In hydropowered Bhutan, solar starts to rise amid winter shortfalls and climate pressures

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THIMPHU, Sept 17 — Engineer Rinzin Galley stands on a platform overlooking a former military shooting range on the edge of Bhutan’s capital Thimphu, now home to a gleaming field of solar panels. With abundant waterways, Bhutan has long relied on hydroelectric power to meet its electricity needs and stay carbon negative — absorbing more planet-warming gases than it emits. But demand is growing, and in winter, when rivers run low before the mountain melt arrives, Bhutan already relies on imported Indian electricity. Climate change is also threatening the future of the glaciers that feed those rivers, adding impetus to…

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