Integrating Energy Justice and SDGs in Solar Energy Transition: Analysis of the State Solar Policies of India

The transition to clean energy is not inherently positive or negative, and its impacts depend on the social context, power relations, and mechanisms to include marginalized voices. India, with its ambitious climate targets and commitment to the UN SDG Agenda, is a key country for ensuring an inclusive and sustainable transition. This paper aims to understand whether India’s commitment to the SDG Agenda’s overarching principle of ‘leaving no one behind’ is reflected in the design of its domestic solar policies. It analyzes how energy justice concerns are addressed in state-level solar policies. To that end, a pragmatic framework was developed to identify key justice dimensions and indicators, linked to the SDG targets, that are essential for an inclusive transition. This research conducted a qualitative interpretive content analysis of 29 solar energy policies, using the three identified framework dimensions—income growth, enhancing inclusion, and equal opportunities. We found that the themes around energy access, employment, and skill development are reflected in policies, while those around the inclusion of the poor, women, and community remain limited. The findings indicate that the policies have focused on low-impact justice concerns, lacking structural transformation. To address these gaps, the study proposes targeted subsidies, community ownership, and gender-inclusive mechanisms. The framework offers a pragmatic tool for the evaluation of clean energy policies in the Global South, and the empirical results provide insights for the synergistic implementation of the climate and sustainable development agenda.