Many compare India and China’s energy systems as they stand today, noting China’s lead. Yet a more meaningful comparison looks at equivalent stages of development. At a similar GDP per capita, India is generating more solar electricity, using far fewer fossil fuels and electrifying transport faster than China did. By harnessing some of the world’s cheapest solar power, India is fueling its industrial rise while bypassing a costly and insecure fossil-fuel interlude. Solar’s advantages lie in cost and speed: its modularity allows deployment in months rather than years, and because it can be installed at almost any scale, from Mumbai rooftops to Rajasthan desert sun farms, far more actors take part in the energy revolution.