The world is in a race to turn over a net zero leaf. While switching to electric vehicles and other appliances does help, most of the energy that powers this tech continues to come from carbon-dirty sources such as fossil fuel-powered energy plants.
In a bid to accelerate our transition to green renewable energy, the Adani Group has announced the world's largest hybrid power park in Gujarat's Khavda desert in the state's Kutch district.
"It will be the most complex and ambitious project that we have ever executed. Spread over 72,000 acres, this project will be capable of generating 20 GW of green energy, and we intend to build it faster than any project in our execution history,” remarks Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani, according to a Financial Express report.
Hybrid power plants receive their energy from more than one source. In this case, the Gujarat Hybrid Renewable Energy Park is expected to generate its power from a vast array of solar panels and wind turbines.
Adani Green Energy (AGEL), the renewable energy division of the Adani Group, is one of the developers of the project. Early sources had mentioned an allocation of 19,000 hectares of land to AGEL.
While no further details were discussed in the recent shareholder meeting, estimates have shown that the park could generate around one lakh jobs and account for around 5 crore tonnes of carbon emission reductions every year, essentially churning immense wealth out of the wasteland.
India has set an ambitious goal of achieving 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, which would include 140 GW from wind and 280 GW from solar energy. While the government maintains that they remain "serious" about this goal, many experts lament that many challenges, including land and material acquisition, could present considerable roadblocks.
