State to come up with policy to encourage solar energy

With a view to encourage solar energy projects in Maharashtra, state government is coming up with a policy.

"The government is framing the policy to promote solar power plants of 5 MW or more capacity in the state," Non-Conventional Energy Minister Ganesh Naik informed the Legislative Council in a written reply last week.

The state was also a part of the Centre's Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, under which 10 per cent of the solar power generation would take place in Maharashtra, Naik said. The Mission's initial target was to generate 1,000 MW of solar energy across the country by 2013, an official from Non-Conventional Energy Department said.

The state had sent 11 proposals of rooftop and small-scale solar energy generation projects to the Centre, Naik said. The issue was raised by MLC Vijay Sawant in the House, who had asked about state government's efforts to promote the solar energy.