NRDC Assesses India's Solar Progress

Natonal Resources Defense Council (NRDC) published a new report assessing the progress of Phase 1 of India's National Solar Mission: Laying the Foundation for a Bright Future. The report analyzes available funding, political support and current and planned projects- country-wide. As the NRDC says, "even with 300 sunny days a year in most regions, creating a new solar energy market in India is no easy task." The report provides recommendations to scale grid-connected solar energy development, and is a great start for anyone interested in building solar panel systems in India's burgeoning market. 

The assessment presents research, and findings from stakeholder discussions to highlight major achievements of Indian State's efforts thus far. These achievements range from generating solar energy from panels mounted on a body of water, in Gujarat to creating policy in Odhisha to target 3000 villages for renewable energy electrification by 2014.  In Phase 1 of installations the states of  Rajasthan and Gujarat took the lead, but a the market grows many states are poised to take that lead in Phase 2. Read the whole report here. Or if you're looking for just a quick rundown- check out this factsheet the NRDC produced.