Mizoram’s First Solar Power Plant
In News:
- Mizoram Power Minister R. Lalzirliana inaugurated the State's first solar power plant, built at the cost of Rs 14 crore, at Tlungvel in Aizawl district.
- Mizoram has earned a place on India's solar power map with the commissioning of a two MW capacity solar power plant.
- The plant is expected to generate 3 million units annually.
- Another 20 MW and 5 MW solar power plant is currently under construction at Vankal in Khawzawl district in southern Mizoram and near
- Saitual town respectively.
Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources, which are naturally replenished on a human timescale, including carbon neutral sources like sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat. The term often also encompasses biomass as well, whose carbon neutral status is under debate.
Promotion of Renewable Energy in North-East
Like the rest of the country, the north eastern region is dominated by fossil fuels when it comes to electricity generation. Even with an installed capacity of 3.5 giga-watts, the fact is that there is still a shortage of 5.1 per cent of electricity for the people in this region.
Currently, renewable energies like solar and wind have very little penetration in India’s north-eastern states — even though there is a huge potential to meet a majority of the region’s energy demand from solar, wind and small hydropower.
Manipur is, in fact, the only state in the region that has a solar policy.
Agartala, capital of Tripura, is all geared up to be Northeast’s first solar city. In 2012, 700 hamlets and 50 villages in remote areas were provided solar energy, benefiting more than 35,000 families, mostly tribals.
Of India’s 60 proposed solar cities, eight cities have been identified in the northeastern region by the ministry of on non-renewable energy (MNRE). They are Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh, Agartala in Tripura, Guwahati and Jorhat in Assam, Aizawl in Mizoram, Imphal in Manipur and Kohima and Dimapur in Nagaland.
State-wide analysis by Swaniti Initiative recently revealed that renewable energy accounts for a much higher percentage of overall state installed capacity in India’s Northeastern states with Nagaland (65%), Sikkim (64%) and Arunachal Pradesh (62%) leading the pack.
Arunachal Pradesh government, for instance, instigated the Small Hydropower Policy, which promotes private participation through attractive incentives. Similarly, the government of Sikkim has adopted polices to attract public and private investment in renewable power.
As India dreams of becoming a ‘renewable superpower’ it will need to look to the northeastern states as models for innovation, implementation and commitment to achieving a greener grid.
After all, renewable energy is a remedy to multiple problems – it can augment existing power capacity, encourage local manufacturing, control emission levels, as well as support waste management. The Indian government’s Swachh Bharat (Clean India) campaign may also encourage renewable energy instead of thermal power.
