Odisha could be the next state to line up its solar policy, after Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka and Rajasthan. The government has proposed that the policy should be in place by end of March. D N Gupta, secretary, science and technology has reportedly said that the policy is expected to be ready within two months. “We are also going to come up with a ‘Vision-2020’ document for the renewable energy sector. In the next one year, solar power production in the state is targeted to reach 50 MW while we hope to scale it up to 80 MW in the next three years,” as per TOI report.
The policy will be focusing on promoting private investor participation in generating solar power. The policy will deploy measures like solar photo-voltaic power for electricity generation, rooftop solar power units, solar heating systems and solar water pump systems. While eight private companies already have set up solar power plants with combined capacity of 13 MW, several others are keen to put up their projects, he added.
The solar energy projects will be undertaken by Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA), which will give clearance to the projects.
Though Odisha’s solar energy potential is estimated at around 10,000 MW, the state is yet to tap it for generating electricity and other uses. Recently we had reported about Odisha getting its rooftop photovoltaic solar project, which will be funded by International Finance Corporation.
As per the report, renewable energy could be a vital part of the 12th plan period (2012-17) as the state is looking forward to investments around Rs 25 billion in the sector.
