GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

RAJYASABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1946

TO BE ANSWERED ON 7.12.2009

Solar Energy Generation Plan

1946. SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR:

Will the Minister of NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY be pleased to state:

(a) whether the country has drawn up a $19 billion solar energy plan to generate 20 GIGA watts of power using solar energy by 2020;

(b)  if so. whether Government proposes to launch the National Action Plan on Climate Change under the National Solar Mission; and

(c) if so, the details of the fiscal incentives proposed for setting up solar plants both photovoltaic and thermal?

ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF NEW AND RENEW ABLE ENERGY

(DR. FAROOQ ABDULLAH)

(a),(b)&(c): National Action Plan on Climate Change has identified development of solar energy technologies in the country as a National Solar Mission. Government has recently approved Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission to develop solar energy technologies to make solar power competitive to conventional grid power. The Mission aims at creating capacity of 20,000 MW grid solar power and 2,000 MW of oft-qrid solar power including 20 million solar lights by 2022. In addition, it aims at installation of 20 million square metre solar thermal collector area by 2022. The Mission will be implemented in three phases. Government has approved the target for the first phase of the Mission to set up 1,100 MW of grid connected solar plants, including 100 MW capacity plants as rooftop and small solar plants. In addition, 200 MW capacity equivalent off-grid solar applications and 7 million square metre solar thermal collector area are also proposed in the first phase of the Mission, till March 2013. Mission will also support research and capacity building activities in solar energy. An amount of Rs. 4,337 crores has been approved for the first phase of the Mission.

Central Electricity Regulatory Commission has issued guidelines and norms for fixing preferential tariff for solar power. NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NWN), the trading subsidiary of NTPC, will be the nodal agency for purchase of 1,000 MW capacity of grid solar power (connected to 33 KV and above grid) by March 2013 from the project developers at a tariff fixed by Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) for purchase of solar power. NWN will sign a PPA with each project developer for a period of 25 years as fixed by CERC.