India shows commitment to clean energy with large solar power station

The Indian government recently demonstrates its commitment to provide clean and renewable energy by building a solar power station in Gujarat. The station, which is touted as the biggest in Asia, underscores the resolve of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fight climate change.

Prime Minister Modi has set an ambitious clean-energy targets which will see India’s solar capacity increase to 100 gigawatts by 2022. According to him, the push will redirect India from excessive dependence on fossil-fuel based energy to clean renewable energy.

The establishment of the solar power in Gujarat has changed the atmosphere in the remote village of Charanka, which used to standstill after sundown.

“Because of the light this fan is working, it is hot but still the power is there, it is so helpful for the children” said Jomiben, a mother of three.

Many citizens have also expressed gratitude to the government for the solar power station.

“Everyone has work, everyone has light, people are getting water, good roads have been built – earlier we had none of this. The solar park has brought all along these benefits,” said Zaida, a resident of Charanka

Saurabh Patel, the state’s Power and Finance Minister said Gujarat would be the major contributor to the prime minister’s vision of a clean energy-driven India.

“We decided that in spite of the cost being high, Gujarat is the only state which can take the lead, because we had taken the lead in power reforms in a big way and we were successful. Ours was the only utility which was a surplus and the only state which was giving 24/7 power,”

Rajendra Mistri, the chief project officer of the Gujarat Solar Park said the scale of the facility was attracting a lot of potential solar cell manufacturers.

“We see that in future because the conventional fuels are depleting at a very high rate, the cost of the fuel price will go up and at the same time the cost of the power generation from the solar will go down. So in very near future we will see that there will be a price parity,”