WALKING ON SUNSHINE
India started late, but has ambitious plans to power homes and businesses by the sun. Take a look at where we stand and where we’re headed
3 India’s spot among the world’s top energy producers. India’s energy use has doubled since 2000 and is eight times more than in the 1970s. Only China and the US produce and consume more electricity than we do
18 % The proportion of our electricity that comes from renewable sources like wind and solar. More than half our power currently comes from coal. The rest is from hydroelectricity and nuclear plants
22.5 gigawatts: India’s current solar power capacity. This is twice the amount produced in 2016
100 gigawatts: The amount of solar power India hopes to produce by 2022. It’s part of a larger plan to generate 175 gigawatts from renewable sources – the world’s largest renewable-energy-expansion programme
$125 billion, or ₹8.5 trillion, is what it will cost to meet the four-year deadline
38 The number of solar parks India is building across 23 states to meet the deadline
5 of the world’s 10 largest solar parks under construction currently are in India. By 2019, a massive 2.2 GW park at Bhadla, Rajasthan, will be completed. It will beat China’s 1.5 GW Tengger Desert Solar Park to become the world’s biggest. Plans for an even bigger,
5 GW solar park in Khambhat in Gujarat have been approved
1 gigawatt: India’s target for rooftop solar power generation in 2018, down from an initial target of 10 GW, then 5 GW
982 MW (or less than 1 GW): Our rooftop solar power generation in 2017. The dismal show is because of the lack of space in cities, few subsidies, low profit margins for solar companies, and unclear metering policies within states
60 % The amount of electricity India hopes will come from non-fossil sources by 2027. It will help that the cost of the photovoltaic cells used in solar panels is falling fast — already down by 75% since 2009
31 % million: The number of homes still without electricity. Less than 10% of India’s 18,452 villages have 100% household connectivity