In the study ‘Driving Energy Transition: Workforce, Skills, and Gender in India’s Renewable Energy Sector‘, conducted with technical guidance from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), it is stated that India now ranks third globally in renewable energy installed capacity.
Climate think tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and environment NGO Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) India in the research paper said that the country’s 500 GW non-fossil fuel capacity target and goals under the National Green Hydrogen Mission could generate over 44 lakh full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs.
“Rooftop solar is projected to be the single largest employment engine, accounting for approximately 43 per cent of these estimated jobs,” it said.
The two firms said the study is based on a primary survey of companies conducted in 2024-25 across the solar, wind, bioenergy and hydropower sectors.
“India now ranks third globally in renewable energy installed capacity and achieved its target of meeting 50 per cent of cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil sources in 2025, five years ahead of schedule,” they said.
Speaking about the prospects of job creation in clean energy sectors, MNRE Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said the element of people’s involvement is intrinsic to a successful green transition.”The positive externalities involved in keeping people as the focus of this green transition is intrinsic, and India has shown that our economic growth trajectory as well as sustainability goals can be pretty well aligned,” he added.
Last year, India achieved about 51 gigawatts of solar and wind, and hopefully, this momentum will continue and expand in the subsequent years, Sarangi said.
The CEEW-NRDC study found that of the 6.5 lakh clean energy workers added between FY’23 and FY’26, the largest share came from rooftop solar, which accounted for 62 per cent of the total workforce addition.
This was followed by PM-KUSUM at 16.3 per cent, biomass power at 12.6 per cent and ground-mounted solar at 6 per cent, it added.
CEEW Chief Executive Officer Arunabha Ghosh said, “India’s energy transition must also be a workforce transition. The opportunity is about creating livelihoods, building skills, deepening domestic supply chains and ensuring that the benefits of clean energy reach households, farmers, workers and entrepreneurs, while also adding gigawatts.”
To convert India’s clean-energy ambition into a durable employment engine, India must continue to invest in high-quality skilling, transparent workforce data and inclusive participation, he added.
However, the CEEW-NRDC study found that women account for only 11 per cent of the total workforce in solar and wind deployment, and manufacturing sectors.
“Women’s participation is highest in rooftop solar at 15 per cent, followed by solar module manufacturing at 13 per cent, floating solar at 12 per cent and ground-mounted solar at 11 per cent.
“The study also finds that 61 per cent of women in the clean energy workforce are employed in non-technological roles such as human resources, accounting and administration,” it added.
The study recommended that MNRE and related establishments institutionalise mandatory workforce reporting through existing processes such as subsidy disbursement, tenders and regulatory frameworks.
It also calls on clean-energy companies to invest in gender inclusion and career advancement programmes, while training institutes should strengthen hands-on learning and keep curricula aligned with changing industry needs.
“As India scales towards its 2030 clean-energy targets and long-term net-zero goal, the CEEW-NRDC report emphasises that workforce planning, skilling, gender inclusion and reliable jobs data will be essential to ensure that the clean-energy transition creates not just capacity, but quality livelihoods,” the paper said.