India leads major nations in solar-powered industrialization with world's largest solar park
By
Fred Pearce, Yale Environment 360
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Summary
India is rapidly industrializing using solar energy, exemplified by the Khavda solar park in the Rann of Kutch — set to be the world's largest at 30 GW capacity with nearly 60 million panels covering 280 square miles by 2029. Unlike China's coal-driven modernization, India is leveraging increasingly cheap solar power to meet its growing energy demands. Despite challenges like an outdated grid, India's solar buildout could serve as a model for other emerging economies.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledA sea of solar panels is rapidly engulfing one of the world's largest salt deserts.
By 2029, nearly 60 million panels will cover 280 square miles of India's Rann of Kutch, extending right up to the border with Pakistan.
The Khavda solar park is set to be the world's largest and most powerful supplier of electricity from the sun, with a generating capacity of 30 gigawatts.
While China's push to modernize sparked a surge in burning coal, India is turning to increasingly cheap solar to meet its booming energy needs.
Though it faces big hurdles, including a rickety grid, India's solar buildout could soon be a model for other emerging economies.
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