BANKURA : Though the government initiatives didn't fetch any effective results, Bankura may have a solar power plant within the next two fiscals. This has been proposed by a multinational non-conventional power major. Besides, electronic giant Videocon too has proposed for solar power plants in Bankura and Purulia. The district administration is looking for land availability for the upcoming power projects.

GREEN EARTH Sinivasa Raghotham Around the world, governments and power utilities, struggling against skyhigh oil prices and global warming, are turning to solar power as the next big source. Here are some of the largest projects under implementation or planned.

Electricity from renewable sources may be fairly cheap to make, but it cannot be stored and produced when needed. But the solar industry is moving to solve both problems with a single approach: gather heat from the sun, boil water into steam, spin a turbine and make power. Solar power, the holy grail of renewable energy, has always faced the problem of how to store the energy captured from the sun's rays so that demand for electricity can be met at night or whenever the sun is not shining.

A grass-roots movement to generate power in towns and basements is challenging the energy industry's status quo.

Announcement

Tata BP Solar, which specialises in solar photovoltaics, has signed an agreement with Calyon Bank (Credit Agricole CIB) and BNP Paribas to raise a $78 million debt to fund its 128 mw solar cell expans

It will be the California-based firm's largest global facility.

Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency will invite proposals soon Officials will visit Germany and Spain where large solar photovoltaic power plants have come up Programme to encourage generation of grid quality power from megawatt-sized solar plants CHENNAI: Half-a-dozen companies have expressed interest in implementing the recently unveiled national programme on solar power generation in the State. Noting that this is only in the formative stage, a senior official says that soon the Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency will formally invite proposals from these companies, and specific projects will be formulated at the end of this process. Also, as part of firming up its plan to promote solar energy, the State Government has decided to depute to Germany and Spain the Agency's two senior officers, including its chairman-cum-managing director Mohan Verghese Chunkath. The two nations have been chosen since most of the recently installed large solar photovoltaic power plants have come up there. Distribution losses An official document of the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy states that in view of the large potential of solar energy in the country, the Ministry has launched a demonstration programme to encourage grid quality power generation from megawatt-sized solar power plants. Besides capacity addition, the proposed plants could help to tackle peak load operations and reduce distribution losses caused by voltage drops in several regions. Under this programme, registered companies, as project developers, would be encouraged to set up solar power projects on a build, own and operate basis. The Ministry will provide generation-based incentive up to Rs. 12 a unit for solar photovoltaic and Rs. 10 a unit for solar thermal power fed to the grid. Proposals from each developer with a maximum aggregate capacity of 5 megawatt (MW) will be considered. Totally, the Government will provide incentive for installation of 50-MW solar power projects. The projects with an aggregate capacity of 10 MW in a State will be considered for support. However, preference will be given to the projects from the States where the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions have announced, or about to announce, tariff for solar power. The Centre will also provide an incentive of 10 paise a unit to power utilities and one- time incentive of Rs. 2 lakh per MW to the State nodal agencies for their assistance in implementation and monitoring of the projects. The generation-based incentives announced by the Centre are over and above the tariff that will be determined by the commissions and should not go into the calculation of tariff, the document says.

Reliance Industries headed by Mukesh Ambani has offered to set up a solar power plant in Haryana at an initial cost of Rs 125 crore. Reliance is already setting up two special economic zones in Gurgaon and Jhajjar districts. In a letter written to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Ambani expressed his desire to set up 5 MW grid-connected solar photovoltaic power plant in Hisar district or any other suitable location. The company has chosen Hisar because it feels that the area has "one of the best possible solar insolation throughout the year in the state. He said his company would progressively expand the project. Appreciating the efforts being made by the Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (HAREDA) to promote solar energy, Ambani said the Reliance would like to support HAREDA initiatives. He said an investment in the solar power plant would also help in generating employment as well as in the development of the region.