Analysing Energy Security in India through a Regional Lens: A SAP-LAP Inquiry into Uttarakhand Sustainable Energy Challenges

Abstract

Ensuring a reliable energy supply through solar energy projects is a critical component of India's energy security strategy, particularly for the state of Uttarakhand, where challenging terrain and ecological sensitivities complicate solar capacity addition goals. This paper develops an inquiry model based on the situation-actor-process (SAP) and learning-action-performance (LAP) framework to analyse the supply-side dynamics of solar energy security. The model synthesizes the situations within India's national solar energy sector and the specific solar energy landscape of Uttarakhand. The application of the SAP-LAP framework reveals that both national and Uttarakhand's solar energy sectors require significant investment and proactive, sustainable decision-making from identified actors. For Uttarakhand, this entails embracing life cycle management and costing for its solar resources to balance development with environmental conservation, thereby strengthening regional and national solar energy security. The framework provides a managerial perspective and serves as a robust decision-support tool for managing complex priorities within India's solar energy sector, particularly in environmentally significant states.