Rajasthan has finally left behind Gujarat, the undoubted leader in solar energy generation in the country, and given the number of projects in the pipeline, the desert state is likely to retain the honour for quite some time to come.
Rajasthan has been successful in grabbing the number one position in the country with an installed capacity of 1,167 megawatt against Gujarat’s 1,000 MW, according to Union ministry of new and renewable energy’s latest released data.
“Many investors liked Gujarat’s solar policy at that time and made huge investments in the state during 2009-11. But after that the dynamics of the sector changed dramatically. Cost of solar power generation crashed to Rs 6 per unit owing to the plunge in the price of solar photo-voltaic panels. That’s why, today there is a strong competition among states to attract investment in the sector. While Rajasthan is leveraging its natural advantages with a proactive policy, Gujarat’s solar sector needs to reinvent itself to catch up with the neighboring state,” said Suman Kumar, president of Rajasthan Solar Association.
Rajasthan is poised to become an export hub for solar energy in the country as many companies, in order to meet their renewable power purchase obligation, re looking to put up plant in the state under the open access system, which will allow them to draw power at their desired locations, said Kumar.
In the last one year, Rajasthan government has inked agreements with private players to develop solar parks with a cumulative capacity of 26,000 MW. Once fully operational, these parks can attract investments worth more than Rs 1.50 lakh crore.
The state has also signed MoUs with power developers like SunEdison, Adani Enterprises, Reliance Power and Azure Power that will require about Rs 85,000 crore for generating 14,000 MW solar power. “Rajasthan has the highest solar radiation in the country. Solar energy requires lot of land, which the state has in plenty. We have tried to capitalize on these advantages in the state’s new solar policy announced in 2014. There is a strong lineup of projects which will be developed in the near future,” said B K Doshi, managing director of Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation.
National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is already in the process of commissioning 680 MW in the state. Besides, sources said that Reliance Power and SunEdison are set to put up 800 MW capacity plants in Rajasthan for BSES.
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