Solar street lights illuminating at Vagator beach in North Goa.
PANAJI
While elaborating on the solar scenario in Goa, one of the major players in the solar equipment sector, Dilip Nayak, CEO at Rainbow Solar Power Solutions and Automation claims, “Under the seven year’s plan, the target given to Goa by MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) was 150 MW, but during the seven years’ period from 2015 to 2022 hardly 20 KW solar power could be generated, which translates to less than 15% of the target,” points out Nayak.
What is the reluctance in public to go for solar power? “The climate condition and solar light irradiation is very good in Goa. We have 275 sunny days, but still, we are unable to exploit this because the government has failed to incentivise and promote the solar power mission,” laments Nayak who has done 100 plus installations across Goa during 2017“2022 in private as well as government sector which includes installing solar power plants, rooftop panels, solar street lights, solar water heaters, garden lights etc.
“The river fronts, beaches in North are illuminated with solar street lights by us, and we will be illuminating the South Goa beaches too,” he adds.
Another reason why the public is reluctant to go for solar is that the payback is more than five years. “To expedite the solar mission to take real pace, the TCP/PDAs/GPs/Municipal Councils should incorporate pre-requisites to go for solar power plant to cater at least 50% of the need on every dwelling/domestic as well as commercial. This will boost the solar mission to a great extent,” suggests Nayak.
Unfortunately, we could achieve only 15% of the solar target. Despite knowing the reasons, the government authorities should have taken initiative to motivate people to increase the solar MW. What is it that stops people from going solar especially when everything is conducive? “As the power tariff is consistently increasing for the last one year and is expected to increase further in the coming months, isn’t it imperative to go for solar?” asks Nayak.
GEDA consistently comes out with tenders for solar installations of government buildings in Goa “ health centres, hospitals, courts, prisons etc. Funds have come from the Central government to the State government for such installations. But much of the funds have remained unutilised. According to GEDA’s latest figures, till date 44 government buildings across Goa have been installed with rooftop solar panels and these produce 2315 KW (2.31 MW) of solar power.
“Goans should take maximum advantage of subsidy which gives you upfront deduction of part subsidy from the project cost and part subsidy is paid six months after injecting solar power into the grid. The existing subsidy facilities must be extended for the next two years and must not be withdrawn abruptly,” suggests Nayak.
Goa does not produce a single unit of electricity, only purchases from other States and provides to its own State population. And Goa is the cheapest in the country as far as power rates are concerned. In a State like Maharashtra which produces abundant power, the unit rates are more than double that of Goa which is a State that does not produce electricity, but only purchases and distributes to its consumers. “This is an irony,” feels Nayak.
The administration can take some steps to rectify the situation “ no occupancy certificate be given by the Municipality to any building unless a certain amount of electricity dependence should be on solar energy. Apart from the subsidy, the government of Goa must give additional benefits and incentives to solar prosumers (producer and consumer “ those who produce solar energy and consume it too), suggests Nayak.
WHERE 44 SOLAR POWER PLANTS ARE INSTALLED...
Raj Bhavan, Government College (Borda, Margao), High Court Judge residence (Altinho), Village Panchayat (Camortim, Salcete), National Centre for Polar Ocean and Research (Vasco), Electricity departments (at Amona, Aquem, Bambolim, Bethora, Cuncolim IDC, Dona Paula, Fatorda, Mapusa, Montehill, Nachinola, Nessai, Saligaon, Thivim, Xeldem and Xelpem 680), Fire Station (Pilern, Bardez), Postal Department (Patto, Panaji), Goa State Pollution Control Board (Saligao), Goa University (Bambolim), Government ITI (Cacora), Government Polytechnic (Panaji), GEDA Office (Panaji), Secretariate Building (Porvorim 1538), Primary Health Centre (Quepem), Goa College of Home Science (Campal), Government Colleges (at Sanquelim, Khandola, Marcel, Quepem and Pernem), Modern Central Jail (Colvale), Department of Planning Statistic and Evaluation (Porvorim), Municipal Office buildings (Sanguem, Bicholim, Quepem), Municipal Waste Treatment Plant, New Market and New Market Building (all at Bicholim), Municipal Community hall building and Municipal Fish Market building (Cuncolim)
What is the reluctance in public to go for solar power? “The climate condition and solar light irradiation is very good in Goa. We have 275 sunny days, but still, we are unable to exploit this because the government has failed to incentivise and promote the solar power mission,” laments Nayak who has done 100 plus installations across Goa during 2017“2022 in private as well as government sector which includes installing solar power plants, rooftop panels, solar street lights, solar water heaters, garden lights etc.
“The river fronts, beaches in North are illuminated with solar street lights by us, and we will be illuminating the South Goa beaches too,” he adds.
Another reason why the public is reluctant to go for solar is that the payback is more than five years. “To expedite the solar mission to take real pace, the TCP/PDAs/GPs/Municipal Councils should incorporate pre-requisites to go for solar power plant to cater at least 50% of the need on every dwelling/domestic as well as commercial. This will boost the solar mission to a great extent,” suggests Nayak.
Unfortunately, we could achieve only 15% of the solar target. Despite knowing the reasons, the government authorities should have taken initiative to motivate people to increase the solar MW. What is it that stops people from going solar especially when everything is conducive? “As the power tariff is consistently increasing for the last one year and is expected to increase further in the coming months, isn’t it imperative to go for solar?” asks Nayak.
GEDA consistently comes out with tenders for solar installations of government buildings in Goa “ health centres, hospitals, courts, prisons etc. Funds have come from the Central government to the State government for such installations. But much of the funds have remained unutilised. According to GEDA’s latest figures, till date 44 government buildings across Goa have been installed with rooftop solar panels and these produce 2315 KW (2.31 MW) of solar power.
“Goans should take maximum advantage of subsidy which gives you upfront deduction of part subsidy from the project cost and part subsidy is paid six months after injecting solar power into the grid. The existing subsidy facilities must be extended for the next two years and must not be withdrawn abruptly,” suggests Nayak.
Goa does not produce a single unit of electricity, only purchases from other States and provides to its own State population. And Goa is the cheapest in the country as far as power rates are concerned. In a State like Maharashtra which produces abundant power, the unit rates are more than double that of Goa which is a State that does not produce electricity, but only purchases and distributes to its consumers. “This is an irony,” feels Nayak.
The administration can take some steps to rectify the situation “ no occupancy certificate be given by the Municipality to any building unless a certain amount of electricity dependence should be on solar energy. Apart from the subsidy, the government of Goa must give additional benefits and incentives to solar prosumers (producer and consumer “ those who produce solar energy and consume it too), suggests Nayak.
WHERE 44 SOLAR POWER PLANTS ARE INSTALLED...
Raj Bhavan, Government College (Borda, Margao), High Court Judge residence (Altinho), Village Panchayat (Camortim, Salcete), National Centre for Polar Ocean and Research (Vasco), Electricity departments (at Amona, Aquem, Bambolim, Bethora, Cuncolim IDC, Dona Paula, Fatorda, Mapusa, Montehill, Nachinola, Nessai, Saligaon, Thivim, Xeldem and Xelpem 680), Fire Station (Pilern, Bardez), Postal Department (Patto, Panaji), Goa State Pollution Control Board (Saligao), Goa University (Bambolim), Government ITI (Cacora), Government Polytechnic (Panaji), GEDA Office (Panaji), Secretariate Building (Porvorim 1538), Primary Health Centre (Quepem), Goa College of Home Science (Campal), Government Colleges (at Sanquelim, Khandola, Marcel, Quepem and Pernem), Modern Central Jail (Colvale), Department of Planning Statistic and Evaluation (Porvorim), Municipal Office buildings (Sanguem, Bicholim, Quepem), Municipal Waste Treatment Plant, New Market and New Market Building (all at Bicholim), Municipal Community hall building and Municipal Fish Market building (Cuncolim)
