For ages, the vast swathes of sand dunes that stretch right up to the westernmost point of India, have remained areas where the arid landscape and extremely hot climate haven’t allowed much productivity when it comes to agriculture.
But in the last five years, this very desert region encompassing the Jodhpur, Barmer, and Jaisalmer districts in Rajasthan has turned into an oasis when it comes to an endless supply of solar energy.
In 2022, Rajasthan became the number one state in India in terms of installed capacity for generating solar energy, as it crossed the 10,000-megawatt mark. This meant that the solar energy produced in Rajasthan now accounts for more than 20 percent of the total solar power generated in India.
How did the barren desert landscape chalk up India’s solar energy success story?
The answer can be found in timely policy interventions, government support, and public-private partnerships, which not only made Rajasthan a lucrative destination for renewable energy companies but also utilised the abundant sunlight that the desert state receives every year.
The chain of events leading to this boom in renewable energy started with the formulation of the Rajasthan Solar Energy Policy four years ago.
The Rajasthan Solar Energy Policy 2019
The policy aimed to create solar projects up to 30,000 MW by 2024–25, and for this purpose, a number of incentives were announced for organizations that were willing to invest in this sector. Bureaucratic hurdles were also done away with with steps such as making the Bureau of Investment Promotion (BoIP) the single-window agency for dealing with potential investors, thereby promoting ease of doing business.
With the objective of streamlining all solar projects under one umbrella, the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Limited (RREC) was made the nodal agency for all such projects, and it is presently involved in a large array of activities, including registration and approval of projects, development of solar parks, facilitating the allotment of government land, and coordinating with central government agencies.
A major decision taken as part of the policy was to facilitate the installation of rooftop PC solar systems in the state and to develop 33 district headquarters as Green Energy Cities.
It was decided that the state government will ensure that solar parks are created through joint ventures (JVs), with private companies that will have 50 percent equity in such JVs by investing up to 50 percent of their equity.
Bhadla Solar Park
One of the biggest achievements of Rajasthan when it comes to chalking a renewable energy success story is the Bhadla Solar Park, situated in the middle of the Thar Desert in Jodhpur district’s Phalodi.
Spread over an area of more than 5,700 hectares, the Bhadla Solar Park is among the world’s largest such facilities and has a total capacity of 2,245 MWs. The location of the Bhadla Solar Park is at a region which often registers the hottest temperatures in the country.
Back in the summer of 2016, Phalodi had registered 51 degrees Celsius, which was the highest in the country. The supply of abundant sunlight and arid climate gives the Bhadla Solar Park a significant edge over other such facilities in the world.
The view of the Bhadla Solar Park from elevation is astounding, as all one can see are huge rows of mutinously laid down solar panels which makes the area look like a sea of blue from the top. These solar panels are instrumental in generating solar energy, creating a daily average of more than 2,200 MW of solar power. The project developers entered into agreements with the Indira Gandhi Nahar Project (INGP) to ensure uninterrupted supply of water for cleaning of the solar panels. This step ensured that the water used for the solar projects doesn’t exploit water resources for the local population, creating water scarcity in desert areas.
According to state government officials, the Bhadla Solar Park earns more than 5 million tonnes of carbon credits annually.
Till the late 2000s, Bhadla was a remote village in Phalodi where sandstorms were frequent and even the basic amenities were difficult to access for its residents. But ever since the park became operational in 2018-19, this less-known hamlet has become famous globally for its incredible capacity of produce solar power.
With over a million solar panels installed in Bhadla, the facility is now an integral cog in India’s solar energy mission.
Budgetary Relaxations
With an aim to encourage more investors to invest in the solar sector, the latest budget announcement by the Rajasthan government provides several incentives and relaxations for those who are hoping to be a part of the state’s success story.
The budget for the year 2023 provides 100 per cent exemption in land tax for a period of seven years when it comes to solar projects in the state. It also proposes reducing the electricity duty on solar projects, giving relief to investors. Other announcements included removing the cap on the capacity of captive solar power banks and also waiving off wheeling and transmission charges along with banking charges.
The state government hopes to inject fresh investments in the state’s renewable energy sector through these initiatives.
The Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme, which is being overseen by the Bureau of Investment Promotion (BoIP), routinely holds road shows and events in other states to convince organisations for investing in the solar sector in Rajasthan and set up their projects in the Thar Desert, which is one of the best places in the country when it comes to having the potential of developing solar energy for mass scale consumption.
The Road Ahead
The Thar desert shows a promising future for India’s performance in the world solar energy race because of more such projects which are in the process of being set up to tap Rajasthan’s immense capacity of generating solar power.
Apart from the Bhadla Solar Park, the Rajasthan government is at present developing two other solar parks in Jaisalmer and Bikaner districts with a collective target capacity of generating 1,800 MW solar power.
In recent times, the Rajasthan government has signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs), with multiple organisations to develop solar parks in the state, a move which will further increase the state’s prospects in producing the solar energy and will help it to remain on top.
Once again, the Thar desert is the area on focus as most of these new, upcoming solar parks are set to be located at the heart of the Thar desert.
In coming years, the Thar Desert is expected to continue playing a crucial role in driving the India’s solar energy success story.
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