Indian government confirms solar commitment and local development
The government of India has moved to reassure the solar and PV industries that the Government policies supporting solar growth are here to stay and investors can plan accordingly. Speaking at a meeting of interested parties and stakeholders Shri Piyush Goyal Minister of State (I/C) of Power, Coal & New & Renewable Energy said that Government is open to provide all support which is required to develop a robust ecosystem which is efficient & sustainable to provide a fillip to the renewable energy sector .
Pointing out that the Government is committed to strengthen the domestic manufacturing in solar sector, Shri Piyush Goyal urged all stakeholders to to align with the Prime Minister's vision of providing electricity to all households .
Shri Goyal said that while large projects are being planned for feeding power into the grid , it is also proposed to set up small solar based systems to provide energy in decentralized manner to remote areas. He said Government realizes that the domestic manufacturers need support in order to sustain. NTPC is therefore coming up with a tender for setting up of 1000 MW of solar power projects in EPC mode by using cells and modules made in India. He said that the large PSUs would provide the necessary financial strength and confidence for the developers by procuring power and then selling to the DISCOMS. He also talked about companies generating conventional power coming in a big way in solar development and generating at least the percentage of their energy through renewables.
Shri Piyush Goyal said that more states are coming forward showing interest in setting up Green Corridor and the Government has suggested taking land on long term lease so that the land owner will also benefit on sustainable basis. He also disclosed that Ministries of Agriculture and MNRE are jointly framing a comprehensive Scheme proposing therein solar water pumps coupled with drip irrigation and water reservoir.
He said that several States have come forward to identify land for setting up of large solar capacities and Government of India is working on a new scheme to set up solar parks and ultra mega solar power projects as announced by the Hon'ble Finance Minister in the budget speech. He said that solar pumping along with drip irrigation and water harvesting would be taken up in a big way in the country. Rooftop solar is a priority of the Government and correctly policies would be put in place for supporting this sector.
He said that Government is very much concerned about the large number of households who do not have access to modern sources of energy and, therefore, adequate attention would be paid to providing power to the left out households by deploying renewables in a big way. Renewable power is the future of the country and would be supported fully so that India can add capacities in this sector at par with the leading countries in the world and become a leader.