Modi govt's push to double solar power capacity could run into land hurdle

Plan needs 80,000 acres of land, or thrice Jaipur's area

The union cabinet decided last month to double India’s solar power generation capacity, from 20 Gw to 40 Gw, by setting up 50 solar parks, which are solar projects with a capacity of 500 Mw or more concentrated in one area. But this additional 20 Gw would mean acquisition of at least 80,000 acres of land, thrice Jaipur’s area, and possibly a problematic move in a land-starved country, as IndiaSpend has reported in January 2017, when talking about canal-top solar installations, where solar