The Central Government has included Punjab in its ambitious ‘Green Corridor Mission’ project.
With this, Punjab would be in line to receive funds for further strengthening of its transmission and distribution infrastructure to ensure efficient evacuation of solar power to the central grid.
Besides, the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has also announced a major roof top solar power pilot project to demonstrate as well as encourage people to set their own solar power roof top projects to successfully implement the State’s net metering policy.
The decisions were conveyed on Tuesday by MNRE secretary Upendra Tripathy at the first regional meet held at CII under the chairmanship of Punjab New and Renewable Energy Minister Bikram Singh Majithia for implementation of RE-INVEST Conclave-2015.
Majithia, addressing the regional meeting of States including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and UT Chandigarh, said that the recently held RE-INVEST-2015 Summit has given a new dimension to the entire renewable energy mission as the Prime Minister had set the ball rolling by throwing a gigantic challenge of 270 GW power productions from renewable sources.
He underlined the need for joining of hands by Union Government, State Governments and Banks to thrash whittle down impediments, if any, in achieving this goal.
Majithia said that Punjab being a land locked faced several challenges in providing land to prospective solar investors.
He said that the State had, however, risen to the challenge and taken an initiative to provide Government approved land on lease policy to facilitate the investors besides offering power purchase agreements (PPA) with the State utility.
The Minister said that Punjab had started a unique net metering policy to encourage residents to install rooftop solar projects for domestic use selling power to the State grid.
“Punjab has also decided in principle to waive off wheeling charges for power produced from renewable resources and a cabinet nod would be taken soon for this purpose,” he said.
“For realisation of 270 GW power from renewable sources, we have to harness potential of all sources like solar, biomass, wind and hydro,” he said while emphasizing the need to focus on key areas of biomass, bio-ethanol and bio CNG as in an agrarian State like Punjab there was an annual agri residue availability of 21 million tonnes.
Inviting all major as well as small players of renewable energy sector, Majithia said that the State Government was always open to their suggestions and won’t hesitate to walk extra mile to make the State a hub of clean and green energy.