'India to develop 20 gigawatts solar power by 2022'

Washington, Dec 2 : US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said India will be developing 20 gigawatts solar power by 2022.

After a meeting with Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna, Clinton said: 'A declaration of our shared commitment, to develop clean energy technologies together to reduce our nations' carbon emissions as part of our larger efforts to solve the climate crisis, has been undertaken by the two countries.'

'This memorandum is the result of months of close consultation between our governments. It builds on the efforts that both countries have taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, India recently announced it will develop 20 gigawatts of solar power by 2022. To put that number in perspective, it is more than the total estimated amount of solar power produced worldwide today,' she said.

'This memorandum also establishes a clean energy research and development institute which the United States intends to support with USD 50 million. It will include a joint research center with facilities in both the United States and India to make it easier for our scientists to conduct research together and to accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies.'

The US Secretary said she was 'privileged' when she visited India last summer to see clean energy technologies at work, to tour a state-of-the-art green building, one of the most advanced in the world.

'The economic opportunities that we can derive from these technologies are very compelling.'

'But we also can do it in a way that tackles the challenge of climate change which threatens us all. By creating and implementing clean energy technologies on a broad scale, we can mitigate the effects of climate change and help people adapt to changes that have already occurred.'

She said the two countries are signing this memorandum at a very critical time, right on the eve of the conference in Copenhagen.

'We look forward to continuing to work with India. Our two governments have agreed that the agreement produced at Copenhagen should cover mitigation, adaptation, technology, and financing, and pledges of transparent and meaningful action from both developed and developing countries. Both India and the United States have agreed to stand behind our own commitments to reduce emissions.

'With this agreement, we can help India and the United States make progress on addressing climate change, increasing energy security, and strengthening economic growth,' Clinton added.