Solar power in Maharashtra, India
Context
Maharashtra is a state in the western peninsular region of India. It is India’s second most populous state, and whilst poverty levels in Maharashtra are lower than the national average, districts in the state’s northern and eastern regions continue to display a high incidence of poverty.
At the same time, India’s energy needs are rising fast, with growth in electricity demand and other energy uses among the highest in the world. The Indian Government has made remarkable progress in integrating a high share of renewable energy sources into the grid, with India being the third-largest solar energy market in the world. However, 74% of electricity still comes from coal power plants, which not only emit CO2 but also contaminate local water sources and cause long term health issues for employees.
Project
This Gold Standard project involves the setting up of a solar power project at Mhasale village in the district of Dhule, in northern Maharashtra. The solar plant will have a capacity of 100 MW and will generate electricity which will be exported to the national grid.
The project activity will therefore displace an equivalent amount of electricity which would have otherwise been generated by a fossil-fuel dominant grid. Thus the project activity leads to an emission reduction of 164,869 tonnes of CO2e per year and contributes to helping accelerate a transition to a low-carbon energy mix.
The building and running of the solar power plant also supports the socio-economic wellbeing of the local community; creating job opportunities for local residents, attracting additional investment to the area; and improving local infrastructure development. Power generated from this project activity can also be used for small-scale industries, thus further generating more, and alternative, employment opportunities.
Verification
This project is verified by the Gold Standard. You can view it on the Gold Standard registry here.
Climate Solution #8
Utility-scale solar photovoltaics
The sun provides a virtually unlimited, clean, and free fuel at a price that never changes. Solar farms take advantage of that resource, with large-scale arrays of hundreds, thousands, or in some cases millions of photovoltaic (PV) panels. They operate at a utility scale like conventional power plants in the amount of electricity they produce, but dramatically differ in their emissions.
In many parts of the world, solar PV is now cost competitive with or less costly than conventional power generation. In tandem with other renewables and enabled by better grids and energy storage, solar farms are ushering in the clean energy revolution.
The significant increase of the solution use could avoid 44-119 gigatons of greenhouse gases emissions depending on the climate mitigation ambition and electrification of demand side sectors.