India's Clean Energy Job Boom

A new study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water and Natural Resources Defense Council India, with guidance from the India — Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, projects that India's clean energy targets will create over 4.4 million full-time equivalent jobs by 2030. Rooftop solar is expected to be the largest employment driver, accounting for approximately 43% of these jobs. The study, titled 'Driving Energy Transition: Workforce, Skills, and Gender in India's Renewable Energy Sector', also notes that 6.5 lakh clean energy workers were added between FY23 and FY26. Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Secretary of the India — Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, and Arunabha Ghosh, CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, emphasized the importance of workforce transition and job creation. Dipa Singh Bagai, Country Director for Natural Resources Defense Council India, highlighted the role of distributed renewable energy in creating employment across various regions. However, the study also points out significant gender disparities, with women comprising only 11% of the workforce in solar and wind deployment and manufacturing, predominantly in non-technical roles.