IFC to fund solar projects in Gujarat and Rajasthan
03 Jan 2011
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, are in the process of mapping solar hot spots with abundant round-the-year sunlight, that could be harnessed with the setting up of solar power plants.
Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, India aims to produce 1,000 MW of solar power by 2013 and 20 gigawatts (GW) by the end of 2022.
India currently generates 18,155MW, with 10.9 per cent, of its electricity sourced from renewable resources, of which solar energy contributes only 18MW, or 0.01 per cent.
T V Ramachandra, a faculty member at Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), said the agency had mapped the states that have maximum sunlight and in the next phase the agency would take up district-level mapping.
Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka have been identified as states that could successfully leverage their sunlight throughout the year.
According to Ramachandra, coastal parts of Kerala, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh were ideally suited for smaller plants for domestic use, like solar cooker and solar water heater.
