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Auction for a giant 1000 MW solar PV capacity solar park starts in India as government pushes renewables strongly

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Solar parks in India

India is set to launch its massive solar park policy with the government starting the process of a reverse auction for solar developers, to set up giant solar PV plants in a dedicated solar park in the southern start of Andhra Pradesh. India’s new government wants to strongly push the growth of solar energy in India through the “solar park” scheme in which the government sets up a large land area with utilities and allows companies to set up solar plants there. The cost of solar energy generation is reduced as it has common facilities, cheap land and common electricity evacuation structure.

Read about Solar Energy Policy in Andhra Pradesh.

India has earlier announced 3-4 giant solar parks of 5000 MW capacity, but nothing came out of it except feasibility studies. This solar park in AP is getting fast tracked due to a progressive chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, who wants to aggressively grow his new bifurcated start of Seemendhara. Energy is one of the biggest drivers of the industrialization he wants to push and solar seems to fit the bill. The top central companies like NTPC and state agencies such as MNRE, SECI along with Seemandhara electricity firms will jointly run this project. NPTC will buy the power in a 25 year PPA from developers who set up these plants in the park.

Solar energy is starting to push off in this country with the new government under PM Narendra Modi. It was under his chief ministers hip that the first solar park was set up in Charanka and Gujarat still accounts for almost 40% of the country’s solar power installations. He is comfortable with solar power energy having seen its deployment and positives. Given that India is massively deficient in fossil fuels, solar energy makes a lot of sense. China is already deploying more than 10 GW of solar power a year now, which is 10 times what India is installing currently. India has a lot of scope to grow its solar industry. The decision to source 25% of the solar panels in this park from local industry is also a good move which will help boost local manufacturers who lost the anti-dumping case despite being supported by DGAD. The new government seems to be showing a lot of initiative and good sense in promoting both solar power and industry at the same time. Both qualities were severely lacking in the last government.

Bloomberg

India announced draft rules to auction 1,000 megawatts of solar capacity in Andhra Pradesh as Prime MinisterNarendra Modi accelerates clean-energy deployment.Companies will be invited shortly to bid for contracts to build plants at a solar park in the southern state, according to the rules issued today by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. A quarter of the capacity will be required to use locally made panels and cells.The solar park will be run by a state-run venture between the Solar Energy Corp. of India, New & Renewable Energy Development Corp. of Andhra Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corp., which will ensure roads, water and power substations are built to support the projects.

PG

Sneha Shah

I am Sneha, the Editor-in-chief for the Blog. We would be glad to receive suggestions, inputs & comments on GWI from you guys to keep it going! You can contact me for consultancy/trade inquires by writing an email to greensneha@yahoo.in

One Response so far | Have Your Say!

  1. Joginder Singh Kular

    India has a huge potential to harness Solar Energy. Due to its unique geographical position Sun light on its vast land mass which can be harnessed to produce clean energy to meet the ever growing energy needs of the country. Exploitation of other sources of energy fossil fuels is limited, moreover these sources result in polluting the water,air, producing green house gasses, and degrading the landmass further resulting in health problems. Thus solar energy has vast potential for industrial and economic growth of the country. The progressive states which take the initiative to develop Solar energy will definitely lead the economic growth.