Monday, September 02, 2013: West Bengal now seems to be losing its first position as developer of grid-connected and off-grid solar power with just two projects worth Rs 700 million out of a total investment of Rs 160 billion with regard to grid-connected solar power projects in India.
In the previous three years, just 3 villages in Bengal were electrified under the remote village electrification programme of the Ministry and of New and Renewable Energy. When compared to states like Assam (1,017 villages), Orissa (726 villages), Tripura (441 villages) and Madhya Pradesh (327), the growth of solar energy in the state presents a dim picture.
As per 2011 census, nearly 2,40,000 households in rural Bengal utilized solar energy, the highest in India. This was followed by Uttar Pradesh. Here, 1,60,000 rural houses utilized solar energy. However, in the previous two to three years, the growth percentage of Bengal has gone haywire.
According to a data by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy with respect to financial assistance offered to West Bengal, the allocation for the state decreased during 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 from Rs 117.8 million to Rs 124.7 million , Rs 81.19 million and Rs 38.2 million respectively.
Moreover, the first grid connected 2MW solar power project was established in Asansol. The second one was in Durgapur. After the commissioning of a 5MW project (second project in the country) worth Rs 400 million in Durgapur, no other plans were chalked out. This resulted in decrease in the share of the state. On the other hand, states such as Chattisgarh, Assam and Bihar went a long way emulating the Bengal model.
Enjoying the advantage of higher solar radiation in comparison to eastern as well as north eastern states, Gujarat, Maharastra and Rajasthan presently share 80 per cent of the total 1600MW of grid connected solar power utilized in India.
