Solar not a viable option long-term due to shortage of land in state

Chennai:

Solar energy in the longer run won’t be a viable alternative as more land is required to set up a solar plant and the energy mix in the state should also have nuclear energy, according to an expert.

During a conference on Tamil Nadu Power Dynamics and Future Perspectives organized by Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Saturday, former chairman of Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) S Kabilan said that a large amount of land is required to set up a solar plant that can generate 10 MW of power which in the longer run is not feasible due to shortage of land in the state.

He also suggested the need for creation of independent region wise electricity corporations so that they can function efficiently. He also suggested separate chairmen for power transmission, distribution and generation.

R Raghuttama Rao, managing director of iMaCS (ICRA Management Consulting Services Limited), said that restructuring of Tamil Nadu Electricity Board has not yielded results as the financial restructuring never happened.

He said there is a revenue gap of Rs 14,000 crore and the government has to take steps to administer strong medicine. He said that in March 2012, TNERC has revised the tariff by 37 per cent but even such a steep tariff hike is not sufficient to cover up the costs entirely.

Rao said that in the first eight months of the financial year, the state has the highest energy deficit of 17.1 per cent, which is significantly higher than the national average of eight per cent.

Anil Razdan, former Union power secretary, P S Bami, president India energy Forum and former chairman and managing director of National Thermal Power Corporation P S Bami and managing director and chief executive officer of Shriram EPC Ltd T Shivaraman also spoke on the occasion.