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

This research paper uses the World Resources Institute's framework to estimate the economic rate of return (ERR) for renewable energy technologies in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Assam, India, comparing them against a coal baseline to inform local deployment policies.

• The analysis identifies Maharashtra as having the highest rate of return across all assessed technologies, followed by Jharkhand and then Assam. Within individual states, the highest returns were found for wind in Maharashtra, solar PV in Jharkhand, and small hydropower in Assam.
• When compared to a social discount rate of 8 percent, all assessed renewable energy technologies provide a high enough return to justify public investment, with the sole exception of solar PV in Assam.
• The economic rate of return estimates are significantly influenced by local factors, including weather conditions, water scarcity, and land-use and population patterns.

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} }