The power of the sun promotes sustainable development in IndiaIn the small Indian village of Surel, in the Gujarat region in the northwest of the country, a photovoltaic plant was built as part of this carbon offset project. With a capacity of 25 megawatts, it feeds clean, sustainable energy into the Indian power grid.
India's energy mix is still dominated by energy from fossil fuels, which, unlike solar power, is very emission-intensive and releases large amounts of greenhouse gases. This renewable energy project replaces some of this fossil fuel energy in India's NEWNE grid, which supplies northern, eastern, western and northeastern India. As a result, about 32,760 tons of CO2 are avoided per year.
The project also contributes to sustainable development in the region by strengthening the energy supply and thus supporting the local economy.
How does solar energy contribute to climate action?Although the development of renewable energy sources is increasing, energy from fossil fuels is still a significant part of energy production worldwide. This is associated with the release of large amounts of carbon emissions. The use of solar energy is a good way to provide people around the world with renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Solar installations, implemented through solar projects, convert sunlight into electricity (photovoltaic) or heat (solar thermal). Even when the sky is cloudy, the solar thermal power plants generate heat and convert it into electricity. Photovoltaic projects use the photoelectric effect to convert sunlight into electricity.
The energy produced is typically fed into the national or regional power grid, reducing the share of fossil fuels in the electricity mix. In addition to reducing carbon emissions, solar projects also prevent the release of various pollutants associated with conventional power generation. Solar energy projects in the ClimatePartner portfolio are registered with international standards.
