Clean energy gains a foothold in India, but coal still rules

For six years, Pravinbhai Parmar’s farm in Gujarat state in western India has been lined with rice, wheat and solar panels. The 36-year-old is among a handful of farmers in his native Dhundi village who have been using solar power to irrigate crops. “I was spending nearly 50,000 rupees ($615) every year to water my crops,” said Parmar. “

With solar I spend nothing.” Parmar also sells the excess electricity to his state’s grid, earning an average of 4,000 rupees ($50) a month. “It’s a win-win in every way,” he said. Thousands of farmers have been encouraged to take up solar power for irrigation in the agriculture-rich state as India aims to reach ‘net zero’ by 2070.