Gujarat ranks 2nd in Renewable Energy generation, 1st in Wind Power generation: Minister

December 16, 2023
Ahmedabad Gujarat

Ahmedabad: As part of the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024, a two-day National Conclave on Rooftop Solar has commenced in the city.

Addressing the conclave, the Energy and Petrochemical Minister of Gujarat, Kanubhai Desai said, “With 22.5 gigawatts, Gujarat ranks at number 2 in the whole country in the generation of renewable energy. In wind power, we rank first in the country with over 10 gigawatts of power generation.”

“Unit-wise per capita consumption in the country is 1295, while in Gujarat, it is 2285 units, a difference of around 1000 units. This means that ample electricity is being made available for industry, agriculture, and residential purposes in Gujarat,” he added.

The minister further said, “With this, in line with the Prime Minister’s call to achieve ‘zero carbon’ by 2070 and India’s target of generating 500 GW by 2030, Gujarat will contribute 100 GW energy by 2030. Our 30,000 MW wind-solar hybrid park in Khavda will be ready on a timely basis when the country is planning to become ‘zero carbon’ by 2070, and Gujarat is planning to become zero carbon by 2047.”

Power minister Kanubhai Desai said – Gujarat was the first state in the country to announce a solar policy in 2010. In the last 20 years, the renewable capacity of Gujarat has increased by 22.5 GW. Currently, Gujarat contributes about 15% to India’s renewable energy basket. The state intends to meet its Sustainable Development Goals by promoting the development of renewable energy that will position it as a mainstream source of energy and contribute significantly to the national renewable energy target of 500 GW by 2030 as part of India’s global commitment.

With an installed capacity of 1957 MW of solar rooftop systems for residential schemes in line with the Prime Minister’s call to achieve the target of 500 GW by 2030 and the strong will of the Gujarat government, Gujarat is number one in the country with 82% of the country’s capacity. He further added that the Solar Rooftop Portal has been created to simplify the process from registration of Solar Rooftop application to grant of subsidy in Gujarat.

Talking about Residential Solar Rooftops in Gujarat, the Minister said that about 5 lakh electricity consumers of Gujarat have generated 4900 Million Units (MUs) through Residential Solar Rooftops from 2019 to November-2023 and self-consumption electricity bills of Rs. 2000 Crores of electricity has been saved. By giving the excess power generation to the power company, consumers have earned Rs. 300 crores.

He further added that the state has ambitious plans to have more than 100 giga watts of capacity by 2030. Recently the state has formulated an integrated renewable energy policy. In this policy we have allowed export of electricity outside Gujarat without any charge. Along with this, we have progressed a lot in the planning of “zero carbon” by 2070 and Gujarat is planned to become zero carbon by 2047.

After Covid-19, the maximum power demand of the state has increased by more than 30 percent from 18400 MW (2019) to 24500 MW (2023). Due to the cooperation of the Union Minister of Home, Power, Coal and Railways, Gujarat has successfully met the increased power demand and ensured uninterrupted power supply. The energy storage requirement for the state is estimated at around 8,000 MW/40,000 million units by 2030. Considering that we are also planning for pumped storage hydro project, he said

Talking about Khawda plant in Kutch, Mr. Kanubhai Desai said that a 30 GW wind-solar hybrid park is going to be built at Khawda in Kutch district. Along with this, Gujarat is planning to get 2 GW of offshore power by 2030. He further added that Gujarat is the first state to make Modhera town, a Solar City, a “self-sufficient” and “smart village” that gets pollution-free and clean energy.

It may be mentioned here that a survey was conducted by MS University Vadodara for the Socio Economic Impact (Social and Economic Impact) of “Surya Gujarat” scheme for Residential Solar Rooftop in Gujarat, the survey report was also released in today’s conclave.

The conclusion of this report shows that electricity consumers in Gujarat who have installed solar rooftops are very happy and appreciate the developed “Surya-Gujarat Portal” for installing solar rooftops with 90 percent giving 4 out of 5 stars.

At the event Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy stated “Gujarat has been at the forefront of progress in rooftop solar. In the residential rooftop sector, 80% of the total rooftop solar installations in homes around the country are in Gujarat.”

The event is organized by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, and the State Department of Energy and Petrochemicals, under the chairmanship of Finance, Energy, and Petrochemicals Minister Shri Kanubhai Desai. DeshGujarat

#Kanubhai Desai #Renewable Energy

Recent Stories