The Indian government is aiming to develop the world’s largest solar power project in the state of Rajasthan, according to IBT. The total generating capacity of the project, 4,000 megawatts (4 gigawatts), will be more than double the total solar power generating capacity in India.
The project will be situated on 23,000 acres near Sambhar Lake, about 47 miles from Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. The project will be built in stages, with the first 1,000 megawatt (1 gigawatt) stage expected to be completed by the end of 2016. It will be a joint venture between 5 state-run power utilities.
Solar power currently accounts for less than 1% of India’s electricity, yet the populous country has faced serious power shortages. India’s electricity generation is heavily weighted towards coal and hydro power, but the government is planning to increase solar capacity to 20,000 megawatts (20 gigawatts) by 2020.
The government has stated that is expects the massive project to set a trend for the development of large-scale solar projects around the world.
Image CC licensed Dan Searle
Via IBT
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