Solar power: Gujarat showed way with policy in 2009

AHMEDABAD: In April 2012, Narendra Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat, had dedicated a 600-MW solar park - claimed to be Asia's largest - at Charanka village in Patan district, close to the Indo-Pak border. This plant, which accounted for no less than 66 per cent of India's solar power generation capacity, catapulted the state to the top position among solar power generators across the country. The 3000-acre park was developed in record time - one year and four months.

Gujarat also became the first state to announce its own solar power policy in January 2009. There was no looking back after that. Today, Gujarat produces 891 MW of solar power with power-generation facilities in 15 districts. In the next three years, the state aims to boost its solar power generation capacity by 500 MW.

The state has also started the first of its kind canal-based 1-MW solar power project. A portion of the Narmada dam's main canal near Kadi in Mehsana district was covered by solar panels for this ambitious project. This innovative idea has many benefits - prevents evaporation of water, limits damage to canals and cuts down on the requirement of land for laying solar panels. The state government is now upgrading the project's capacity to 10 MW.

It has also embarked on a new plan to develop Gandhinagar as a 'Solar City'. Most of the government building's roofs are being used to generate solar power. At present, Gandhinagar is producing 2 MW of this power which the government plans to raise to 6 MW soon.

The state government is also likely to soon come out with its first rooftop solar power generation policy under which private households will be encouraged to set up solar panels on their roofs. By March 31, 2015, the government hopes to achieve a target of 10,000 rooftop installations with a cumulative power generation capacity of 20 MW on residential buildings and another 20 MW on non-residential buildings which will include industrial, commercial, institutional and agricultural. Various incentives like concession in electricity bills will be granted to householders under this policy.