Coastal urban ecosystems are under siege from climate change, rapid urbanisation, and environmental degradation. These escalating pressures threaten the sustainability, resilience, and well-being of communities in these regions. Despite the transformative potential of nature-based solutions (NbS) to combat these issues, their integration into urban planning and policy frameworks remains lacking owing to a persistent knowledge gap and ambiguity surrounding NbS concepts.

India launched a landmark scheme, the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, in February this year, to support the uptake of rooftop solar photovoltaics (RTPVs) in the country. Under this scheme, residential households are eligible for a subsidy of INR 30,000 per kilowatt (kW) for the first 2 kW and INR 18,000 per kW for an additional capacity of up to 3 kW. With over 1.28 crore registrations and 14.84 lakh applications, the scheme has garnered remarkable interest as highlighted in the recent union budget.

India has witnessed remarkable growth in the solar sector over the last decade. According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the overall installed capacity has increased from 2.82 GW in March 2014 to 87.2 GW in July 2024.This can be attributed to aggressive government targets, supportive policy frameworks, decreasing technology costs, and increasing awareness about climate change. While the sector is attracting significant investments from foreign and domestic sources, it also has inherent risks.