This project was a policy research and governance initiative led by Landstack in collaboration with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) to critically examine land-related dimensions in state renewable energy (RE) policies across India, based on the growing recognition that India’s energy transition and climate commitments are deeply dependent on land availability, land governance systems, and the ability of states to manage competing land-use demands in a socially just and environmentally responsible manner.

As India accelerates toward its target of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based installed capacity by 2030 and broader net-zero ambitions, renewable energy expansion is increasingly shaping land-use transitions across states. Solar and wind energy projects require large land parcels, often intersecting with agricultural landscapes, commons, grazing lands, forests, peri-urban regions, and customary tenure systems. Despite this, land dimensions remain weakly addressed within many renewable energy policies and implementation frameworks. So the project undertook a comprehensive review of renewable energy policies, land allocation mechanisms, land procurement systems, tenure arrangements, institutional frameworks, compensation processes, and grievance mechanisms across Indian states. Beyond just technical energy planning, the project analysed how land governance, tenure security, institutional coordination, and policy coherence influence the sustainability and inclusiveness of renewable energy transitions.