PANAJI: As against the national deadline of 2030, the Goa government has unveiled its plan to achieve 500GW of renewable energy by 2029.
State Minister for New and Renewable Energy Ramkrishna Dhavalikar today expressed confidence that Goa will be able to achieve the national target of 500 GW of renewable power by 2029, a year ahead of its target of 2030.
“Looking at the pace of activities undertaken by the government of Goa, and with the support of the Central government projects, we expect to reach our target of making the State self-sufficient in solar energy and reducing the dependency on fossil fuel, early,” said the minister.
He said that the goal is to reduce dependency on coal-based energy.
He was speaking during a programme on the promotion of clean cooking organised by the Electricity Department (Goa) in association with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency at Porvorim, wherein induction cook tops were distributed to anganwadis in Goa.
The National Electricity Plan seeks to support India’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2070, with a focus on research, skill development, and modern transmission technologies, aiming to position India as a leader in clean energy by 2047.
Dhavalikar said that with the support of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), the nodal agency of the Government of India and the State Power Department, we have been running the Energy Efficiency programmes in the State for the past six years.
A total of 650 anganwadi workers will be provided with induction cook tops under the initiative.
“Without electricity, nothing works; hence, we have to increase our efficiency. The government of Goa has created this platform for the distribution of solar energy equipment to schools and colleges. We have replaced the fans in 50 % of the schools in Goa, including the aided and non-aided ones," he said.
