Earlier this year India announced that it was planning to embark on an incredible mission to install over 20,000 megawatts of solar power by 2022. Today, India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy announced the details behind the ambiotious plan.
The Solar Mission, as the plan is known, will be separated into three phases. The first phase will run from 2010 to 2013. In this initial phase the country will focus on developing solar thermal farms, and promoting off-grid solar systems to communities that do not have access to commercial electricity.
The second phase will run from 2013 to 2017. During this phase commercial solar capacity will be aggressively increased in order to create the necessary conditions for solar power to become a competitive energy option. A key focus of the third phase, running from 2017 to 2022, will be to have 20 million solar lighting systems deployed in remote rural areas.
According to Farooq Abdullah, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, eliminating power outages and lowering the price of electricity is the main impetus behind the Solar Mission: "it is in this situation the solar imperative is both urgent and feasible to enable the country to meet long-term energy needs."
Read the full story at Renewable Energy World: Ambitious solar plans unveiled by India
Nathanael Baker is the Managing Editor of EnergyBoom. He has researched and reported on the issues of renewable energy, sustainability, and climate change for over two years. He has provided research to the New York Times and The Economist, as well as being published on different media outlets including, The Energy Collective.
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