Solar power target achievable, capacity to hit 20k MW by FY17

India's ambitious target of 100 GW solar power generation is achievable and the government is confident that it will have a capacity of 20,000 MW by end of the next financial year.
"One lakh MW target is ambitious but it's achievable. By March end we will be around 6,500 MW and by March 2017 we will have 20,000 MW capacity," Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Joint Secretary Tarun Kapoor told PTI.
India has set an ambitious target of adding 175 GW power generation capacity from renewable sources by 2022, of which 100 GW will be solar and 60 GW will be wind energy.

"Now we are at around 5,400 MW... Everyday one project or the other is being commissioned and capacity is being added. Our target, no doubt, is very ambitious, but we are on it and it is achievable," he added.
MNRE in a recent report has said the total installed solar power generation capacity is likely to cross over 9,000 MW mark March-end this year from existing 5,248 MW and will be over 20,000 MW by the March 2017.
Tendering for solar project totalling a capacity of 15,177 MW has already been completed and a total capacity addition of 12,161 MW is expected during the financial year 2016-17, it said.

Adding 12,161 MW solar power generation capacity in 2016-17 will increase India's solar generation capability to 21,199 MW by March 2017.

During the remaining months of February and March of this fiscal, tenders of 4,431 MW is expected, it added.
Kapoor said the government is working on addressing the core issues such as distribution, transmission and financing of the solar power projects.
"We have to analyse our constraints and other issues such as distribution companies should be able to buy solar power, etc. This is being taken care of. Another is the transmission network on which the government is committed and working.

Besides there is issue of finance. Financial institutions now know that there is no technological risk. There are plants and they are running. Now they look at payment risk. But with the long-term outlook of solar power being positive this issue is getting addressed and they are showing interest," he added.
Citing examples of countries working on expanding their solar power capacity, Kapoor said Germany has an installed capacity of 38,000 MW of solar power.
"Germany is adding 3,000-4,000 MW annually, but at its peak it added around 7,000 MW a year. Similarly, China in one year added 12,000 MW and then the next year it was 11,000 MW. Now it is adding 11,000-12,000 MW annually. Its installed capacity in about 43,000 MW and overtaken Germany," he said.

On India, Kapoor said, "What we are attempting, at our peak we will be for 15,000 to 16,000 MW solar power generating capacity annually to match our target."
Of the 1,00,000 MW of power that will be generated through solar power, 40,000 MW will come through the grid connected solar rooftop systems.