve farmers' incomes,
and analyses how the potential opportunities created by the scheme across entrepreneurship, income, employment, and electricity access are translated into real opportunities.
It seeks to evaluate the distribution of these opportunities locally and identify who is included or excluded, and why. Using an energy justice framework grounded in Sen’s
Capability Approach, the research employs qualitative methods, including document analysis, field observations, and fifty semi-structured interviews with solar power generators,
landowners, women, residents, and government officials. The findings show that although the scheme creates multiple opportunity pathways, the ability to access and utilise these
opportunities is unevenly distributed. High capital requirements, land ownership norms, technical skill demands, and bureaucratic processes disproportionately favour affluent and
well-connected farmers, reflecting barriers at both the design and implementation stages. The study highlights that achieving inclusive energy transitions requires decentralised
renewable energy policies that move beyond technology deployment and address structural conditions that shape access to emerging opportunities. Targeted institutional support,
inclusive financing mechanisms, integration of women collectives, and farmer capacity-building are important for enabling decentralised solar to function not only as a
technological solution but also as a socially just and transformative pathway for rural development.
