"The Biggest Problem We Have Now Is That Our Feelings Have Ended”: Solar Energy Frontiers in Western India, A Political Ecology Inquiry
In my PhD project, I study the imaginaries and praxes around solar energy rollout in Rajasthan, India.
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India has emerged as one of the most prominent countries in deploying lower-carbon energy, especially Solar PV. Broadly speaking, Solar PV is expected to supply the growing need for electricity in India, while allowing for the generation of cleaner energy--50% by 2030.
My project seeks to understand the implication of Solar PV projects for the other-than-human and the citizenry. Industrial-scale solar "parks" rely upon the appropriation of thousands of acres of land, which despite being designated as "wastelands", are used by agropastoral peoples for sustainable farming and grazing cattle.
By studying the implications of solar rollout, my project aims to propose place-based alternative energy futures that utilize the new possibilities presented by solar PV to enhance socioecological wellbeing.
Supervisor: Siddharth Sareen
