New Delhi, March 15: The union cabinet Tuesday expressed satisfaction over the progress of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), India’s ambitious mission to ramp up its solar power hundredfold by 2022 and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
The progress of the mission’s implementation is as per schedule in the last one year, said a statement issued after the cabinet meeting.
The ministry of new and renewable energy has successfully sanctioned 802 MW capacity of grid-connected solar projects and 36 MW of off-grid solar projects.
Six major research projects, including setting up of National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education at IIT-Bombay, have been approved.
The cabinet had approved in November 2009 a target to set up 1,100 MW grid-connected solar plants, including 100 MW capacity plants as rooftop and other small solar power plants for the first phase of the mission till March 2013.
“Successful completion of these projects would accelerate the process of achieving grid tariff parity for solar power and also help reduce consumption of kerosene and diesel, which is presently in use to meet the unmet demand,” the statement said.
The solar mission was launched as part of the national action plan on climate change. The aim is to develop an enabling policy framework for the deployment of 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022.
—-IANS