Rajasthan aims 3,780 mw solar capacity by April next

With 20 projects of 1,500 MW capacity in pipeline, Rajasthan is targeting to increase its solar power generation to 3,780 MW by April next year in order to achieve the goal of 7,000 MW clean energy capacity in the next four years.

The current solar power generation is contributing 10 per cent to the total power consumption in the state and we are targeting to increase it to 17 per cent by 2021, Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Managing Director B K Doshi told PTI.

He said that solar power installation capacity in the state has reached to 2,280 MW by March this year and 20 projects of total 1500 MW are under pipeline and will be commissioned and start generating power by April next year.

Work on various projects is in full swing. The second phase of Bhadla solar park near Jodhpur has been commissioned (680 MW) and its third phase (1000 MW) is under progress. Of the 1000 MW capacity under the third phase of Bhadla park, 500 MW will be commissioned in September this year and 500 MW by April next year. Fourth phase of 500 MW will also be commissioned by April, he said.

Of the total 1,500 MW projects, which are scheduled to be commissioned by April next year, 10 are of the capacity of 100 Mw each and 10 of 50 MW each, he said. Other projects which are under the pipeline are Pokran-Phalodi solar park (750 MW), Fatehgarh phase 1B (1500 MW) and Nokh Jaisalmer (1000 MW).

The state having huge potential for the solar power generation could add just 496 MW in the last financial year, which is less than the fiscal year of 2016-17 where the state had added 500.55 MW. Doshi informed that the capital cost of setting up a solar plant in present is approximately 4 crore per MW which was quite higher earlier therefore the tariff at which the power is being purchased from companies is different depending upon their cost of production.

Potential of the solar power generation is higher in Rajasthan as compared to other states but still the state lags behind Karnataka and Telangana.

The solar power installed capacity in Karnataka and Telangana is 4,884.56 MW and 3,336.42 MW respectively while Andhra Pradesh is generating 2,148 MW solar power, according to official concerned of the respective states. Besides solar, Rajasthan is also generating 4,292.54 MW from wind and 120.45 MW from biomass (up to December 2017). As per a study by the union ministry of new and renewable energy, estimated potential of the desert state in wind energy is 18,770 mw.

However, the state could not add any generation of power from wind in 2017-18 as no company opted Rajasthan to set up plan in the state in Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) biddings.

Another official informed that various industries in the state put in place energy efficiency methods and have saved almost 222.3 million units of electricity and 2,73,660 MT coal in the last two years.

Industries are being encouraged to use energy efficient so that they can reduce power consumption, the official said.