India's first grid-connected solar power plant generates 3 lakh units
12 Dec 2009
The country's first megawatt size grid-connected solar power plant, set up at Jamuria, in Asansol district of West Bengal, has already generated over three lakh units of power in the last three months, union minister for new and renewable energy Farooq Abdullah said in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
Two more plants of two megawatt capacity each have been set up in Karnataka - at Kolar and Belgaum districts - the minister said, adding, the two plants will add one megawatt capacity each very soon. One more plant of one megawatt will be set up in Raichur district in Karnataka, the minister added.
The ministry of new and renewable energy has recently cleared proposals for setting up another 28 megawatt capacity solar plants in the country. Several private companies are also preparing to set up solar power projects in the country, he added.
Earlier, replying to questions in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, the minister said the country had targeted creation of 20,000 MW solar power grid capacity, including 20 million solar lights in the country by 2022.
In addition, the minister said, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar also aims at installation of 20 million square metres of solar thermal collector area by 2022. The mission will be implemented in three phases.
The first phase of the mission, approved by the government, targets setting up of 1,100 MW grid connected solar plants, including 100 MW capacity plants as rooftop and small solar plants. In addition, 200 MW capacity equivalent off-grid solar applications and seven million square metre solar thermal collector area are also proposed in the first phase of the mission, till 2012-13.
The National Solar Mission will also support research and capacity building activities in solar energy. An amount of Rs4,337 crore has been approved for the first phase of the mission.
