The Cabinet of the State Government of Karnataka has cleared the Karnataka Renewable Energy Policy for the period of 2022-2027, that seeks to maintain the state’s reputation as a renewable energy leader.
The policy says that in the next five years, Karnataka will have a renewable power generation capacity of 10 GW. The policy wants rooftop solar alone to have a share of at least 1GW by 2027.
Karnataka will see the coming up of several renewable energy parks including some hybrid ones. The policy wants to develop Karnataka as a hub for the manufacturing of RE equipment. There will be a focus also on floating solar power projects and hybrid power generation units in the hydel stations in Karnataka.
The government also aims to export renewable energy to other states in a big way by maximizing the power generation. The policy has emphasized on the economic development of the state by attracting investments in the renewable sector. There will be exclusive green power corridors where the private sector participation will be more and the power will be evacuated from such corridors.
The proposed policy also envisages market creation for a balanced growth of storage capacity that will help the increase in renewable energy generation. This is also aimed at improving the reliability of power supply, ensuring 24X7 availability of renewable power and contributing to renewable energy plants’ load factor.
Karnataka is already a power surplus state and as per Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd, the share of renewables in the energy basket is more than half. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had said that Karnataka is encouraging research in the solar sector. A key aspect that has not been mentioned perhaps is the possible case for the state to lead in investing into large batteries, to store surplus energy generation, especially if it sees potential for exports to other states.
Recently, the state cabinet has also cleared the implementation of PMKUSUM Category-B in the state that will benefit 10,000 farmers with installation of solar power sets. Last year, MNRE Minister RK Singh had informed that Karnataka has the highest installed solar power capacity in the state at about 7.3 GW.
Source: saurenergy.com
