New Delhi, May 31: India may become the first country to utilize solar energy for industrialization instead of coal. The country’s solar energy capacity is growing at an impressive annual rate of approximately 40%, surpassing 150 gigawatts by March 2026, according to a recent report.
The American news portal Grist, citing Yale E360, highlighted that India is rapidly transforming into one of the world’s largest renewable energy hubs, thanks to vast solar panels spread across the Kutch desert in Gujarat.
The Khavda Solar Park, located near the India-Pakistan border and covering around 280 square miles, is expected to become the world’s largest solar energy project by 2029.
Once completed, this project will feature nearly 60 million solar panels, generating 30 gigawatts of electricity—enough to power a country the size of Austria.
This massive initiative reflects India’s increasing commitment to solar energy. The country’s established solar capacity has been growing at an annual rate of about 40%, exceeding 150 gigawatts in March.
To meet rising electricity demand while reducing reliance on fossil fuels, India aims to double this capacity by 2030.
According to Kingsmill Bond, an energy strategist at the UK-based think tank Ember, India is charting a different course compared to China and Western nations, which have heavily relied on fossil fuels for their economies.
Bond stated, “China built its economy on coal; India is building on solar energy.” He further noted that India’s model could inspire other emerging economies seeking rapid growth without a significant increase in carbon emissions.
India’s rapid expansion of solar energy marks a dramatic shift from just a decade ago when solar power played a limited role in the country’s energy mix.
The report indicated that despite growing global concerns about climate change, the government had vigorously supported coal production to bolster industrial development at that time.
Shortly after taking office in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to double coal production by 2020.
India has resisted international pressure to phase out coal at climate summits, arguing that developing countries still need fossil fuels to reduce poverty and expand their economies.
However, the declining costs of solar panels and India’s naturally sunny climate have gradually shifted the country’s energy strategy.
Since the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, there has been a rapid increase in the establishment of solar power plants.
The report also mentioned that last year, for the first time, non-fossil fuel sources contributed more than half of India’s total installed electricity generation capacity.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), about half of India’s additional electricity demand between now and 2030 is expected to be met by solar energy.
The remaining quarter is likely to come from other low-carbon sources, including wind, hydropower, and nuclear energy.
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