Agartala:India will achieve energy indepen-dence by 2050 if most households go for rooftop solar power generation under a new official policy, a leading expert has said.
According to solar scientist Shantipada Gon Chaudhuri, the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) is in the process of framing an ambitious policy to generate adequate electricity from non-conventional energy sources. “The proposed policy would promote generation of solar power using the rooftops and backyards of every house,” Gon Chaudhuri told IANS.
“After consuming the required power, the family will be able to sell the rest to utility services and authorities at stipulated rates,” he added.
Gon Chaudhuri is invol-ved in drafting the rooftop solar power generation policy, which he said would be ready within a year.
Saying work was already on in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, Karnataka and Delhi, he observed that the proposed policy would help India to achieve the goal of energy independence.
“Without India’s energy freedom and security, the country’s growth cannot be achieved,” Gon Chaudhuri said. “Generation of more and more energy from the non-conventional sources will help to curb carbon emission and restrict rising pollution.”
The MNRE has revised its target of renewable energy capacity to 175,000 MW by 2022, comprising 100,000 MW solar, 60,000 MW wind, 10,000 MW biomass and 5,000 MW small hydro. Finance Minis-ter Arun Jaitley referred to this in his budget speech in parliament on February 28.
“Germany, Japan, UK and Spain already have rooftop solar power policy. These countries are generating huge power from solar and non-conventional sources,” said Gon Chau-dhuri, who got the prest-igious ‘Green Oscar’ award in 2004. He said that with a plan to produce 175,000 MW electricity by 2022 from non-conventional sources and a few lakh MW from usual sources, India could achieve energy indepen-dence by 2050.
Not only households but various government, non-government and private institutions would be given room to generate solar power using their rooftops, water bodies and unoc-cupied lands.(IANS)
