Ladakh is known for its very cold weather and high mountains. But now, it is turning into a center for clean energy because it gets lots of sunlight, over 300 sunny days every year. This makes it a perfect place to use solar power.
One of the examples is the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) campus in Leh, where Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology is used to provide heating. Curved mirrors focus sunlight to heat a mix of water and glycol, which flows under the floors to keep rooms warm, even when it’s freezing, as –30°C outside.
Ladakh is also making big moves toward clean energy and transport. It is setting up solar-powered charging stations for electric vehicles, along with battery storage, to support eco-friendly travel.
A major project coming up is a 13 GW renewable energy park that will use solar, wind, and batteries in the Pang, Debring, and Kharnak areas. This will be connected to India’s main power grid through Himachal Pradesh and Punjab using a project called the Green Energy Corridor (GEC-II).
Ladakh is also applying solar innovation to agriculture. The University of Ladakh has introduced a hybrid solar dryer to help reduce wastage after the harvest of local crops like apricots and seabuckthorn.
This initiative has increased income opportunities, especially for women farmers. Even with all these improvements, some challenges still exist. In Leh, for example, very cheap government-subsidized electricity makes people less interested in using rooftop solar panels. But support from new power projects and clean energy policies is slowly changing this.
Source
https://thebetterindia.com/451772/ladakh-turns-harsh-cold-climate-into-solar-energy-hub
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