Sustainable Energy Use and Its Importance

Every meal that reaches your plate carries a hidden energy bill. The diesel that runs the tractor, the electricity that pumps water from a borewell, the fuel that transports grain to the market, and even the energy locked inside chemical fertilisers all flow from one source for the most part: fossil fuels. As populations grow and aspirations rise, this dependence is becoming both an environmental risk and an economic vulnerability. Sustainable energy use is no longer an abstract climate slogan. It is the foundation on which food security, public health, and long-term development now rest.

Why energy sits at the heart of agriculture and society 🔗

Modern farming is an energy-intensive activity. Irrigation pumps, threshers, cold storage, and food processing units all run on power, while fertilisers and pesticides are manufactured using large amounts of fossil energy. When energy is cheap, reliable, and clean, food production becomes stable. When it is expensive, erratic, or polluting, the entire chain from field to table suffers.

Society as a whole shows the same dependence. Hospitals, schools, factories, and homes all need a steady supply of power. Yet access remains uneven. Per capita electricity consumption stands at roughly 1,395 kWh, about a third of the global average, which signals both an existing deficit and a huge demand waiting to be met. Meeting that demand sustainably is the central challenge of our generation.

The energy-food connection 🔗

Agriculture receives heavily subsidised or free electricity in many states, mostly to run irrigation pumps. While this supports farmers, it also encourages overuse of groundwater and locks the sector into fossil-fuel-based grids. A more sustainable model links farm energy to clean sources, so that producing food does not deplete water tables or worsen pollution.

The heavy weight of non-renewable energy 🔗

Despite rapid progress in clean power, the energy system still leans firmly on fossil fuels. Coal alone makes up nearly half of total energy supply and around 75% of electricity generation. Oil and natural gas fill much of the rest, particularly in transport and cooking.

This reliance creates a double problem. First, domestic reserves of oil and gas are limited, forcing large imports that drain foreign exchange and expose the economy to global price shocks. Dependence on energy imports is projected to exceed 53% of total consumption by 2030. Second, burning these fuels carries a steep environmental cost that future generations will inherit.

The environmental cost of fossil fuels 🔗

Fossil fuels are the primary driver of rising greenhouse gas emissions. The power sector contributes about 37% of total emissions, followed by agriculture at 21%, manufacturing at 17%, and transport at 9%. Beyond carbon dioxide, coal combustion releases particulate matter and sulphur compounds that poison the air in cities and villages alike.

The damage does not stop at the atmosphere. Thermal power plants consume large volumes of water for cooling, while coal mining causes land degradation and waste disposal problems. When the full social and ecological cost is added, the “cheap” price of fossil energy turns out to be far higher than the meter suggests.

The promise of renewable energy 🔗

The good news is that the shift to clean energy is already accelerating. Total renewable energy installed capacity crossed 253 GW by late 2025, an increase of more than 23% in a single year. The country now ranks among the top few nations globally for renewable capacity, and clean sources already supply about half of total installed power capacity.

This transition rests on three main pillars: biomass, solar, and wind. Each plays a distinct role, and together they offer a realistic path away from fossil dependence.

Biomass: turning waste into power 🔗

Biomass is energy drawn from organic material such as crop residue, animal dung, and agricultural waste. It is especially valuable because it links directly to farming. Instead of burning stubble in fields, which causes severe seasonal air pollution, farmers can supply that residue to power plants and pellet manufacturers.

The government supports this through the National Bioenergy Programme, launched in 2022 with sub-schemes for waste-to-energy, biomass pellets, and biogas. According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, modern bioenergy can cut pollution, create rural jobs, and reduce energy import bills at the same time. Carefully managed, it offers income to farmers while easing the stubble-burning crisis.

Solar: the fastest-growing source 🔗

Solar power has become the engine of the clean energy shift. Installed solar capacity crossed the 100 GW landmark in early 2025 and reached nearly 133 GW by November of that year. Schemes such as PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, which targets one crore rooftop solar installations, are pushing clean power directly into homes.

Solar is also transforming farming. Solar-powered irrigation under the PM-KUSUM scheme allows farmers to pump water during daytime without diesel or grid electricity. Such systems can cut agricultural power subsidies, provide reliable daytime electricity, and boost farmers’ incomes.

Wind: harnessing natural currents 🔗

Wind energy complements solar, often generating power when sunlight is weak. Wind capacity grew from around 21 GW in 2014 to over 56 GW by early 2026, with the highest-ever single-year addition recorded recently. States like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Rajasthan lead this growth thanks to favourable wind conditions.

The combination of solar and wind, increasingly paired with energy storage, makes the grid more flexible and less dependent on coal-fired backup. Hybrid projects that blend both sources are now a key part of clean energy planning.

Energy efficiency: the cleanest unit is the one not used 🔗

Building more clean power matters, but using less energy for the same output matters just as much. Energy efficiency reduces demand, lowers costs, and shrinks the environmental footprint without requiring any new plant at all.

This is the logic behind the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency, which the Bureau of Energy Efficiency drives through programmes like UJALA for LED lighting and standards for appliances. Replacing inefficient pumps, fans, and bulbs across millions of homes and farms delivers savings that rival the output of large power stations. For agriculture specifically, efficient irrigation pumps can drastically reduce the electricity needed to grow the same crop.

Policy and the road ahead 🔗

A clean energy transition does not happen on its own. It needs consistent policy support, financing, and clear targets. The central commitment is ambitious: 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, alongside a longer-term goal of net zero by 2070.

One major obstacle is the way public money is spent. Coal, oil, and gas subsidies still take up a large share of total energy support, while clean energy receives far less. Redirecting these funds toward renewables and efficiency would free up resources and speed up the transition. Equally important are policies that connect clean energy to farming, so that the agricultural sector becomes a producer of clean power, not just a consumer of subsidised fossil electricity.

Why this matters for food security 🔗

The link between sustainable energy and food security is direct. Climate change driven by fossil fuels brings erratic monsoons, heatwaves, and water stress, all of which threaten harvests. The most climate-vulnerable regions already face slower growth and persistent poverty, with agriculture among the most exposed sectors. Powering farms with clean, reliable energy protects both the harvest and the environment that makes future harvests possible.

The transition is a shared responsibility 🔗

Sustainable energy use is not the job of governments and corporations alone. Choices made at home, on the farm, and in the workplace all add up. Switching to efficient appliances, supporting rooftop solar, reducing waste, and demanding cleaner policy all push the system in the right direction. The transition from a fossil-heavy past to a renewable future is underway, but its speed depends on collective effort.

The technology exists, the targets are set, and clean power is growing faster than ever. What remains is the will to align energy, agriculture, and policy so that comfort today does not come at the cost of survival tomorrow.

What do you think? If solar-powered irrigation could free farmers from both diesel costs and grid dependence, what is holding back its adoption in your region? And should fossil fuel subsidies be redirected entirely toward renewables, even if it raises short-term energy prices?

References

1. https://climatechange.academy/impacts-of-climate-change/energy-security-india-challenges-strategies/
2. https://understand-energy.stanford.edu/news/understand-energy-india
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_policy_of_India
4. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43621-026-02679-y
5. https://www.iisd.org/gsi/faqs/india
6. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2209478&reg=3&lang=1
7. https://www.iea.org/policies/17413-national-bioenergy-programme
8. https://mnre.gov.in/en/bio-energy-overview/
9. https://ddnews.gov.in/en/india-adds-record-44-5-gw-renewable-energy-capacity-in-2025-govt/
10. https://www.investindia.gov.in/sector/renewable-energy
11. https://www.iisd.org/articles/press-release/india-clean-energy-challenges-energy-demand-fossil-fuel-subsidies
12. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2250039&reg=3&lang=1
13. https://www.pmfias.com/national-action-plan-climate-change/
14. https://www.enerdata.net/publications/executive-briefing/india-decarbonisation.html