India's solar installations face water shortages

India's rapidly growing solar industry is reportedly suffering from inadequate water supply
.
It is understood that 94% of India's solar projects are deployed in areas
with severe water scarcity.

In India, most of the water used for clean solar projects (60%) comes from underground drilling, with the remaining 40% coming from surface water sources such as rivers, canals and lakes
.
Water bills have doubled in many parts of the country over the past three years, and any further growth will start to have a significant impact
on the project economy, according to Bridge to India.

Bridge to India also noted that certain technologies can reduce the need for water, such as robotic cleaning and antifouling coatings
.
In addition, it is imperative
that policymakers, project developers and investors start adopting appropriate mitigation technologies and pay more attention to water use.

"The Indian solar industry is growing rapidly, with total installed capacity increasing from 1GW in 2012 to over 25GW currently, and is expected to increase by more than
50GW in the next five years," said the Managing Director of Bridge to India.
The rapid growth and concentration of water-stressed regions exposes solar projects to increasing water risks, rising costs, conflicts with other social and economic uses, and environmental degradation
.
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