New Delhi, April 2 -- A new analysis by UK-based energy think-tank Ember reveals that India's three key heavy industries-steel, cement, and aluminium-represent a 20 gigawatt (GW) solar open access market opportunity despite their current reliance on captive coal generation.

The report highlights how renewable procurement could significantly reduce both production costs and emissions, potentially cutting up to 29 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

The steel sector alone contributes 9.4 GW to this opportunity, driven by the high cost of grid power that can be cost-effectively offset by solar.

In some configurations, such as standalone arc furnaces used in secondary steelmaking, solar could reduce production costs by up to 10 perc...