India aims to be a super solar power in four years

India aims to be a super solar power in four years Nitin Sethi | TNN  New Delhi: The US and other advanced countries may be dithering in the fight against climate change but India is ready to launch its Solar Mission under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, with plans to generate 1,000 mega watts of power by 2013.     The Union cabinet will soon consider the mission document, which requires India to generate 1,000 mw of solar power every year by 2013. A complete package has been proposed to propel the power sector into ‘solar reforms’ that could lead to annual production of 20,000 mw by 2020 if phase I of the solar mission goes well.     The country currently produces less than 5 mw every year. In the first phase, between 2010 and 2013, the government is also proposing to generate 200 mw of off-grid solar power and cover 7 million sq metres with solar collectors.     The mission, if approved, will entail three phases with the ambitious targets and financial mechanisms for the latter two phases being reviewed on the basis of performance in the first three-year phase.     By the end of the final phase in 2022, the government hopes to produce 20,000 mw of gridbased solar power, 2,000 mw of off-grid solar power and cover 20 million sq metres with collectors. Solar lighting systems would also be provided to 9,000 villages under existing schemes by providing soft loans which would be refinanced by the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited.     Instead of the large direct subsidy to solar power producers suggested earlier, the government has decided to integrate solar power production and sale into existing power purchase mechanisms.     NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited shall in the first phase be made the nodal agency to buy solar power from producers at the rate established by Central Electricty Regulatory Commission.  Blazing Reforms  The govt hopes to generate 1,000 mw of solar power in 2013 and 20,000 mw a year by 2020  India currently produces less than 5 mw per year Soft loans will be given to provide solar power to 9,000 villages 1,000 engineers will be trained and IITs asked to devise industry-specific courses