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Decarbonising the Indian Railways: scaling ambitions, understanding ground realities

If the Railways were to consider the 5 GW target, one of the first steps for its successful implementation, is to develop an understanding of the policy and regulatory scenario across various states, so as to understand the opportunities and challenges for solar developers to set up projects. This study uses a comprehensive assessment framework including extensive stakeholder consultations to understand better the factors that would incentivise solar developers to bid for solar projects tendered by the Railways. The comparison of the state solar policies also provides insights on the ease of doing business, if the project sites were to be located in these states. The study finds that Madhya Pradesh ranks the highest for utility-scale projects, while Karnataka, ranks highest in the case of rooftop projects.