Leading Indian solar developer Welspun Renewables has commissioned
the construction of a massive solar plant in the state of Maharashtra.
The planned 52-megawatt (MW) solar plant will be located in the city of
Baramati. The project was set up between Welspun and Maharashtra State Power
Generation Co. under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
The
partnership represents the latest in a series of steps being taken to
ramp up the development of solar energy in India. Late last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his administration would seek the development of 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity by the year 2022. Vineet Mittal, Vice Chairman of Welspun Renewables, said the
Maharashtra plant’s successful commissioning will “set a precedent for
the other states and independent power producers” towards realizing
Modi’s 100-GW goal. “We are very confident and excited to see solar
power becoming the next big contributor in India’s energy future,”
Mittal said. “We clearly see a transition from solar playing a
complimentary role in the energy mix to becoming a vital part of it.”
In February, Welspun pledged to develop 11 GW of solar and wind
projects throughout the country. The leading generator of solar power in
India, Welspun has an established presence spanning 10 states and has
plans to commission projects totaling 1 GW of capacity this year alone.
“Welspun Renewables has already commissioned
a significant percentage of its 2015-2016 target,” Mittal said, adding
that current and future projects will be set up with 25-year PPAs.
Mittal stated he expects to see a transitioning where solar energy
will go from “playing a complementary role in the energy mix to becoming
a vital part of it.” India’s total installed energy capacity is currently 35.77 GW. Of
that, nearly 27 GW are comprised of “clean sources.” Mittal said he
foresees strong growth in the renewables sector in the coming year –
especially in solar power. “Various state governments have already tendered out over 6 GW of
solar installation capacities,” Mittal said. “Due to enormous support
from central and state governments, several new power producers and
vendors have entered the sector. The sector is expanding like never
before.”
Mittal added that breakthrough technological innovations in the
sector, especially in battery technology, will play a crucial role in
the future of India’s renewable power infrastructure. “We are at the
cusp of a huge technological innovation in the renewable energy sector,”
Mittal said. “We believe that within the next decade, the current major
sources of energy would be overtaken by battery storage, smart meters,
cognitive computing and other clean energy technologies.”
On the financing front, Mittal said a growing number of banks and international investors
have expressed considerable interest in funding clean energy projects
in India. “We are seeing an unprecedented appetite among investors who
are keen to fund solar projects and we foresee substantial inflow of
funds in the coming years into the sector,” Mittal said.
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/07/welspun-commissions-52-mw-solar-power-plant-in-india.html
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