Sustainable Development Impacts of Renewable Power: Insights from Three Indian States

The analysis evaluates the economic rate of return (ERR) for solar photovoltaic, small hydropower, and wind energy across three Indian states, incorporating health, water, land, and climate impacts against a coal baseline. It finds that most assessed technologies justify public investment based on an 8 percent social discount rate, with the highest returns occurring in Maharashtra.

• The economic rate of return (ERR) varied by state and technology, with Maharashtra showing the highest returns across all assessed technologies. Within individual states, the highest returns were found in wind for Maharashtra, solar PV in Jharkhand, and small hydropower in Assam.
• When measured against a social discount rate of 8 percent, all evaluated renewable energy technologies provided a high enough return to justify public investment, with the sole exception of solar PV in Assam.
• ERR estimates are significantly influenced by local conditions, including weather, water scarcity, land-use patterns, and population.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Sustainable Development Impacts of Renewable Power: Insights from Three Indian States. https://www.wri.org/research/sustainable-development-impacts-renewable-power-insights-three-indian-states

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Sustainable Development Impacts of Renewable Power: Insights from Three Indian States. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/sustainable-development-impacts-renewable-power-insights-three-indian-states.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Sustainable Development Impacts of Renewable Power: Insights from Three Indian States |url=https://www.wri.org/research/sustainable-development-impacts-renewable-power-insights-three-indian-states |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendsustainable, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Sustainable Development Impacts of Renewable Power: Insights from Three Indian States}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/sustainable-development-impacts-renewable-power-insights-three-indian-states}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }