Indian Government Plans To Add 6 GW Of Solar Capacity For Self-Consumption
Originally published on PlanetSave.
In an attempt to boost the rooftop solar market in India, the departments and ministries of the central government themselves have announce plans to set up solar arrays.
According to a recently issued document by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), as many as 52 departments and ministries of the central government have pledged to add almost 6 GW of solar capacity.
The allocation of capacity among these departments and ministries has been done on the basis of the land and rooftop area available to each of them. The potential capacity addition has been determined by assuming that only 50% of the vacant or unused land/rooftop area will be used for the installation of solar power systems.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development is expected to install the largest capacity — 2,140 MW, or enough to generate almost 3 billion kWh of electricity, yielding a savings of Rs 300 crore (US$45 million) every year. The Ministry of Defence is expected to add 1,328 MW of capacity, as it owns large land parcels through the defense forces.
All departments and ministries have designated an agency that will overlook the implementation of the projects. Most have chosen the Solar Energy Corporation of India, which is expected to allocate projects through competitive auctions.
In total, 4,480 MW of capacity is expected to come up on land, while 1,458 MW of capacity would be installed on rooftops. The total generation from these projects would be 8.3 billion kWh every year. This generation would translate into almost 7.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions offset and over Rs 831 crore (US$124 million) in monetary savings every year.
The Indian government has announced plans to have an operational solar capacity of 100 GW by March 2022, including 40 GW from rooftop solar projects.
Reprinted with permission.
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