Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan now tops country in solar power generation

Rajasthan has toppled Karnataka to become the top state in the country in solar power generation with an installed capacity of 7737.95 Megawatt. This has been revealed in the latest report of the Union Ministry for New & Renewable Energy (MNRE).

Rajasthan has registered unprecedented progress in all areas of solar energy including ground mount, rooftop, and off-grid in the year 2021.

In the direction of making Rajasthan a leader in the field of green energy-clean energy, the state's Solar Energy Policy-2019 has been very important for the investors. The provisions of the progressive solar power energy policy have brought a revolutionary change in the field of solar energy in the state.

Under this policy, customized investment proposals worth Rs 34,200 crore were approved in the hybrid energy sector in the state in April 2021. Most of these are related to solar energy.

As a result of the policies to promote solar energy, Rajasthan has become the preferred destination for investors in this sector from across the country and the world. During this period, a record investment of Rs 10,000 crore has been made in this sector.

It is worth mentioning that in the MNRE report, Gujarat has been ranked third with 5708 MW capacity, Tamil Nadu fourth with 4675 MW, and Andhra Pradesh with 4380 MW.

Despite the adverse circumstances of Covid-19, 2348.47 MW of new solar power capacity has been installed in Rajasthan in the last eight months itself.

Considering the favourable geographical conditions of Rajasthan from the point of view of solar power generation, 142 GW of solar power generation has been estimated in the state. To achieve this goal, an effective plan has been prepared by the state government.

Under the plan, an ambitious target of 30 GW of solar power generation has been set by 2024-25, which will completely change the energy scenario of the country.

In this year’s February, Rajasthan was in the fourth position, in new and renewable energy development that includes wind power and biopower apart from solar. The total new and renewable generation in the state stood at 17040.62 MW followed by Gujarat with 16587,90 MW. Tamil Nadu was third with 16099 MW. Tamil Nadu which was on top has slipped to the third position.

Maharashtra is in the fifth slot with 19657.08 MW.

Rajasthan has made all-around progress in solar, wind, and biopower and its ground-mounted solar generation were 11493.75 M,748.44 MW, the off-grid solar generation was 322.68 MW. In wind power, the state generated 4326,82 MW and 125.08 MW in biopower.

Rajasthan has the maximum number of households electrified through the solar-based standalone system.

Under the Saubhagya scheme, as many as 1,23,682 households were electrified through the solar-based standalone system in Rajasthan, followed by Chhattisgarh (65,373), Uttar Pradesh (53,234), Assam (50,754), Bihar (39,100), Maharashtra (30,538), Odisha (13,735) and Madhya Pradesh (12,651).

Interestingly, Rajasthan receives solar radiation of 6.0–7.0 kWh/m2. As the area has low rainfall, about 325 days have good sunshine in a year, and in western areas in the Thar desert it may extend up to 345–355 days.

The desert sun produces an unbelievable amount of energy that reaches the earth. The amount of energy that is absorbed by the earth in one hour is more energy than mankind uses in one year. The total amount of solar energy reaching the earth in one year is huge twice as much energy as ever existed from all sources of coal, oil, natural gas, and uranium combined.

With its abundance of sunlight, Rajasthan has tremendous potential to emerge as one of the leaders in solar power generation. According to the Government of India’s policy for the solar sector – Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) – a target of 20 GW of solar installations by 2022 has been set. Rajasthan alone will contribute to achieving half the target.

Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance New Energy Solar Ltd will make its foray into solar power by investing Rs 1 lakh crore in Rajasthan, the hub of green energy in the country.

The company’s representative Umesh Bhandari stated that it intends to set up 6000 MW solar power projects in the arid districts of Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, and Bikaner that could provide employment to 10,000 persons by December 2025.

Reliance Industries Limited has formed Reliance New Energy Solar Limited (RNESL), investing Rs 100,000 (~$1342) for 10,000 equity shares of Rs 10 (~$0.13) each.

In Rajasthan, RNESL will require one lakh acres of land to set up its solar plants. The company decided to invest in the state after it started work on developing the Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex on 5,000 acres of land in Jamnagar in Gujarat.

The state under its Solar Power Policy cleared customized investment proposals worth Rs 34,200 crore (US$ 4641 million) in the hybrid energy sector in the state. Most of these are related to solar energy. The state’s solar power generation potential has been estimated at 142 GW owing to favourable conditions.

“The state government has set an ambitious target of 30 GW of solar power generation by 2024-25,” Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has said.

High solar radiation and wind speeds and an abundance of barren land make Rajasthan suitable for utility-scale solar parks. And it is already home to the world’s largest solar park – the 2.25 GW Bhadla Solar Park, located in the Jodhpur district.

“These factors make Rajasthan an attractive destination for domestic and foreign investors looking for opportunities in renewable energy, electricity grid infrastructure, and associated manufacturing,” said Subodh Agarwal, additional chief secretary

Currently, Adani Green Energy is setting up a 9700 MW solar and hybrid project in the state on 20,000 hectares of land in the desert. Other companies that have invested in solar power in the state include Repower which is setting up a 10,000 MW project, JSW which is also setting up a 10,000 MW project, and Greenco which is setting up a 4500 MW solar power plant in western Rajasthan.

New Delhi-based renewables developer Azure Power this month commissioned a 600 MW grid-connected solar power project awarded to it by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).

Azure Power commissioned the project in phases, with the last 100MW going online recently.