Following is the text of the statement in the
Lok Sabha today by Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Union Minister for New & Renewable
Energy on Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission – “Solar India”:
“I
am happy to announce that the Government has approved a new policy on
development of solar energy in the country by launching of the Jawaharlal Nehru
National Solar Mission. This is a historic and transformational
initiative of the UPA Government and I am proud to have the privilege of being
assigned the task of overseeing its implementation. The Solar Mission is very much in line with
the vision of modern India of Pandit Nehru, which has made India today, a
leading nuclear and space power.
This
Mission is one of the eight key National
Missions which comprise India’s
National Action Plan on Climate Change.
It has a twin objective – to contribute to India’s long term energy security
as well as its ecological security. We
are living in a world of rapidly depleting fossil fuel resources and access to
conventional energy resources such as oil, gas and coal is becoming
increasingly constrained. The rapid development and deployment of renewable
energy is imperative in this context and in view of high solar radiation over
the country solar energy provides a long term sustainable solution.
The
Solar Mission
recommends the implementation in 3 stages leading up to an installed capacity
of 20,000 MW by the end of the 13th Five Year Plan in 2022. It is envisaged that as a result of rapid
scale up as well as technological developments, the price of solar power will
attain parity with grid power at the end of the Mission, enabling accelerated
and large-scale expansion thereafter.
During this time we expect many new ideas to emerge and technologies to
become more efficient. Quite obviously, in order to set the stage for achieving
this ambitious target, what we do in the next 3 to 4 years will be critical.
Therefore, the Cabinet has approved setting up of 1,100 MW of grid solar power
and 200 MW capacity of off-grid solar applications utilizing both solar thermal
and photovoltaic technologies in the first phase of the Mission. In addition, Mission
will also focus on R&D and HRD to develop and strengthen Indian skills and
enhance indigenous content to make the Mission
sustainable.
Mission will establish a single window
investor-friendly mechanism, which reduces risk and at the same time, provides
an attractive, predictable and sufficiently extended tariff for the purchase of
solar power for the grid. The focal point,
for the next 3 years, will be the NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN), which is the
power trading arm of the NTPC.
Government will designate it for the purchase of solar power generated
by independent solar power producers, at rates fixed by the Central Regulatory
Electricity Commission and for a period specified by the latter. Government
will provide equivalent MW of power from the unallocated quota of NTPC for
bundling with solar power. The utilities
will be able to account for purchase of solar power against their RPO
obligations.
I wish to record my deep
appreciation and grateful thanks to my senior colleague, Shinde Saheb, who as
Minister of Power, has made this arrangement possible and has supported this
Mission at every stage of its evolution.
The Mission also includes a major initiative for
promoting rooftop solar PV applications. Solar tariff announced by the
regulators will be applicable for such installations. The power distribution
companies will be involved in purchase of this power.
There
are several off-grid solar applications which are already commercially viable
or near viability, where rapid scale up is possible. This requires regulatory and incentive
measures as well as an awareness campaign.
Solar thermal heating applications, such as water heaters, fall in this
category. Solar lighting systems for
rural and remote areas are already being distributed commercially in several
parts of the country. This is expected
to help our rural masses.
The
mission will have a very focused R&D programme which seeks to address the
India-specific challenges in promoting solar energy. We have to pool available resources both
human and financial to strengthen the existing scientific infrastructure in the
country. We would involve various stakeholders in human resource development
and other capacity building efforts. Mission
will also accelerate the process of development of domestic industry in this
sector.
I seek cooperation of members of the House to make
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission a success, which will help establish India
as one of the global leaders in Solar Energy.”
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PRA/SKK