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Geography & Environment · Environment & Ecology

Renewable Energy & Sustainable Development: 35 previous year questions

UPSC has asked 35 questions on Renewable Energy & Sustainable Development between 2010 and 2026: CDS 10 · CSE 8 · NDA 6 · CAPF 4 · Geo-Scientist 4 · CISF (LDCE) 2 · EPFO (APFC) 1. 29 of them came after 2015, so this is a live topic examiners keep returning to. 8 were set in Civil Services Prelims; the rest come from UPSC's other papers, which draw on the same question bank.

Practise these 35, one at a timeRead the questions

Tap an option to check yourself. Answers follow the official UPSC key; where the key was dropped or disputed the question is not shown.

CAPF2026Renewable Energy & Sustainable DevelopmentOn card ENV 5·1

Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. As per the Renewable Energy Statistics, 2026, India ranks third globally in Renewable Energy Installed Capacity. 2. India ranks fourth globally in terms of Global Installed Wind Turbine Capacity. Select the answer using the code given below.

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Answer C (official UPSC key)As per IRENA Renewable Energy Statistics 2026, India ranks third globally in renewable energy installed capacity (after China and USA) | India ranks fourth globally in installed wind capacity
CAPF2026Renewable Energy & Sustainable DevelopmentOn card ENV 1·2

Which one of the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) talks about protecting and restoring terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably managing forests, combating desertification, halting and reversing land degradation and stopping biodiversity loss?

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Answer C (official UPSC key)SDG 15 (Life on Land): protect terrestrial ecosystems, manage forests, combat desertification, reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss
CAPF2025Renewable Energy & Sustainable DevelopmentOn card ENV 5·1

Which of the statements given below is/are correct? 1. The National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) was approved by the Union Cabinet, Government of India, in the year 2023. 2. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, has launched the Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme of India. Select the answer using the code given below.

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Answer A (official UPSC key)National Green Hydrogen Mission was approved by the Union Cabinet on 4 January 2023 | NOT: launched by MoEFCC; it is the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)
CSE2025Renewable Energy & Sustainable DevelopmentOn card ENV 5·1

Consider the following statements: Statement I: Of the two major ethanol producers in the world, i.e., Brazil and the United States of America, the former produces more ethanol than the latter. Statement II: Unlike in the United States of America where corn is the principal feedstock for ethanol production, sugarcane is the principal feedstock for ethanol production in Brazil. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

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Answer D (official UPSC key)NOT (per key): Brazil produces more ethanol than the USA | Corn is the principal ethanol feedstock in the USA (around 97%); sugarcane in Brazil
CDS2023 · 2Renewable Energy & Sustainable DevelopmentOn card ENV 1·2

What does India‘s ―Blue growth‖ refer to ?

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Answer C (official UPSC key)India's 'Blue Growth': long-term strategy for sustainable use of marine resources for economic growth, livelihoods and environment
CDS2022 · 1Renewable Energy & Sustainable DevelopmentOn card ENV 5·1

Which one of the following statements about biogas is not correct ?

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Answer B (official UPSC key)NOT: biogas is non-renewable; biogas is a renewable source of energy (anaerobic decomposition of cow dung and organic matter)
CDS2022 · 2Renewable Energy & Sustainable DevelopmentOn card ENV 5·1

Which one among the following reports defines Sustainable Development as development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs ?

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Answer A (official UPSC key)Brundtland Report (World Commission on Environment and Development, created 1983) defines sustainable development as meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet theirs
CSE2021Renewable Energy & Sustainable DevelopmentOn card ENV 1·2

With reference to the water on the planet Earth, consider the following statements: 1. The amount of water in the rivers and lakes is more than the amount of groundwater. 2. The amount of water In polar ice caps and glaciers is more than the amount of groundwater. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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Answer B (official UPSC key)Water in polar ice caps and glaciers is more than groundwater | NOT (per key): rivers and lakes hold more water than groundwater
NDA2020 · 1 & 2Renewable Energy & Sustainable DevelopmentOn card ENV 5·1

Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?

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Answer D (official UPSC key)NOT: heating capacity of biogas is very low; it is relatively high due to methane content
CSE2017Renewable Energy & Sustainable DevelopmentOn card ENV 1·2

Which of the following practices can help in water conservation in agriculture? 1. Reduced or zero tillage of the land 2. Applying gypsum before irrigating the field 3. Allowing crop residue to remain in the field Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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Answer D (official UPSC key)Water conservation in agriculture: reduced or zero tillage; applying gypsum before irrigating; leaving crop residue in the field
CSE2014Renewable Energy & Sustainable DevelopmentOn card ENV 1·2

What are the benefits of implementing the ‗Integrated Watershed Development Programme‘? 1. Prevention of soil runoff 2. Linking the country‘s perennial rivers with seasonal rivers 3. Rainwater harvesting and recharge of groundwater table 4. Regeneration of natural vegetation Selects the correct answer using the code given below

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Answer C (official UPSC key)Integrated Watershed Development Programme benefits: prevention of soil runoff; rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge; regeneration of natural vegetation | NOT: linking perennial and seasonal rivers (that is the Interlinking of Rivers project)
CSE2013Renewable Energy & Sustainable DevelopmentOn card ENV 5·1

Consider the following pairs: 1. Electromagnetic radiation 2. Geothermal energy 3. Gravitational force 4. Plate movements 5. Rotation of the earth 6. Revolution of the earth Which of the above are responsible for bringing dynamic changes on the surface of the earth?

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Answer D (official UPSC key)Dynamic changes on Earth's surface are brought by electromagnetic radiation, geothermal energy, gravitational force, plate movements, rotation and revolution of the earth
EPFO (APFC)2012Renewable Energy & Sustainable DevelopmentOn card ENV 5·1

Consider the following Statements 1. Statement (I): In order to produce electric power from a geothermal reservoir, a temperature above 180∘180∘ is required. 2. Statement (II): To drive steam turbines, high-temperature steam is used. Codes:

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Answer A (official UPSC key)Geothermal power needs reservoir temperature above 180°C | High-temperature steam drives steam turbines (Statement II explains Statement I)
CSE2010Renewable Energy & Sustainable DevelopmentOn card ENV 1·2

Consider the following statements: 1. On the planet Earth, the freshwater available for use amounts to about less than 1% of the total water found. 2. Of the total freshwater found on the planet Earth 95% is bound up in polar ice caps and glaciers. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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Answer A (official UPSC key)Freshwater available for use is less than 1% of Earth's total water (all freshwater is only 2.5%) | NOT: 95% of freshwater in ice caps and glaciers; they hold about 68.7%

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