‘Whole world will be impressed by India’s ambitions’

Ahead of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change conference in Paris, India plans to stand by its idea of installing solar panels to provide power supply to around 300 million Indians who don’t have access to electricity.

As part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clean energy initiative, the government now plans to install solar panels in the north Indian desserts – their trump card at the forthcoming climate change talks in Paris.

India, however, is under pressure to cut carbon emissions after betting big on highly polluting coal for years now. The meet, aimed at forging a global climate pact, will be held in Paris from November 30th, 2015 till December 11th, 2015.

However, the world’s third largest emitter demands that the burden should lie with the countries with developed industrialization.

In a move to cut down the number of blackouts, the Narendra Modi government is banking on the solar capacity, which the government plans to increase fivefold. Not just this, the Centre is also planning to hike the renewable energy targets.

The solar plan also comes into light as India boosts coal production to meet its growing needs, ignoring calls to slash its dependence on fossil fuels.
In India, the northern desert of Rajasthan, with ample amount of sunshine through out the year, has become the heart of Modi’s renewable and solar energy plans.

"Solar gives you a steady income, steady return. Here the main raw material is the sun," says Ramakant Tibrewala, chairman of Roha Dyechem, a local food colours manufacturer which has also joined the solar bandwagon.

Along with an investment of Rs 800 million ($12 million), Tibrewala has built 67 glistening rows of panels in a Rajasthan solar park. He, then, partnered with other local companies and expanded the solar park to over 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres).

Not just the domestic firms, but foreign companies too are making their way to India with plans to invest in the field. Japan's SoftBank, the US-based SunEdison and Chinese giant Trina Solar have all pledged investments in the field, keeping in mind the rising customer demand and falling costs of manufacturing panels.

But the government needs enough fundings to reach its goal of generating 100,000 megawatts of solar power by 2022, while currently it is producing 20,000 megawatts of solar energy.

Modi, a green energy enthusiast who helped create solar parks in his home state of Gujarat, has called for $100 billion investment. Even his government has pledged to smooth the path in a country that is known for its infuriating levels of red tapism as well as providing tax breaks and other incentives for interested companies.

"We do need money," said Upendra Tripathy, a top official in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Tripathy denied that the government was under international pressure to transform its energy sector. He infact said that the "whole world" was impressed by India's ambitions.

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