Amritsar village gets country’s first commercial solar power plant

Abdullah said this was the country’s first such plant and a very important step taken by the Punjab government in fulfilling the Union Government’s target of producing 20,000 MW solar power by 2020 under its solar mission. In the new energy sector,he said the task of independent power producers was being facilitated by single window service in the ministry,which was targeting 1,300 MW power from the sector within next three years.

“As the whole world is discussing the cutting of emissions in Copenhagen,this is our answer to the future,” he said.

Sukhbir said the experiment would be soon replicated in total border belt of Punjab with three solar power plants of 10 MW each in each border district. Punjab had already achieved 282 MW in renewable power sector and was aiming at 700 MW by 2011,he said. He said the state had plans to produce 300 MW power from 20 million tonnes rice husk,through 28 biomass plants being set up in the state.

Badal had earlier stated that the state would like small solar projects to run tubewells,and demanded restoration of enhanced subsidy on Solar tubewells to the previous rate of Rs 1.8 lakh instead of the present rate of Rs 50,000.

Sukhbir on Tuesday said as Punjab farmers were performing the national duty of food production,the Centre should immediately sanction enhanced subsidy of Rs 1.8 lakh for 10,000 new tubewells.

Inderpreet S Wadhwa,CEO of Azure,said 24 border villages would benefit from the project.