Why solar parks

Bhavesh Jain, CTO, Pragat Akshay Urja Ltd explains the importance of solar parks

The solar energy is one of the most important sources of renewable energy and for harvesting the same the government of throughout these years has adopted many policies and schemes to bring down the cost. The solar energy to be developed in Megawatts not only required huge chunk of dry, wasteland but also evacuation substation facility in the nearby location of the installation of solar plant to achieve the target of low cost.

The present government under the leadership of Narendra Modi has come up with a unique idea of solar park to be developed throughout the country aggregating the total capacity of 20,000 MW and to achieve the goal of 100 GW by 2020. The scheme was formed specifically by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, New Delhi for implementation of the above project for setting up solar parks and ultra-mega solar power projects under JNNSM ranging from 100 MW to 800 MW. The scheme was so successful that the target was doubled from 20,000 MW to 40,000 MW.

The solar Parks were allocated to different states, and even opportunity was provided to private solar park under the scheme. The Pragat Solar Park is the first private solar park which was permitted to be setup in the best solar irradiance zone of Maharashtra in Sakri Region dully approved by the Government of Maharashtra. The solar parks are so successful, that the cost of solar power generated in this park has declined to minimum of Rs 2.44 per unit.

In a country like India where the energy demand is very high and the poor population is deprived of basic facilities like energy and water, the government scheme of solar park and solar pumps for irrigation a and drinking water facility are proving to be landmark and the way it has been implemented it appears the target may be achieved well before 2020.

Author:

Bhavesh Jain, CTO,
Pragat Akshay Urja Ltd.