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In 2021, India announced its ambitious target of achieving 500 gigawatts (GW) of non-fossil-fuel-based energy capacity by 2030, under the Panchamrit Declaration, at the Conference of the Parties (COP26) summit in Glasgow. Ultra-mega Solar Parks (UMSP) have since become a central pillar of this transition. These gargantuan green infrastructure projects demand thousands of hectares of land. And in western Rajasthan’s semi-arid Thar region, this development has translated into allocation of large swathes of public and private land for solar park development. 

Between August and November 2025, our team visited seven solar parks in Rajasthan. This article draws on seven in-depth interviews as well as two focus group discussions with 38 women from the 925 megawatt (MW) Nokh Solar Park. Located in the recently formed Phalodi district, the park is spread across 4,587 acres of land. Unlike the quiet and seemingly austere images that are emblematic of the Thar desert, Nokh bustles with activity as dozens of commercial loading vehicles move through the area at any given time.

Apart from a solitary public bus, private transport service in Nokh provide connectivity to Phalodi and other towns, Photo: Manideep Gudela

Sitting in a loose circle within a school campus in Nokh, the women spoke over one another as they calculated the growing cost of survival in the village. “Ten quintals of fodder a month,” one said, adding, “At Rs 700 per quintal.” What followed was a layered account of how the proliferation of UMSPs has led to patterns of dispossession across the state, giving rise to a new form of injustice against women.

Satellite map of Nokh village with various solar power plants surrounding it, Photo: CEEP team

Another field visit revealed that, for many women, exclusion within the renewable energy industry begins long before solar panels are installed. Land is fenced and sites selected without their presence, even as women often know best about where animals graze, where rainwater collects and which commons hold social and community life.

When land is leased or sold, the consent of women is missing from negotiations and decisions despite a lifetime spent........

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