Here Comes the

India – the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases – outshines the rest

sheer scale the new solar power facility in Kamuthi, Tamil Nadu in southern India is astonishing. Recently released images show a vast sea of reflective blue panels covering an area of 10 square kilometres. This mass of 2.5 million solar units – forming the largest solar power plant at a single site, taking the spot from the Topaz Solar Farm in the US – has a capacity of 648 megawatts.

The plant was built in a mere eight months, constructed by the Adani Group to a budget of USD679 million, according to Al Jazeera. In comparison, Topaz’s construction took two years and footed a bill of USD2.5 billion. During construction of the Kamuthi Solar Power Project, around 8,500 men installed an average of 11 megawatts-worth of equipment every day.

The unveiling of the solar plant could not have been more timely, with India suffering its worst pollution in 17 years earlier the same month. The development has been hailed as a game changer by environmental groups worldwide.

The developing country’s heavy reliance on coal is still strong, despite big ambitions to grow their renewable energy resources. The Indian government has assured

The