State on a big solar mission

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State on a big solar mission

Jayashree Nandi | TNN

Bangalore: Yet another feather in Karnataka’s green cap. The new solar rural electrification technology scheme to completely electrify 39 backward taluks in the state is gathering momentum.
This initiative will be the first of its kind in India to electrify so many villages at one time.
The free bid conference to identify manufacturers for the project was held recently and technical sessions to finalize the technology for the scheme will be held soon.
According to sources in Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd (KREDL), the project will be taken up in three phases. The first will involve home lighting and appliances, the second for drinking water, purification and defluorination, and the third phase for irrigation pumps and village cottage industry. Based on a public-private partnership model, the government will directly pay manufacturers on a least-cost selection basis.
The total renewable energy power production until 2009 has been 2398.90 MW. Wind power is the highest contributor — 1365.58 MW and has an allocation of another 800 MW. Small Hydro occupies 416.32 MW, Cogen 536 MW and biomass 81 MW. Solar hasn’t figured anywhere in this energy mix yet. There is an allocation of 97 MW, of which 3 MW will be commissioned shortly, according to KREDL officials.
“Karnataka is quite progressive and generates about 2219 MW. Tamil Nadu has the highest generation of about 4870 MW and Maharashtra is second with 2326 MW. However, it depends on a state’s resources so it can’t really be compared. Solar hasn’t taken off in a big way in any state so far. We are still at a meager 2% and there are some decentralized solar lighting systems in about 6000 villages,” said director, planning & coordination, ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE), A K Varshney.
With a power deficit of 10-15%, solar seems to be the only way to tackle power woes. However, even the target of generating 1000 MW from renewable energy will compensate for 50% of the deficit.
Solar rooftop set-ups in Bangalore and Tier-2 cities are also on the anvil. According to the renewable energy policy, the Solar Karnataka Programme for 25000 solar rooftops of 5-10 KW with net metering will be taken up with a 250 MW potential during the next five years with a generation potential of 350 million units (MU). Solar-powered cooking appliances and heating ranges will be promoted for mass cooking units like hotels or hostels.
Light Emitting diodes (LEDs) will also going to light up our lives soon. The energy-guzzling incandescent lights on flyovers, parks and other public places will be replaced with LEDs by BBMP with technological assistance from KREDL. Parts of Mysore Road, Sirsi Circle and some parks have already been identified for the project.
toiblr.reporter@timesgroup.com