Renewable Energies in India and Mexico: Social and Territorial Issues

Abstract

This article aims to analyse the causes and effects of the proliferation of renewable energy megaprojects in Mexico and India, delving more specifically into wind and solar power projects. Particular emphasis is placed on the fact that their presence is part of a planetary phenomenon, one that caters to global environmental and economic interests but is simultaneously guided by national contexts and policies. In this context, this article uses Andreas Malm’s (2020) concept of fossil capital, drawing a close connection between the inception of capitalism, which he locates at the start of the Industrial Revolution, and the proliferation of fossil fuel use. However, in recent years, clean energies have gathered momentum and attained a certain preponderance, yet the question of what actually is the role that these energies have come to play remains. This article frames the generation of energy as a structural matter to engage with this question. It is based on qualitative methodology, drawing on information from the author’s fieldwork experiences in Mexico as well as bibliographic and hemerographic review.