Mubashir Aalam Wani
Srinagar, Dec 8: Jammu and Kashmir ranks at the second place for having higher potential to produce solar energy in India, documents reveal.
As per the document accessed, Jammu and Kashmir has a potential to produce 111050 MW of solar energy.
Throughout India Rajasthan ranks at the first place for having a potential to produce 142310 MWs of solar energy.
Jammu and Kashmir is followed by Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, which as per the document has a potential to produce 64320, 61660, and 38440 MWs of solar energy.
Currently, Jammu and Kashmir has 27.25MW of installed capacity of solar power.
During the last financial year, the centre released Rs 27.98crores to further tap the solar energy in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pertinently, the Ministry of Renewable Energy has embarked on a mission to install 175 GW of renewable energy capacity, which includes 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from bio-power, and 5 GW from small hydro-power.
This year, the Centre has also focused on establishing infrastructure for utilizing renewable energy sources in Jammu and Kashmir.
In the budget released earlier this year, the Centre proposed installing 4,000 additional agricultural solar pumps and commissioning about 80 megawatts of solar capacity, which would cover 20,000 families in the union territory.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir government is also planning to harness 500 Megawatts of solar energy by 2030 under a clean energy mission.
As per the vision document of the Jammu and Kashmir government, the government has to complete the target of generating 1500 MW of solar energy in the union territory by 2047.
An official of the Jammu and Kashmir Energy Development Agency said they have been promoting the use of solar energy driven appliances.
“We are offering financial assistance for solar water heaters, cookers, and other everyday goods. A significant effort to encourage people to utilize appliances powered by renewable energy would be launched in the upcoming months,” he said.
