SOLAR ENERGY

In 2010, India made the leap to harness solar power to meet its ever increasing energy demand. The decade has been a story of more successes than failures. The world also made significant progress in adopting solar energy. The International Energy Agency has projected a rapid increase in installed capacity of solar power by 2040, from 495 GW now to 3,142 GW, in its latest World Energy Outlook. Solar has the potential to surge ahead of coal and gas to become the largest source of installed power by 2035. As for generation, the share of renewable generation could nearly double, from 26 per cent today to 44 per cent in 2040, surpassing coal-based generation in 2026.