PM launches Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, today launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Here is his speech.

“I am very happy to be here today to launch the highly innovative Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission under the brand name “Solar India”. This National Solar Mission has the pride of place in India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change.

Photo courtesy: PMOThe Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh at the launch of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission – Solar India, in New Delhi on January 11, 2010.

Its success has the potential of transforming India’s energy prospects, and contributing also to national as well as global efforts to combat climate change. This Mission is one of the major priorities of the second term of our government and I congratulate Dr. Abdullah and my other colleagues particularly Shri Shyam Saran, for the work they have done in bringing this to fruition.

Increased use of solar energy is a central component of our strategy to bring about a strategic shift from our current reliance on fossil fuels to a pattern of sustainable growth based on renewable and clean sources of energy. I sincerely hope that this solar Mission will also establish India as a global leader in solar energy, not just in terms of solar power generation but also in solar manufacturing and generation of this technology.

The importance of this Mission is not just limited to providing large-scale grid connected power. It has the potential to provide significant multipliers in our efforts for transformation of India’s rural economy. Already, in its decentralized and distributed applications, solar energy is beginning to light the lives of tens of millions of India’s energy-poor citizens.

The rapid spread of solar lighting systems, solar water pumps and other solar power-based rural applications can change the face of India’s rural economy. We intend to significantly expand such applications through this Mission. As a result, the movement for decentralized and disbursed industrialization will acquire an added momentum, a momentum which has not been seen before.

The target of 20,000 MW of solar generating capacity by the end of the 13th Five Year Plan is no doubt an ambitious target. But I do sincerely believe that the target is doable and that we should work single-mindedly to achieve it as a priority national endeavor.

The carefully crafted regulatory and incentive framework that has been unveiled today has several innovative features. We expect that it will lead to a rapid scale up of capacity. This will encourage technological innovation and generate economies of scale, thereby leading to a steady lowering of costs. Once parity with conventional power tariff is achieved, there will be no technological or economic constraint to the rapid and large-scale expansion of solar power thereafter.

Clearly, technological innovation will be a key factor in ensuring the success of this Mission. We will need to find ways of reducing the space intensity of current solar applications, including through the use of nano-technology. Cost-effective and convenient storage of solar energy beyond daylight hours will be critical to its emergence as a mainstream source of power. In the meantime, we may need to explore hybrid solutions, combining solar power generation with gas, biomass or even coal-based power.

It was the vision of Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru that enabled India to create world-class scientific and technological capacities in the field of atomic energy and space sectors. It is these strengths in science and technology that eventually have created the Information Technology revolution in India and made it a global power. I am convinced that solar energy can also be the next scientific and technological frontier in India after Atomic Energy, Space and Information Technology.

There exists in our country immense talent and research capabilities already engaged in the solar energy field both in the private and public sectors. It is clear that a large number of Ministries and authorities will have to work in tandem if we are to make a success of this important Mission. The Solar Mission should evolve as a single national platform for coordination among our scientific, industrial and regulatory establishments in a synergetic manner.

I am happy that the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry has been associated with this event. The role of industry in this Mission’s success will be critical. Eventually, if the ambitious roll out of the Mission is to become a living reality, we will have to create many ‘Solar Valleys’ on the lines of the Silicon Valleys that are spurring our IT industry across the four corners of our country.

These valleys will become hubs for solar science, solar engineering and solar research, fabrication and manufacturing. I urge Indian industry to see the National Solar Mission as the huge business opportunity that it is going to be.

The Sun has long been recognized as a primal source of all energy on earth. In an ancient civilization like India, the Sun has been worshipped as the God who bestows life and sustains it. The bounty of the Sun is truly inexhaustible, renewable and free. It is to this source of energy that humankind must turn to meet the twin challenge of energy security and climate change.

With these words, I wish the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission every success.”

Indian government announces Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission!

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy in a statement in the Parliament on 23rd November, 2009 said that “the Government has approved a new policy on development of solar energy in the country by launching of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission.

Interested folks can download the report from MNRE's website -- http://www.mnes.nic.in/

This is a historic and transformational initiative of the UPA Government and I am proud to have the privilege of being assigned the task of overseeing its implementation. The Solar Mission is very much in line with the vision of modern India of Pandit Nehru, which has made India today, a leading nuclear and space power.

This Mission is one of the eight key National Missions which comprise India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change. It has a twin objective – to contribute to India’s long term energy security as well as its ecological security. We are living in a world of rapidly depleting fossil fuel resources and access to conventional energy resources such as oil, gas and coal is becoming increasingly constrained. The rapid development and deployment of renewable energy is imperative in this context and in view of high solar radiation over the country solar energy provides a long term sustainable solution.

The Solar Mission recommends the implementation in 3 stages leading up to an installed capacity of 20,000 MW by the end of the 13th Five Year Plan in 2022. It is envisaged that as a result of rapid scale up as well as technological developments, the price of solar power will attain parity with grid power at the end of the Mission, enabling accelerated and large-scale expansion thereafter. During this time we expect many new ideas to emerge and technologies to become more efficient. Quite obviously, in order to set the stage for achieving this ambitious target, what we do in the next 3 to 4 years will be critical. Therefore, the Cabinet has approved setting up of 1,100 MW of grid solar power and 200 MW capacity of off-grid solar applications utilizing both solar thermal and photovoltaic technologies in the first phase of the Mission. In addition, Mission will also focus on R&D and HRD to develop and strengthen Indian skills and enhance indigenous content to make the Mission sustainable.

Mission will establish a single window investor-friendly mechanism, which reduces risk and at the same time, provides an attractive, predictable and sufficiently extended tariff for the purchase of solar power for the grid. The focal point, for the next 3 years, will be the NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN), which is the power trading arm of the NTPC. Government will designate it for the purchase of solar power generated by independent solar power producers, at rates fixed by the Central Regulatory Electricity Commission and for a period specified by the latter. Government will provide equivalent MW of power from the unallocated quota of NTPC for bundling with solar power. The utilities will be able to account for purchase of solar power against their RPO obligations.

I wish to record my deep appreciation and grateful thanks to my senior colleague, Shinde Saheb, who as Minister of Power, has made this arrangement possible and has supported this Mission at every stage of its evolution.

The Mission also includes a major initiative for promoting rooftop solar PV applications. Solar tariff announced by the regulators will be applicable for such installations. The power distribution companies will be involved in purchase of this power.

There are several off-grid solar applications which are already commercially viable or near viability, where rapid scale up is possible. This requires regulatory and incentive measures as well as an awareness campaign. Solar thermal heating applications, such as water heaters, fall in this category. Solar lighting systems for rural and remote areas are already being distributed commercially in several parts of the country. This is expected to help our rural masses.

The Mission will have a very focused R&D programme which seeks to address the India-specific challenges in promoting solar energy. We have to pool available resources both human and financial to strengthen the existing scientific infrastructure in the country. We would involve various stakeholders in human resource development and other capacity building efforts. Mission will also accelerate the process of development of domestic industry in this sector.

I seek cooperation of members of the House to make Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission a success, which will help establish India as one of the global leaders in Solar Energy.

It may be noted that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has already taken several initiatives on different aspects of the Mission. Ministry has recently cleared proposals to set up 29 MW capacity megawatt size grid connected solar power projects under the ongoing demonstration schemes. Recently, 3 MW capacity grid solar power plants have been set up in West Bengal and Karnataka. Ministry has also sanctioned several projects to set up about 525 kWp capacity solar PV projects to save diesel. Ministry is also implementing several other projects on promoting solar thermal energy applications in the country.

The Ministry has been interacting with R&D groups, industry and experts to identify the thrust areas of research. As a result several R&D projects in solar energy with an outlay of Rs 54 crores are under progress. More projects will be finalized soon. Ministry plans to set up several Centers of Excellence in research in Solar Energy technologies and strengthening of the Solar Energy Center under the Ministry.

The National Solar Mission, a SEMI India perspective

INDIA: Policy and government support for solar PV in India continues to strengthen driven by the country’s push to meet its vast power needs and still growing deficit as well as the need to move to clean and renewable sources of electricity. Recent months have seen activity on key policy fronts.

Momentum on India’s National Solar Mission has been growing, and once fully operational it could open up enormous opportunities as well as supply side challenges across the PV supply chain for Indian and global PV companies. The NSM and a recent scheme from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to promote urban solar PV applications are outlined.

The National Solar Mission background
On August 3, 2009, the Government of India announced ‘in principle’ approval, in New Delhi, of the goal of the National Solar Mission (NSM) to achieve 20,000 MW of solar power generation (both PV and thermal) in the country by the year 2020.

Now christened the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, after India’ first Prime Minister, it is one of eight missions that form the core of India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The NSM’s 20 GW target reflects an increase of over two orders of magnitude from India’s current installed PV power generation capacity.

A draft version of the NSM that has been in public circulation for a few months calls out the following longer term targets as well:Source: SEMI India

Other targets called out in the draft NSM are:
* India solar manufacturing capacity ramp to 4-5 GW by 2017.
* Target to electrify 3 million households by 2012 and 20 million by 2020.
* Target of 1 million rooftop systems by 2020.

Financial provisioning approaches to enable these plans include:
* INR 5,000 crore (~US$ 1B) initial investment by the Government in a ‘solar fund’ by 2012 with continuing contributions thereafter;
* Total government funding of up to INR 92,000 crores (~US$18.4b) over a 30 year period via a variety of incentives, grants, subsidies, etc.;
* Fund generation is proposed through a ‘cess’ (taxation) on coal, petrol, and diesel, direct budgetary allocations and possibly via international funding through mechanisms under the UNFCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change).

The announcement of the Government’s ‘in principle’ approval has enthused India PV industry leaders several of whom have welcomed the move as one that would bring the benefits of scale to local manufacturers and even larger benefits to the country as a whole.

The opportunities, even in the timeframe until 2020, presented by such an expansion, are enormous both for India’s domestic PV industry as well as for global PV players in every segment of the PV supply chain – from cells and modules to PV systems (both off and on grid) and in project implementation and maintenance.

Stayed tuned for updates on November 16, 2009, directly following SOLARCON India 2009 (November 9-11, 2009, Hyderabad, India), being held in association with Intersolar India 2009. SOLARCON India’s technical conference will spark relevant discussions that will bring the spotlight to bear on this potentially transformational piece of legislation that could usher in a solar revolution in the country.

Source: SEMI USA/SEMI India

National Solar Mission targets Nov 14 launch

This is a post appearing on Thaindian News (http://www.thaindian.com) on August 28! Reproduced here for readers.

KOLKATA, INDIA (IANS): India’s ambitious National Solar Mission, which aims to generate 20,000 megawatts of solar power by 2020, has a target launch date of Nov 14, a top official said here Friday.

“The overall structure and draft of the National Solar Mission have been approved by the prime minister (Manmohan Singh). The target date for the launch is Nov 14,” said Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Climate Change Shyam Saran.

The mission, which is part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), aims to promote the development and use of solar energy for power generation and other uses with the ultimate objective of making solar energy competitive with fossil-based energy options.

“We are looking at a renewable purchase obligation with regard to solar energy. Utilities will have to include a specified minimum proportion of solar energy in their energy purchases,” Saran said.