Bhutan has long relied on hydropower and remains carbon negative, but winter river flows leave it dependent on electricity imports from India. To cover growing demand, including from data centres and bitcoin mining, the country is turning to solar. Current projects are small, like the 4.45 MW Dechencholing farm in Thimphu and the 22 MW Sephu field, but Druk Green Power plans 5,000 MW of new capacity and the government targets 25,000 MW by 2040 with solar providing a fifth. The shift comes with real barriers. Mountainous terrain makes ground mount solar land hungry, roads and landslides complicate logistics, and cheap electricity plus high upfront costs limit rooftop uptake. A $6,300 residential system is out of reach for most households. Bhutan is responding by training solar engineers and opening the power sector to foreign investment. The story matters because it shows how even a clean energy exporter needs to diversify as climate change threatens glacier fed rivers.
