A draft Indian government plan, obtained by Greenpeace, outlines plans for a national target of 20 Gigawatts of solar generation capacity by 2020. The massive green plan is a clear example of how developing countries are acting on climate change, while in the industrialised world, the EU and the US are still struggling with their reduction targets, and delaying concrete financial support needed by developing countries for clean energy.
The Indian solar plan would put India in the global forefront in the fight against climate change. The Solar Mission document is a national solar energy plan that makes a significant contribution to a sustainable development strategy for the Indian economy.
“This would be the most ambitious solar plan that any country has laid out so far, but in order for India to take concrete steps to fulfill this solar mission, India needs international support. The industrialised world needs to come up with solid proposals on technology and finance to help developing countries deliver on ambitious plans like this one,” said Siddharth Pathak, climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace India, from the UN climate talks in Bonn.
