indore

Updated: Aug 12, 2016 12:06 IST

The Madhya Pradesh’s renewable energy capacity doubled in the last fiscal, with 1,261 MW wind power capacity addition outstripping 211 MW addition from solar energy.

The state’s solar power capacity as on March 31 was 760 MW as against 2,079 MW from wind energy. Biomass and micro-hydro power projects (below 1 MW each) generate 92 MW and 86 MW of energy.

Madhya Pradesh plans to increase solar power generation capacity to about 3,000 MW in two years.

The solar power sector is likely to reverse the trend, with four new solar parks of 500 MW each and an ultra mega solar power project of 750 MW coming up in Rewa.

“The state has doubled green energy capacity from 1,500 MW to more than 3,000 MW in one year. When it comes to solar power projects, fast-track clearance and implementation are attracting private players to Madhya Pradesh,” principal secretary (new and renewable energy) Manu Shrivastava told HT.

Besides availability of vast tracts of barren land, Madhya Pradesh enjoys around 300 days of clear sun. The state has invited bids for preparing detailed project reports for solar parks in Neemuch-Mandsaur, Agar-Shajapur, Chhattarpur and Rajgarh-Morena districts.

Falling cost of solar panels and equipment have slashed tariff. During bidding, energy companies quoted a tariff of about `5 per unit for a period of over 20 years. Also, the availability of low-cost photovoltaic cells caused a steep drop in prices of solar panels over the last five years.