PANAJI
Goa is steadfastly marching towards achieving a monumental target of 150 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy by 2030. After an initial slow growth, the State’s green energy capacity has increased almost 14 times since 2019, following the launch of its solar mission. The State, which imports around 80 per cent of power to meet its requirement, is exploring various options to harness green energy.
A senior official said that the government had decided to set up Renewable Energy Parks that will house a solar park, wind park, and hybrid park, apart from storage projects.
The official said that after solar energy, the State government has focused on tapping wind energy, for which the coastal State is exploring vertical-axis wind turbines. As a first step, the government has already floated a tender for 100 MW of wind power generation. Also, the State is considering setting up Battery Energy Storage Systems and Thermal Storage Systems to meet its peak power requirement.
“To set up the Renewable Energy Park, the government is still looking for land. The Revenue Department is entrusted with the task of identifying the land, which can be either private land or government wasteland,” the official said.
Storage systems for peak demand
The official explained that to meet the peak hour power requirement, the State has decided to set up a Battery Energy Storage System with 4–5 hours of backup and a carbon dioxide-based thermal storage system for long-duration storage with 10–12 hours of backup.
From generating just 4.09 MW of power in 2019 to achieving 58.43 MW of power by the end of March 2025, the State has made rapid progress. In the last financial year, the State generated a total of 13 MW of renewable energy.
Solar power is a major contributor to green energy, with a total capacity of 56.44 MW of power generation, which includes 53 MW from solar rooftops alone. The biogas power is reported at 1.94 MW, while the hydro generation is just 0.05 MW. Wind energy is yet to kick off in the State.
Floating solar projects face hurdles
Meanwhile, there is a roadblock on the way. An official said that the State’s plan to generate around 197 MW of renewable energy through a solar project on a dam has been held back, as the Water Resources Department refused to grant permission. The total cost of the project is around Rs 1,300 crore.
The Central government-owned SJVN Green Energy Ltd (SGEL) has proposed to invest over Rs 1,300 crore to generate solar power by setting up four floating solar projects across dams – Selaulim, Amthanem, Anjunem, and Chapoli. The WRD is of the view that the project is not feasible for the State, citing concerns regarding dam water contamination.
“We have sought the Chief Minister’s intervention in the matter,” the official said. As per the proposal, the total solar power capacity at Selaulim dam is 134.80 MW, 27.60 MW each at Anjunem and Chapoli dams, and 7.23 MW at Amthanem dam.
Vision 2050: 100% renewable energy
As per data, the State generated 4.09 MW of solar power in 2018–19, which went up to 5.29 MW in 2019–20 and further jumped to 7.95 MW in 2020–21.
In 2021–22, green energy generation picked up and touched 20.34 MW, and further reached 26.88 MW in 2022–23. Renewable energy witnessed a massive jump in 2023–24, when it reached 45.47 MW. The State’s power demand at present is 540 megawatts per day, and it touches 750 megawatts per day during the peak hour.
According to the Goa State Energy Vision 2050, the State aims to generate 150 megawatts of renewable power by 2030. The State intends to become the first in the country to run on 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050. It has also set a target of achieving 500 gigawatts of power by 2029, as against the national deadline of 2030.
