MUMBAI, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- India has been cruising to achieve its 100,000 megawatts (MW) solar energy projects by 2022 by installing small-size projects close to the sub-station of electricity distribution companies.
On Tuesday, an 8-MW solar energy project was commissioned at Devdaithan, 328 km from Mumbai that will reduce 11,500 tons in CO2 emissions and save 298,942 U.S. dollars to the state electricity distribution company.
After having achieved its initial target of 20,000 MW of solar energy capacity in 2018, four years ahead of schedule, Asia's third-largest economy had raised the target 100,000 MW by 2022 including 40,000 MW from rooftop solar by 2022 at an investment of 100 billion U.S. dollars.
As of August, India has an installed solar capacity of 35,739 MW with a target to achieve 100,000 MW by 2022.
Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), an energy company under India's federal ministry of power, has invested 4.6 million U.S. dollars in the 8-MW solar energy project, as part of its pact with Maharashtra state to install, finance, operate, and maintain decentralized power plants of 0.5-10 MW in the open spaces around distribution company's sub-stations.
Our partnership with the state distribution company exemplifies the role of the sector in providing access to low-cost, low-carbon energy to Indian consumers, said Rajat Sud, Managing Director at EESL.
Private parties can offer their land located within the 5 km periphery of the nearby substation to the distribution company under this project on a lease basis.
The 8-MW project is part of a 679 MW of solar power project to supply electricity to the state-run distribution company in India's western state of Maharashtra.
Out of the proposed 679 MW, so far, 107 MW of installed generation capacity is already in place from 108 decentralized solar plants.
"We will enable the state to produce 14 million units of low-carbon electricity, while reducing CO2 emissions by 973,000 ton," said Aseem Kumar Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of the state-owned electricity distribution company.
As per the Paris Accord on Climate Change, India has set a target of adding 175,000 MW of renewable power by 2022, which includes 100,000 MW from solar, 60,000 MW from wind, 10,000 MW from biomass and 5,000 MW from small hydropower with an aim to achieve 40 percent of installed power generation capacity from non-fossil fuel sources and reduce emission intensity.
India is the world's third-largest producer and third-largest consumer of electricity with an installed capacity of 374,200 MW. Enditem
