The constant power crisis being faced by the southern states will reduce considerably by 2014 as the process of connecting the Southern Grid to the rest of the country will be completed by then, said Union Corporate Affairs and Power minister M. Veerappa Moily. Speaking to reporters after the launch of a solar photo-voltaic installation at BMRDA’s rooftop here on Saturday, Mr Moily said India was ahead of other countries in adopting solar energy generation technologies. Under the JNNURM, the government aims to add 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022. Karnataka is third in the country in terms of solar power generation and must attain first place, he added.
The BMRDA solar project was funded under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development funds of Rajya Sabha member B. Jayashree. Energy minister Shobha Karandlaje said the state had adopted the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) in all government buildings.
The government is serious on implementing them in houses and other non-government buildings. The State is planning to set up a 500-acre solar park in Bijapur district. The KPCL is also setting up various 3-5 MW solar projects across the state, she said. The current installation on the BMRDA roof top has a capacity to generate 7.6 KW out of which 4.6 KW can be supplied to the grid and 3.3 KW stored as backup, she added.