Energy Security and Sustainable Development: Key Drivers of India’s Transition towards Clean and Green Energy

Abstract

India's transition towards clean and green energy is being shaped by the interaction of energy security, sustainable development, rising energy demand, environmental concerns, technological advancement, industrial development and international climate commitments. As a rapidly growing major energy-consuming economy, India faces the dual challenge of providing reliable and affordable energy for economic and social development while reducing its exposure to imported fossil fuels and environmental pressures. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that India's energy demand was expected to grow substantially through 2040 and that the country already imported around 40% of its primary energy. It also projected that net dependence on imported oil could rise above 90% by 2040 under its Stated Policies Scenario. India has consequently increased its emphasis on renewable energy as a means of diversifying its energy mix and strengthening long-term energy security. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) data show that solar-power capacity increased from 2.82 GW in March 2014 to approximately 63.15 GW in March 2023, while wind capacity increased from 21.04 GW to 42.63 GW during the same period. The National Green Hydrogen Mission, approved in January 2023 with an initial outlay of ₹19,744 crore, further connects renewable energy with industrial decarbonisation, technological development and reduction of fossil-fuel imports. India's updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) also established a target of approximately 50% cumulative installed electric-power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030 and a 45% reduction in GDP emissions intensity from the 2005 level. This paper examines the principal drivers of India's clean-energy transition through a qualitative and descriptive analysis of secondary data, government documents, international institutional reports and academic literature. The study finds that India's transition cannot be explained by climate policy alone. Energy-security concerns, rising energy demand, sustainable development, renewable-technology cost reductions, industrial opportunities and policy interventions are closely interconnected. At the same time, challenges involving storage, transmission, distribution, financing, domestic manufacturing and social inclusion remain important.