Clinton Foundation considers 5,000MW solar station in India

According to Treehugger and The Business Standard, the US-based Clinton Foundation is currently in talks with the Indian government to undertake the world’s largest single location solar project. Costing around US$475 million and with an estimated output of 5,000MW (5 gigawatts), the Gujurat-based “Integrated Solar City” would rival even the biggest coal-fired power stations.

The largest planned solar plant capacity to date is in Mojave Desert in California, boasting a capacity that will reach up to 900MW within a few years. However, considering the average coal fired power station generates between 1000-5000MW and the most of the larger planned solar stations thus far have been around the 250MW to 280MW mark, this project would mark a gigantic step forward for the renewable energy sector. It is estimated that the facility will help lower the cost of power generation by around 70%, compared to the conventional cost of generation.

According to a source, the Clinton Foundation will be supported by companies such as GE Energy and Microsoft, with the group rumored to already have a US$12 billion coffer with which to develop green initiatives. Additionally, The Clinton Foundation is also in talks with governments of Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan for setting up solar power projects in those Indian states. No details have been released as yet regarding the type of solar power generation to be used at the plant.