Beneath The Panel: The Hidden Losses of India’s Solar Parks
Beneath the Panel is a powerful documentary set in rural Tamil Nadu that examines the human cost of India's renewable energy transition. The film follows farming and pastoral communities that gave up nearly 4,000 acres of land over a decade ago for what would become the world's largest solar park, and explores how the benefits and burdens of clean energy are unevenly distributed. Through intimate, on-the-ground storytelling, Aparna Ganesan documents the lives of those left behind by rapid economic and environmental change. While some residents were able to migrate in search of new opportunities, many continue to bear the long-term social and economic consequences of land loss, despite their communities having played a critical role in advancing India's renewable energy ambitions. At its core, Beneath the Panel interrogates the gap between a green transition and a just transition. The documentary raises important questions about equity, consent, and accountability in climate action, while exploring whether current energy policies adequately address the needs and rights of communities whose livelihoods depend directly on land. By situating climate action within its local, social, and historical context, the film offers a vital Global South perspective on environmental reporting. Centring voices that are often absent from mainstream narratives, Beneath the Panel highlights how issues of land, power, and climate justice must remain central to conversations about sustainable development and clean energy transitions.
Read the Story →Aparna Ganesan is a documentary filmmaker and independent journalist based in Chennai, with over seven years of experience in multimedia storytelling. Her work focuses on the environment and climate justice, with a particular emphasis on their intersections with gender, marginalised communities, public policy, and rights.
Over the years, Aparna has reported and produced stories for a range of national and international publications, including DW News, Faultline Videos, Mongabay, The Washington Post, and The Migration Story. Her work is characterised by a strong commitment to documenting underreported issues and amplifying voices from communities at the frontline of environmental change.
Aparna's expertise spans the entire spectrum of documentary filmmaking and video journalism, including research and reporting, directing, screenplay development, cinematography, and editing. Her journalism and films have received support through several prestigious grants and fellowships, including those from GRID-Arendal, the Earth Journalism Network, and the Pulitzer Center.
Her recent documentary, Beneath The Panel, was selected as a finalist in the Environment Reporting category at the All Living Things Film Festival 2025. Earlier, her documentary Ennore: Living in Ashes received a Special Mention for Social Impact Journalism at the 2021 ACJ Journalism Awards. She is also the recipient of two Telly Awards in 2022 for directing the documentary Operation Possible: The Cooling Cart.
Through her work, Aparna continues to bring nuanced, people-centred perspectives to stories at the intersection of environment, justice, and human rights.
Recognising journalism that reflects integrity, courage, empathy and truth.