Solar power to become a reality soon in Tamil Nadu

Chennai:

Solar power is soon to become a reality in the state as government embarks upon an ambitious initiative to set up roof top solar energy installations in 60,000 houses each year from this November besides coming up with net metering, a renewable energy incentive for consumers.

Speaking during the inaugural session of Reaction 2012, organized by Energy Alternatives India, Tamil Nadu Energy  Development  Agency chairman Sudeep Jain said that besides providing 60,000 houses with solar installations each year under the XII plan, the state will also use solar power to light up 20,000 streetlights each year.

Jain says the policy will drive the establishment of over 3,000 MW of solar power generation capacity in the State. His comments comes in the wake of the state set to roll out its new energy policy.

He said the state has introduced net metering, deduction of any energy outflows from metered energy inflows, as a pilot project in TEDA as well as in two other places including Auroville in Pondicherry and it has been successful. Under net metering, a system owner receives retail credit for at least a portion of the electricity they generate.

Industry sources claim that once net metering is introduced, solar power in Tamil Nadu will become a reality soon. “This will also create a huge investment opportunities in the renewable energy sector,” they said.

Jain also said that the state is considering to implement ‘Time-of-Day’ pricing, an incentive to shift consumption from peak to off-peak period. Interestingly, Delhi government is working on the model.

Meanwhile, experts from the field stressed on the need for hybrid power system like solar and wind or wind and biomass. 

Krishnan, chairman of MPPL Renewable Energy said biomass should be treated as resources and stressed on the need to grow energy plantation in arable land. Ramesh Kymal, chairman and managing director of Gamesa said non renewable sector needs incentives besides stressing on the need for hybrid system. Pasupathy Gopalan, managing director of MEMC and SunEdison South Asia and Shiv Shukla, president and CEO at Abener Engineering, Abengoa Solar India also spoke on the occasion.