Mains GS Paper IIIEnvironment & EcologyHigh-yield

Renewable Energy — Solar, Wind, Green Hydrogen & Storage

नवीकरणीय ऊर्जा — सौर, पवन, हरित हाइड्रोजन

Renewable Energy — Solar, Wind, Green Hydrogen & Storage is part of the UPSC Mains GS Paper III syllabus, under Environment & Ecology. It appeared in Mains GS Paper III question papers in 4 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025 (2019, 2021, 2023, 2024). It is marked high-yield: a topic worth revising more than once.

What should you study in Renewable Energy?

  • Solar — 70 GW installed; PM KUSUM, rooftop solar, ISTS waiver
  • Wind — 43 GW; offshore wind (Gujarat, Tamil Nadu); hybrid parks
  • Green Hydrogen — NGHM; production target; port-based clusters
  • Energy storage — BESS, pumped hydro; NTPC green energy

How often is Renewable Energy asked in UPSC Mains?

Asked in 4 of 10 years, including 3 of the last 5. Highlighted years below are the ones it appeared in.

  1. 2016: not asked
  2. 2017: not asked
  3. 2018: not asked
  4. 2019: asked
  5. 2020: not asked
  6. 2021: asked
  7. 2022: not asked
  8. 2023: asked
  9. 2024: asked
  10. 2025: not asked

About the Mains GS Paper III paper

GS Paper III is a 250-mark descriptive Mains paper covering technology, economic development, biodiversity, environment, security and disaster management. See all 50 Mains GS Paper III topics.

Related topics to study next

Syllabus: UPSC Civil Services notification. Topic breakdown, subtopics and PYQ years: GS Score UPSC Syllabus 2026-27 booklet. Sources & credits

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