World’s Biggest Coal Company Turns to Solar Energy to Lower Utility Bill

In a triumph for alternative energy, the world’s largest coal company, Coal India, is installing solar photovoltaic panels at its facilities to reduce energy bills, reports Ryan Koronowski for Climate Progress. “Coal India produces 90 percent of India’s coal, and not only is it turning to solar as an efficient business practice, it understands India cannot power itself by coal,” he writes. “In fact, a coal-based electricity system is not reliable: solar energy is. And solar may be the only hope for much of rural India to become electrified after decades of failed grid expansion plans.” Segments of the fossil fuel industry are hedging on the limited supply of fossil fuels by investing in renewable energy sources. To combat pollution and climate change associated with fossil fuels, environmentalists support a carbon tax to encourage development and use of renewables like solar panels. Meanwhile, the costs of producing solar energy continue to decline. – YaleGlobal