Under new guidelines released by India’s government, 1,000 megawatts of new solar power capacity will be online in the nation by 2013.
The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), also known as the ‘Solar India’ initiative, is designed to catapult India into a position of being a global leader in solar energy.
The Mission has set a target of 20,000MW to occur in three phases , with the first phase up to 2012-13, second phase from 2013 to 2017 and the third phase from 2017 to 2022.
The projects for the first phase will consist of both Solar PV and Solar Thermal projects in a ratio of 50:50.
Under the Jawaharlal Nehru Mational Solar Mission, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) will be the primary agency to purchase solar power generated by independent solar power producers, at rates fixed by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) and for a period of 25 years.
For 2010 -11 the CERC has fixed the rate of Rs. 17.91 per Unit for solar panel based projects and Rs 15.31 per unit for solar thermal power projects. The rates will apply to Solar PV projects commissioned by March 2012 and Solar Thermal projects commissioned by March 2013.
Funding for the Solar India initiative will be derived in part from a coal tax .
India’s Government has also announced guidelines to encourage domestic manufacture and the country’s Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Dr Abdullah, has invited global solar companies to invest in the nation.
