With the state reeling under acute power crisis, Tamil Nadu government today unveiled a solar energy policy under which installation of solar panels in all new government and local body buildings would be made mandatory.

Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa announced the new policy, which seeks to tap 3000 MW of power in the next three years through solar energy. The policy hopes to generate 1000 MW each year till 2015.

Creation of solar energy parks, encouragement to people to install solar panels at home and gradual installation of solar panels in government and local body buildings are some of the salient features of the new policy, an official release said.

It said street lighting and drinking water distribution would be managed gradually through solar energy in local body and government buildings.

"Big industries and high tension power consumers should use certain percentage of power only through solar energy," it said.

Producers of solar energy equipments would be given encouragement such as net metering (which enables the rooftop solar plant to put in the surplus energy into the grid), exemption from electricity tax and power cut.

The new policy was aimed at making Tamil Nadu a frontrunner in the solar power generation, it said.

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