India’s Renewable Energy Push Projected to Generate Over 44 Lakh Jobs by 2030

A study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), prepared with technical guidance from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), estimates that India’s clean‑energy transition could create more than 44 lakh full‑time‑equivalent jobs by 2030. The projection is driven largely by the country’s target of 500 GW of non‑fossil capacity and its National Green Hydrogen Mission.

Rooftop solar emerges as the single largest employment engine, accounting for roughly 43‑62 % of the new jobs, followed by the PM‑KUSUM scheme, biomass power and ground‑mounted solar. Distributed solar installations generate far higher labour intensity than utility‑scale projects, delivering about 45 job‑years per megawatt versus less than one job‑year for large‑scale solar or wind.

The report also flags a gender imbalance: women constitute only about 11 % of the renewable‑energy workforce, with the highest participation in rooftop solar (15 %). Most women are employed in non‑technical roles such as administration and human‑resources. The authors call for stronger technical training, transparent workforce data and gender‑inclusive policies to realise the projected employment potential.