India has achieved a significant milestone in its renewable energy transition, with non-fossil sources now accounting for 54.18% of installed electricity capacity, according to Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav. As reported by Business Standard, this achievement surpasses the country's 2030 target of 50% renewable capacity, demonstrating India's accelerated progress toward sustainable energy goals. The country has established itself as the fourth largest producer of wind energy with an installed capacity of 39.25 GW as of March 31, 2021, contributing about ten percent of total power generation and ranking as one of the fastest-growing energy sectors. Among the states, Tamil Nadu has the highest installed capacity in wind energy, while the sector continues to expand with corresponding growth in electricity transmission infrastructure.
Despite wind energy's environmental benefits, wind farms established across western and southern parts of India, including key bird-rich habitats such as the Western Ghats and Gulf of Kachchh, pose significant threats to avian populations. Field studies have documented lower species richness and diversity in turbine areas compared to adjacent control sites, with several passerine species showing reduced abundance. Thaker et al. (2018) found that wind farms in Karnataka reduced the abundance and activity of raptors, which in turn increased lizard density, causing serious ecological imbalances. Garvin et al. (2011) found a reduction in raptor abundance after turbine construction in Wisconsin, USA, while Kumar et al. (2022) reported similar effects on raptors within India. The long-term impacts on raptors are of particular concern because they produce few offspring and have long life expectancy, with studies demonstrating that wind farms pose serious threats to long-lived raptors by reducing survival rates and increasing population decline likelihood. Carrete et al. (2009) demonstrated that wind farms pose a serious threat to long-lived raptors by reducing their survival rates and increasing the likelihood of population decline.
India's electricity transmission network spans 4,63,758 km of transmission lines with 11,45,107 MVA of transformation capacity as of October 2022, making it one of the largest synchronous interconnected electricity grids globally. Power lines and associated structures cause bird mortality through electrocution, with studies from Rajasthan identifying high mortality of raptor species including the globally threatened Egyptian Vulture and Steppe Eagle through collisions and electrocutions. The presence of an extensive network of power lines in species' prime habitats, such as the Jaisalmer District, poses severe threats to survival of endangered species. While renewable energy expansion should avoid bird-rich areas and migratory corridors, the effectiveness of conventional flight diverters in reducing collision risk for bustards is limited (Silva et al., 2023). Science-based site selection, underground cabling in priority areas, and mitigation measures such as bird diverters and emerging innovations including free-standing flight-path blockers have been proposed to reduce collision risk while supporting sustainable energy development.
Minister Yadav emphasized that India's environmental responsibility approach is fundamentally rooted in its civilizational ethos, which views the Earth as a shared inheritance and sacred trust. As reported by Business Standard, he reaffirmed the country's commitment to collective action toward a sustainable, resilient and just future, positioning environmental challenges as transcending national boundaries. The minister highlighted the importance of international forums bringing together diverse stakeholders during the inauguration of the National Green Tribunal's two-day international conference on "The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics," which has convened jurists, academicians, policymakers, scientists, environmental experts and stakeholders from 17 countries worldwide, along with international organizations including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Asian Development Bank (ADB). While renewable energy is essential for climate change mitigation, its expansion should avoid bird-rich areas, migratory corridors, and habitats of collision-prone species such as the Great Indian Bustard, vultures, and large raptors.
