Root-Cause analysis of renewable energy projects in India

¹ Department of Humanities & Sciences, CVR College of Engineering Hyderabad, India.
² Department of Computer Science and Business system, CVR College of Engineering Hyderabad, India.

^* Corresponding author email id: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published online: 3 August 2026

Abstract

In 2021, India’s per capita GDP was $2,277.4, compared with $69,287.5 for the USA and $47,334.4 for the UK. Despite 76 years of independence, India remains a developing nation, in part because of its growing energy needs. India’s energy policy must therefore address both domestic consumption and industrial demand. Estimates of energy consumption, demand, supply, and sources have been reviewed by government and non-government organizations. Research has consistently shown that renewable energy (RE) projects face a wide range of barriers, including regulatory uncertainty, financing constraints, infrastructure limitations, and technological challenges. Since it is not feasible to address every barrier simultaneously, identifying and resolving the most significant one may clear the way for RE projects. The present study analysed publicly available reports on RE published between 2018 and 2022, and the barriers listed in these reports were examined using Pareto analysis. The aim was to identify the 20% of issues responsible for 80% of the problems affecting RE projects. This paper thereby identifies the key areas for improvement and offers guidance to policymakers, project managers, and researchers seeking better solutions.