The opening statement in the DT NEXT article titled ‘Tamil Nadu govt’s plan to add 20,000 MW solar generation requires 405 sq km land’ written by G Jagannath cites that, “A whopping 405 square kilometres of land will be required to achieve the Tamil Nadu government’s ambitious target of generating 20,000 Megawatt solar energy by 2030, reveals an analysis by Auroville Consulting.”

He also further adds, “Considering the projected annual electrical energy demand of 4,89,395 MU by 2050, the need to decarbonise the state’s power sector and the fact that solar is among the most cost-efficient energy sources today, the potential land impact of solar is substantial. Meeting 50% of the projected electricity demand for 2050 would require 133 GW of solar capacity and 2,691 sq km of land resources, which equals the total geographical area of Chengalpattu district or 2.07% of the state’s geographical area,” the report authored by Martin Scherfler, co-founder, Auroville Consulting said.

Read the full article here https://www.dtnext.in/tamilnadu/2023/03/02/state-govt-s-plan-to-add-20-000-mw-solar-generation-requires-405-sq-km-land-report.

Read the full report on The Solar Energy-Land Nexus Sustainable Land use strategy for Solar Energy in Tamil Nadu