As half of India huddled in darkness earlier this week, Gujarat remained unaffected. The state now has ambitious plans of becoming India’s biggest solar power hub. But how viable is this source of energy? And is it easy on the pocket?

Just off the road heading towards the salt pans of the Great Rann, a desolate swathe of desert shines brightly. Across a big expanse — till the eye can see — it seems the whole patch has turned into a silver plate. On closer look, though, one realizes that it is the solar panels — hundreds of them spread over an area of 3,000 acres — that are reflecting the sunlight and, in the process, turning it into energy.