Gujarat’s sprawling solar fields outpower rest of India, China- 214 MW of electricity every day
AHMEDABAD: There is a dazzling field of mirrors that you can find near the vast saltpans of the Little Rann. It is like a sparkling oasis in the desert — much like a gleaming silver screen covering the vast desolate white sand around.
This is Charanka village in Patan, where over 2,965 acres, rows of photovoltaic cells or solar panels have been laid out to harness the sun. They are generating 214 MW of electricity every day—more than China's 200 MW Golmund Solar park.
The Gujarat government claims that nearly 17 private and state companies have pumped Rs 9,000 crore as investments in this park. Not surprisingly, land prices here have shot up. Former Charanka village sarpanch Barubhai Ahir says that till December 2009, when the project took off, land prices here were Rs 25,000 per acre. "Today just because of the solar park, a 1.5 kilometer periphery around the Charanka solar project would cost Rs 6 lakh per acre."
Apart from Charanka, solar parks are present across 13 sun-kissed districts and spread over 2,375 acres, most of which is vast stretches of non-arable land. Almost 84 developers have joined hands to construct solar power plants of one to 40 MW capacities in these places.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Gujarats-sprawling-solar-fields-outpower-rest-of-India-China/articleshow/18899314.cms
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