The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy recommends a single-window clearance for solar projects to expedite India's energy transition.
It highlights the need for streamlined land acquisition, improved Right of Way compensation.
The Committee's report stresses the importance of addressing regional imbalances and skilling programmes.
In a sweeping set of recommendations aimed at unblocking India’s clean-energy pipeline, especially solar power, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy has called for a single-window clearance mechanism for land acquisition. It also urged state adoption of market-rate Right of Way (RoW) compensation, a dedicated portal for forest and wildlife clearances and a new manufacturing scheme for polysilicon, ingots, wafers and solar glass.
The other measures the committee advocated for included faster implementation of rooftop solar, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) and solar parks schemes, greater support for domestic storage research and development, and an accelerated skilling programme for both the solar and transmission sectors.
Additionally, the Committee called for targeted handholding of states with low solar deployment to correct regional imbalances.
This comes after RoW issues, transmission bottlenecks, regional imbalances and the slow progress of some schemes were found to be factors holding back solar projects in the country.
The report, tabled in the Lok Sabha on December 8 during the winter session of the Parliament, acknowledged that land bottlenecks and transmission constraints remain the biggest threats to achieving India’s 2030 solar capacity target of 292 gigawatts (GW). It warned that fragmented approvals across multiple central and State agencies are slowing down project development and argued that a unified clearance system is essential for timely identification and resolution of land-related disputes.
On transmission, the Committee emphasised the need for states to adopt the Centre’s RoW guidelines — mandating 200 per cent compensation for tower-base land and 30 per cent for corridor areas — to avoid prolonged disruptions in laying inter-state lines. RoW hurdles, it noted, are particularly acute in solar-dense regions, directly affecting evacuation of new capacity.
The report also flagged delays in forest and wildlife clearances, proposing an exclusive portal that brings all approving authorities together for real-time monitoring and quicker decision-making — critical for linear transmission projects that often get stuck in multi-layered permissions.
On performance of flagship schemes, the Committee criticised the slow progress under PM Surya Ghar, PM-KUSUM and Solar Parks schemes, recommending tighter coordination with states, timely release of central financial assistance and state-specific consumer awareness campaigns to improve uptake, especially in the residential rooftop segment.
To tackle storage shortages that threaten renewable integration, the report called for capital grants to premier institutions for storage research and development, strengthening domestic innovation and lowering future system costs. It also sought a dedicated manufacturing incentive scheme for upstream photovoltaic components to reduce import dependence and ensure supply chain resilience.
Noting the workforce gap in both renewable energy generation and transmission, the Committee urged the Union ministries of new and renewable energy and power, as well as Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd to expand training institutions, adopt public-private models and design industry-aligned skilling programmes to meet the rapidly rising demand for technical manpower.
The Committee acknowledged India’s achievement of the Panchamrit goal of 50 per cent installed capacity from non-fossil sources in June 2025, but cautioned that reaching upcoming milestones will require rapid reforms across land, transmission, storage, manufacturing and skills ecosystems.