During a webinar on implementation road map for Union Budget provisions for power and renewable energy sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that in the next one and a half years, the government plans to produce 40 GW of solar power through rooftop solar projects.
He added that renewable energy capacity enhanced two-and-a-half times in the past six years, while solar energy capacity increased by 15 times.
Going forward, the government is committed to investing INR 4500 crore in manufacturing high-efficiency solar PV modules under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, said the prime minister.
“Already, 4-GW solar capacity is installed through rooftop solar projects; 2.5 GW will be added soon,” he said. PM Modi said that under the PM-KUSUM scheme, farmers were becoming energy entrepreneurs and the goal was to create 30-GW solar capacity through small plants in the farmers’ fields.
Under the PLI Scheme, 10,000 MW capacity integrated solar PV manufacturing plants will be operationalised with an estimated investment of Rs 14,000 crore, which would increase demand for locally produced materials. “We want to see our companies become global manufacturing champions, not just to fulfill local demands,” he added.
He said that this year’s Budget had shown unprecedented commitment towards investment in infrastructure and that was evident in Mission Hydrogen, domestic manufacturing of solar cells and massive capital infusion in the renewable energy sector.
