Land scarcity will pose a major challenge to India’s efforts to expand renewable energy, with both solar electricity and waste recycling of renewable materials requiring large tracts of land, the Economic Survey 2023-24 released on Monday has cautioned. The Survey has said expanding renewable energy and clean fuels will increase demand for land and water against the backdrop of “rapidly depleting land and water resources”. In contrast, China’s land per capita is 0.007sqkm, or 3.5 times higher, while Brazil’s land per capita is 0.039sqkm, 19 times higher. The cost of the country’s transition from fossil fuels towards renewable energy would be amplified with the expected increase in the need for land for renewable energy projects, the survey said, adding that renewable materials waste recycling is “another challenge”. “Photovoltaic waste recycled as scrap poses risks to the environment and human health due to toxic metals for which we need a comprehensive policy for managing photovoltaic waste,” the survey said.

Source: The Telegraph July 23, 2024 07:40 UTC