Auto majors looks at setting up captive solar power projects

Soon after the Government of Tamil Nadu came up with a Tamil Nadu Solar Energy Policy 2012, envisaging generation of around 3000 MW of solar power within 2015 in the State, at least two auto majors have said that they are working on solar power to support their energy requirements.

Nissan Automotive India Pvt Ltd and Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd (DICV) has plans to use solar energy to power some of their requirements in future, said officials from the companies.

It is to be noted that the government has announced its Solar Energy Policy on October 21, 2012 seeking the large-scale power consumers to meet six per cent of their energy requirements from solar power by 2014, according to earlier reports.

Delivering his key not address during the launch of Auto Sustain, a public private partnership project to be implemented by management system certification firm UL DQS, Biju Balendran, vice president, plant engineering, “We are going for solar energy model to power our main office.”

The company has been into various activities to reduce usage of water, and emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, as part of its efforts to save the environment, he added.

Meanwhile, DICV is also looking at setting up a solar power generation system to meet some of its energy requirements, said Florian Laudan, head – corporate communications, DICV. Speaking to reporters in the sidelines, he said that the company would have a solar power facility in an upcoming warehousing and logistics facility in Chennai. However, he refused to comment more on the plans with this.

The company, in India, has been following a policy of maintaining 85 per cent localisation for its products for the market. It is also expected to launch light duty trucks in Nine and 12 tonne rigid and 12 tonne construction segments within the end of 2012, he added.

The Tamil Nadu government has announced Tamil Nadu Solar Energy Policy 2012, recently, envisaging generation of 1000 MW of solar power each year from 2013 to 2015, setting up of solar energy parks along with incentives for solar power producers and equipment manufacturers.

The state would mandate six per cent Solar Purchase Obligation (SPO), starting with three per cent up to December, 2013, and six per cent from January 2014, for high-tension consumers in Special Economic Zones, Information Technology parks, telecom towers, colleges and residential schools and industries guaranteed with round the clock power supply, according to recent reports.