Solar-rich Gujarat has raised its renewable energy ambition by aiming for at least 30 GW of renewable energy generation capacity by 2022 – some 17% of the national 175 GW target by that point.
“We plan to increase capacity to 30,000 MW by 2022,” finance minister Nitin Patel said while presenting the Gujarat budget in the state capital of Gandhinagar. “Of this, 20,000 MW will be used in Gujarat and 10,000 MW will be sold to other states.”
The state minister also announced the allocation of Rs1,000 crore for a new rooftop solar scheme that aims to provide installations to 2 lakh families. Under the program, households will receive a subsidy worth 40% of the cost of rooftop systems with a capacity of up to 3 kW and a 20% subsidy for systems with capacities of 3-10 kW.
The state also plans to provide electricity connections to more than 1.25 lakh farmers.
Gujarat leads the way
According to the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy’s state by state breakdown of the national renewable energy target, Gujarat was slated to achieve 8,020 MW of solar generation capacity by 2022 plus 8.8 GW of wind power and 255 MW of biomass facilities.
Earlier this year, the Gujarat state government announced it would add 3 GW of renewables capacity annually until 2022 – 2 GW from solar and 1 GW of wind. Since the first Vibrant Gujarat summit in 2003, more than 100 investments have seen Rs40,000 crore pour into renewables in the state.
In January Gujarat became the first Indian state to set up wind parks and wind-solar hybrid developments on a similar model to solar parks. In its new land policy, the state mandated future federal solar, wind and hybrid projects must be built inside such designated areas to simplify evacuation of the power generated.
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