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Solar Energy

Harnessing the Power of the Sun
India poised to Grow Renewable Energy Capacity to 10GW using Mini and Micro Grids.
Posted Date: 15 June 2016
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) recently announced its ‘mega plan’ to implement micro and mini grids to increase the capacity of renewable energy to 10GW. While still in a proposal stage, the plan requires the setting up of small-scale solar, hydro, wind, and biomass projects. As per the plan, the mini grids will have a capacity of more than 10KW while the micro grid will have projects attached to it with capacities less than 10KW.

For the first phase, the government envisages that 10,000 projects would produce about 500MW of energy, at an average ‘plant’ size of 50KW each. The target capacity of 10GW would happen over a span of the approaching 5 years. This plan is expected to hugely support the government’s plan to provide electricity to every home in our country by the year 2019. The government understands that conventional technology and measures will not prove to be the most efficient both, in terms of time and money. Hence, there is a need to set up independent and small-scale renewable energy grids. The capital required for such projects are expected to be low but the results will be almost immediate. In addition, the main transmission lines would be protected from the detrimental impacts of the highly erratic supply of renewable power through various sources.

India is poised and determined to grow its capacity of renewable energy. By March 2022, it aims to produce 175GW of such energy. The government is approaching this goal through many channels – apart from the several phases of utility-scale solar power projects by the National Solar Mission, the government is actively promoting the rooftop solar power drive through various incentives. The MNRE has recently also launched a policy to expand the onshore wind energy infrastructure and is looking at opening up the offshore wind energy sector too shortly.