India wants to become a solar superpower, but its dependence on toxic coal says otherwise

One of the world’s largest solar power projects has just been completed in southern India. At 648 megawatts (MW), the Kamuthi solar plant in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, can generate as much electricity as most coal or nuclear power stations.

This is great news. But it must be only the start of an unprecedented Indian solar boom. For the country to achieve its Paris climate pledges, it will need hundreds of Kamuthis.

India has become one of the big names in renewable energy in recent years. The country championed the International Solar Alliance, an initiative launched a year ago at COP21 in Paris and expected to be ratified at the follow-up COP22 in Morocco. It aims to mobilise $1 trillion (£790 billion) to develop 1 terawatt of global solar power by 2030—that’s four times more than the current worldwide total. Read more….

India wants to become a solar superpower, but its dependence on toxic coal says otherwise