20 GW solar poWer ahead of deadline
Centre has launched several schemes for promotion of solar energy.
India has achieved the ambitious target of setting up solar power plants of 20,000 MW (20 GW) four years in advance.
The UPA government, at the launch of National Solar Mission in January 2010, had initially set a target for deployment of grid connected solar power of 20 GW by 2022. However, the country recently crossed this landmark four years before the deadline.
As per the latest figures of Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the installed capacity of solar plants was 21.65 GW in March 2018, while the total installed capacity from renewable energy sources is now 69.02 GW. However, in 2015, the Narendra Modi government scaled up the target from 20 GW to 100 GW for grid connected solar power projects, to be achieved by 2022.
Interestingly, solar power tariff has also seen a downward trend in the last few years. The tariff, which was Rs 17.90 per unit in 2010, fell to an all-time low of Rs 2.44 per unit during the auction of 500 MW of capacity at Bhadla in Rajasthan last year. Interestingly, the wind power tariff also dropped sharply to Rs 2.43 during an auction conducted by the Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) last year.
As the government continues to focus on increasing renewable energy capacity, solar power tariffs are likely to go further down—below Rs 2 per unit in the next two to three years. The solar power tariffs are discovered through open transparent competitive bidding.
The Centre has launched several schemes for promotion of solar energy. It is also providing various fiscal and promotional incentives like capital subsidy, waiver of inter-state transmission system charges and losses and financing solar rooftop systems as part of home loan. However, at present, the indigenous manufacturing capacity is not adequate and thus the country is dependent on both imported as well as domestically manufactured solar panels/equipment.
India has an ambitious 175 GW clean energy target by 2022, of which 100 GW will come from solar projects and reset from other sources like wind and hydro. However, at present, solar power developers have been sourcing solar equipment from countries like China, where they are cheaper. The Ministry of External Affairs spent Rs 87 lakh to find the dead bodies of the 39 Indians who were killed in Mosul by the terrorist organisation ISIS in 2014.
In an RTI reply to this correspondent, the Embassy of India in Baghdad, said that of the total Rs 8,734,534 that was spent on finding the remains of the 39 Indians, an amount of Rs 2,589,034 was spent on the visits of the Minister of State for External Affairs Gen (Dr) V.K. Singh and other officials to Iraq during the search operations. An a mount o f R s 6,145,500 was spent on digging, excavation, packing, local transportation, special aircraft handling, refuelling and on the legal documentation that was required to bring back the mortal remains of the 39 individuals. “These are the expenses for which MEA has received bills as on date of this reply. Bills from the Indian Air Force for transportation of mortal remains, which was carried out by special aircrafts from Iraq to Amrit- sar and then to Kolkata and Patna, are awaited”, the RTI reply said.
According to the reply, it was on 19 March that the Indian embassy in Baghdad received communication from the Forensics Department, Iraq that a total of 38 DNA samples of the human remains have matched with the DNAs of the blood samples that were provided by the Indian side.
It was after receiving this confirmation that External Affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj, on 20 March, informed the Rajya Sabha that the deaths of the 39 Indians have been confirmed. The DNA match of one individual is still being done.
As the government continues to focus on increasing renewable energy capacity, solar power tariffs are likely to go down further. The MEA is yet to receive the bills from the Indian Air Force for transportation of mortal remains, which was carried out by special aircraft.