Solar Parks: Threat to Biodiversity and Ecosystem in the Thar Desert of Western Rajasthan, India

Rup Narayan Suthar; P. R. Enkeshwar

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.88582

Solar Parks: Threat to Biodiversity and Ecosystem in the Thar Desert of Western Rajasthan, India

Author(s)	Mr. Rup Narayan Suthar, Dr. P. R. Enkeshwar
Country	India
Abstract	Abstract India's push to install 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030 has made the Thar Desert of western Rajasthan a major hub for utility-scale solar development. The 2,245 MW Bhadla Solar Park, which covers more than 5,700 hectares, is the most prominent example. Much of this land has been allocated cheaply because state revenue records describe it as unproductive wasteland (banjar), a label that masks its ecological and cultural value. This paper presents findings from field surveys conducted between 2021 and 2024 across Jodhpur, Phalodi, and Jaisalmer districts, combining botanical assessments, key-informant interviews, and focus group discussions with a review of published ecological, wildlife, and legal literature. The findings show that solar park construction is causing serious and lasting damage to this fragile ecosystem. Mechanical clearing strips away biological soil crusts, releasing windblown dust that reduces panel efficiency by 20 to 35 percent and forces bi-weekly washing using groundwater drawn from non-renewable fossil aquifers. Thousands of mature Khejri trees (Prosopis cineraria), the ecological backbone of the Thar, have been felled at construction sites, with developers paying a legally permitted fine of just Rs. 100 per tree. High-voltage transmission lines running through bird habitats near Pokhran and Ramgarh kill an estimated 84,000 birds each year, including the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), whose total wild population is now below 150. Sacred community forests known as Orans are being enclosed and cleared without the knowledge or consent of the pastoral communities who have protected them for centuries. The paper also provides with policy recommendations based on the current situation which include mandatory Environmental Impact Assessments for all solar projects above 1 MW, formal legal protection for Orans, underground transmission cabling within bustard habitats, and a shift toward agrivoltaics and waterless panel-cleaning technology.
Keywords	Keywords: Prosopis cineraria, Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), Orans, Utility-scale solar energy (USSE), Bhadla Solar Park, Biological soil crusts, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Field	Biology > Agriculture / Botany
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-09-27
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.88582

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Solar Parks: Threat to Biodiversity and Ecosystem in the Thar Desert of Western Rajasthan, India

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