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Stage set to expand

solar power capacity

The Government of India has set a national target of installing 1,00,000 MW grid
connected solar power capacity in the country by December 2022 under the National
Solar Mission, writes shveta mishra

s on 31.10.2019, a total grid has also launched a Mobile App for solar has installed more than 82,580 MW of
connected solar power gen- rooftop systems. Union Minister of State renewable energy capacity with around
eration capacity of 31,696 (IC) New & Renewable Energy, Power and 31,150 MW of capacity under various
MW has been set up in the Skill Development and Entrepreneur- stages of installation.
A country, projects of 17998 ship R.K. Singh provided this informa- Rooftop solar power accounts for 2.1
MW capacities are at various stages tion, in written reply to a question in Lok GW, of which 70 per cent is industrial
of installations and tenders for 36278 Sabha on November 28, 2019. Significant- or commercial. In addition to its large-
MW capacity projects have been issued. ly, solar power in India has become a fast scale grid-connected solar photovoltaic
With new tenders of around 15000 MW developing industry. India has the lowest (PV) initiative, India is developing off-
planned in remaining period of 2019- capital cost per MW globally to install grid solar power for local energy needs.
20 and 2020-21, India is on course for the solar power plants. The Indian gov- Solar products have increasingly helped
achieving the target. ernment had an initial target of 20 GW to meet rural needs; by the end of 2015
Under the Solar Mission, an ambitious capacity for 2022, which was achieved just under one million solar lanterns
Solar Park Scheme has been prepared four years ahead of schedule. were sold in the country, reducing the
for setting up of over 50 Solar Parks and In 2015 India raised and upwardly need for kerosene. That year, 118,700 so-
Ultra Mega. The government is target- revised the target to 100 GW of solar ca- lar home lighting systems were installed
ing Solar Power Projects targeting over pacity (including 40 GW from rooftop and 46,655 solar street lighting instal-
40,000 MW of solar power projects. Then solar) by 2022, targeting an investment lations were provided under a national
there is scheme for setting up of Grid- of US$100 billion. India has established programme. just over 1.4 million solar
Connected Solar PV Power Projects by nearly 42 solar parks to make land avail- cookers were distributed in India. The
the Central Public Sector Undertakings able to the promoters of solar plants. International Solar Alliance (ISA), pro-
(CPSUs) and the Government of India India expanded its solar-generation posed by India as a founder member, is
organizations with Viability Gap Fund- capacity 8 times from 2,650 MW on 26 headquartered in India.
ing (VGF). May 2014 to over 20 GW as on 31 January Sources said that the Ministry of New
The VGF Scheme for setting up of 2018. The country added 3 GW of solar and Renewable Energy will implement
5000 MW of Grid Connected Solar PV capacity in 2015–2016, 5 GW in 2016– a scheme for setting up 300-MW grid-
Power Projects through SECI, which has 2017 and over 10 GW in 2017–2018, with connected and off-grid solar photovol-
a separate component of 1000 MW for the average current price of solar elec- taic power projects by defence establish-
N-E states. Other plans include instal- tricity dropping to 18 per cent below the ments as well as paramilitary forces with
lation of Grid Connected Solar Rooftop average price of its coal-fired counter- Viability Gap Funding support of 750
Power Plants, Off-Grid Solar PV Scheme part. By the end of September 2019, India crore under the second and third phases
and Pradhan Mantri — Kisan Urja Surak- of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mis-
sha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PMKU- sion during the period 2014-15 to 2018-19.
SUM) Scheme to support farmers to set YEAR TOTAL FUNDS RELEASED The objectives of the scheme are to
up small solar power projects and solar ( CRORES) achieve energy security by utilising the
pumps for irrigation purpose. available land and rooftops of the de-
Most of the Solar power projects in 2016-17 2590.59 fence sector and paramilitary forces for
the country have been/are being set installation of solar power plants, and
up with private investment. The Union 2017-18 1889.93 at the same time, encourage the use of
Government has been implementing domestically manufactured equipment
National Solar Mission under which 2018-19 2524.65 to boost indigenous production of solar
various Schemes have been launched cells and modules.
for promoting the generation and use of 2019-20 1513.49 (As on 1.10.2019) For implementation of the scheme,
solar power in the country. The Ministry the Government of India has already

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