By IANS,
Chandigarh : The central government has set a target of generating 14,000 MW additional power through renewable resources in the 11th Five-Year Plan, taking the total generation to more than 26,000 MW, a union minister said here Tuesday.
Speaking on the eve of Akshay Urja Diwas, celebrated on Aug 20 every year on the occasion of the birthday of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, Minister for New and Renewable Energy Vilas Muttemwar said the target of power generation for the 10th Five-Year Plan was only 12,000 MW.
“We are one of the luckiest countries, where we have plenty of sunshine throughout the year. With this solar energy, we can fulfil the energy needs of the whole world if we harness it in proper channel,” Muttemwar said.
“We are doing remarkably well in generating power from renewable resources, as we are at the fourth spot after Germany, Spain and the US in harnessing the wind energy. But still there is much more potential that goes unused,” he added.
According to him, India has the potential of generating 70,000 MW of power from wind energy alone.
“We are in a process to establish a solar thermal energy project at Nagpur in Maharashtra which will be the Asia’s biggest solar power generation project. We will also establish many special economic zones (SEZs) exclusively for renewable projects at various locations of the country,” Muttemwar said.
The minister also appreciated the Haryana government’s decision to implement a new scheme to provide 90 percent financial assistance for installation of solar water heating systems in non-profit social institutions like orphanages, old age homes, working women’s hostels and juvenile homes.