From about 1 lakh people being employed in the sector, renewable energy is expected to see total employment of about 1 million by 2030 (a ten-fold increase in eight years) and 3.2 million by 2030 ( a further three-fold increase in 20 years). Even by 2050, it would be a small portion of the total workforce (less than 1%), but in absolute numbers, 30 lakhs is a lot of people.
Among renewable energy, bio-energy is expected to employ a significant percentage of people and this is important. Most of the value-added in the bio-energy value chain will come from upstream - from the rural regions. And this is a part of the value chain where rural women can contribute significantly - be it in energy crop farming or in local energy crop processing (making them into briquettes and pellets).
And as renewables reach the rural regions (could be solar panels and off-grid solar products, or biodigesters for biogas), maintenance and upkeep of these systems also can span an industry where rural women can play a significant role, and this would help increase the adoption and reliability of clean energy at the village level.
And as decarbonization efforts spread beyond just clean energy and into domains such as soil carbon sequestration and bio-based products and solutions, the role played by rural folks in the value chain will become more dominant. Devising plans and strategies specifically customized for women's training and employability can go a long way in getting India's rural women to play a substantial role in our country's journey towards decarbonization.
