At present, the country struggles with poor infrastructure, relies on coal for 61 percent of its power consumption.
The Indian government and the country’s solar innovators are optimistic.
Last month India committed to the Paris agreement to reduce emissions and helped found the International Solar Alliance, a group of 120 countries committed to expanding and improving the use of solar power technology.
Earlier this year,government raised solar capacity goal to 100,000 megawatts by 2022. The target is an ambitious 20 times current production.
If India can meet it, it will become one of the biggest solar powerhouses in the world.
Competitive bidding on India’s solar projects have allowed companies like the U.S.-based SunEdison to offer the lowest-ever price per unit for solar energy in India, at 7 cents per kilowatt-hour.
And a rising number of start-ups, encouraged by the government’s support, are stepping in to India’s solar market.
Despite the support from the public and private sectors, solar power still has a few hurdles to cross before it really takes off in India.
This article originally appeared on GlobalPost. Its content was created separately to USA TODAY.
