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 GudelaSitting 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 teamAnother 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 working on those very fields. And when solar parks finally arrive with promises of development and employment, we were told that this economy is “not meant for women.” The resulting loss is not only one of income or access to land, but also of movement, connection and the small freedoms that shape everyday life in the desert. Rising social insecuritiesThe enclosure of land for solar projects is marked by the arrival of migrant construction workers – mostly men – in large numbers, which triggers different anxieties in the villages. In Nokh, the construction of the solar park increased the presence of unfamiliar men in an already patriarchal social setting. “Anjaan log hain (they are strangers),” Radha, a vociferous local resident in her mid-thirties, quipped uneasily. Other women echoed the same unease. Since the solar park came up, they said, stepping out alone no longer felt easy. “Dar toh ghana laage (We feel a lot of fear),” a group of women admitted. The conversion of grazing lands and orans (sacred groves) into fenced grids for solar parks has further undermined the women’s sense of freedom and safety. All these shifts, occurring together, have made everyday mobility more fraught. Caution now weighs heavily on them when stepping outside the house.Fencing around a solar park, Photo: Manideep GudelaAcross the village, both men and women spoke of a perceptible rise in incidents of theft and chain-snatching, which were once rare. Additionally, women explained how the possibility of making savings is repeatedly eroded by escalating alcoholism, with men often spending an entire day’s earnings on liquor.Inequities in the land leasing modelIn India, besides public land, companies also secure private land parcels through long-term lease arrangements. However, there is no formal process governing these leases. Companies rely on informal networks of middlemen or land aggregators, who possess the necessary knowledge, networks and influence to secure land on their behalf.An uninterrupted expanse of solar panels stretching to the horizon in Nokh Solar Park, Photo: Manideep GudelaAs the term ‘middlemen’ suggests, this sphere of informal negotiations and information exchange is dominated by men. They work with local administrative staff and negotiate directly with identified landowners, thereby systematically excluding marginalised groups, especially women. Further, liquor shops act as hotspots where middlemen approach intoxicated men for negotiations.Despite their lifelong involvement in managing and sustaining lands, women are rarely considered significant enough to be informed, let alone consulted for consent. Exclusion from employment opportunitiesIn Nokh, although solar companies produced jobs, they brought along rigid gendered barriers. A male local political representative openly admitted that the village “has not progressed to allow women into jobs.” As per field data, companies hire only men, citing security and other low-paid manual jobs, offering Rs 12,000–18,000 per month.Even as the solar workforce grows, women remain excluded, deemed unfit for the new green economy. A young man in the village summarised this bias bluntly, “Ladkiyan kuch nahi karti. Ghar mein bartan karti hain (Girls don’t do anything. They just wash utensils).” The women, however, strongly disagree. During one group discussion, several expressed their willingness to work as guards or cleaners in the solar park. “If a woman can be a pilot, why can’t she be a security guard?” one argued. In another conversation, two women who had dropped out of middle school explained how they shoulder responsibilities of both their children and elderly parents when men are away at work. The idea of working is not alien to them, yet they believe their lack of education prevents them from seeking employment opportunities. Still, they remain hopeful that one day they would be ‘allowed’ to work, insisting, “Mana nahin karenge (We won’t refuse any opportunity).” These conversations reveal the gap between women’s aspirations and the realities the renewable energy industry is willing to offer them. A struggle for space and identityThe impact of large renewable energy projects extends beyond the erosion of women’s economic autonomy and authority. It is equally felt in relational worlds that shape their well-being and enable the exchange of emotions through informal banter, free-flowing conversations and shared routines. Many women reminisced about how gathering wood, herding livestock and fetching water once served as opportunities for socialising – moments of worry-free exchanges, secure from the male gaze and patriarchal oversight.Radha captured this sense of loss succinctly. “Hum azaad they pahle, ab nahi hain (We were free before, now we are not),” she lamented.Ongoing focused group discussion with women in Kumharo ka Baas, Nokh village, Photo: Manideep GudelaWomen’s freedom and renewable energy expansion need not be at odds. A gender-inclusive energy transition is required, with systemic interventions by various stakeholders throughout the life cycle of renewable energy projects. Solar developers and investors should promote the wider adoption of the free, prior and informed consent principle through their environmental, social and governance or ESG frameworks that proactively account for gendered risks. Even when land titles are held by men, the government should incentivise mandatory mechanisms for informing and asking for women’s consent through reduced duties, cess or fees collected from project developers. Equally important is women’s agency in shaping what these transformed landscapes eventually become. This requires addressing meaningful representation of women in panchayats and real devolution of power under the 73rd Amendment of the constitution. As solar panels continue to spread across the Thar, the central question remains whether women will live with dignity in the new landscape or survive with only what is left of it.Centre for Energy, Environment and People (CEEP) is a human-centric research and policy advocacy initiative, working towards energy justice in Rajasthan. It prioritises workers, communities and the environment, focusing on the intersection of energy infrastructure and services.Samiksha Bharti works on issues surrounding large renewable energy projects in western Rajasthan at CEEP.Simran Grover is the founder and CEO of CEEP, with a vast experience in the domains of renewable energy, power sector, applied research and entrepreneurship.