Vyas is one of thousands of new solar entrepreneurs who've cropped up across India. He fancies himself a sort of solar evangelist. (Before meeting NPR, he sent this reporter a pamphlet he'd authored entitled "Sunny Makes Money.")

China and the U.S. still invest more in renewables on an annual basis. But India's investments – particularly in solar – are growing faster, due to what Bhadwal calls an "aggressive" campaign by the government. And at the U.N.'s recently-concluded COP27 climate talks, India repeated a pledge to get half of its energy needs from non-fossil fuels by that same year.It's not necessary to read the other Sunny books to understand the story here -- it stands well alone, though having read the other Sunny books would help you understand her relationship with her grandfather and her friends a little better. It's a fun, lighthearted story, never too heavy or serious and a fun look at the misadventures of one memorable summer. A decade ago, Jay Vyas was an accountant in his 50s, working on a variety of projects, when a proposal for a rooftop solar installation came across his desk. MUMBAI, India – It's smog season in India, when industrial and vehicular emissions mix with crop-burning smoke, and winter temperatures pull a huge sooty cloud down over much of the country. Sunny Makes a Splash is a delightful addition to the Sunny series suited for slightly older readers as Sunny finds a potential romantic interest. This graphic novel features a perfect depiction of 70’s summer experiences and a relatable protagonist working her first summer job before her last year of middle school. It will make for an enjoyable reading experience for older tweens — and even some younger ones!

Jay Vyas, left, and his partner, Chinmay Divekar, are solar entrepreneurs, installing hundreds of small-scale solar projects on residential rooftops. Scientists say that's ambitious, and that India will need to boost its solar capacity even more if it has any hope of keeping that promise. As India develops, and its 1.4 billion people get richer, its energy needs are expanding. Unlike many Western countries, which have pledged to cap overall emissions, India measures its emissions in proportion to its gross domestic product. This year, the government pledged to reduce by 45% the so-called "emissions intensity of its GDP" by 2030. He and his business partner, Chinmay Divekar, gave NPR a tour of one of their latest solar projects, on the roof of a high-rise residential society – the Indian equivalent of a condo association – northeast of Mumbai. On a much smaller scale, Indian farmers often use a solar panel or two to run irrigation pumps in rural areas, where the electricity grid is shaky.At one of the high-rise buildings where he's installed Indian-made panels, the condo association manager, Swati Nevgi, says her communal bill for electricity in common areas – operating a bank of elevators, lights in the hallways, air conditioning in the lobby – has dropped by about a third. That means the building re-cooped its investment in roughly three years.