Par panel pulls up MNRE on slow progress over solar energy

A Parliamentary panel has expressed concerns over slow progress over solar power capacity addition and asked the Renewable Energy Ministry to make sustained efforts and work in mission mode.
"The ministry is far short of their target of 17,000 MW cumulative solar capacity by March 2017, as on December 31, 2016, the cumulative solar power capacity in the country is only 9,012.46 MW i.E. 47 per cent short of the stipulated target," Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy said in its report tabled in Parliament today.
Earlier in the day, Power, Coal, Mines, New & Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted, "Bright Future: India has crossed 10,000 MW of solar power capacity today. More than 3 times increase in less than 3 years."

India solar power generation capacity was 2,650 MW on May 26, 2014, when the new government took charge.
The panel said that the ministry should make sustained efforts to find solutions for the constraints being faced in the commissioning of solar projects in consultation with other agencies/ministries concerned in a time bound manner.
It suggested that the ministry should also make efforts to publicise the fiscal and financial incentives available for the promotion of this sector and work in mission mode.
India has set an ambitious target of having 100 GW of solar power generation capacity by 2022 under its renewable energy programme.

The panel said that the ministry has managed to achieve only 2094 MW against the target of 4000 MW wind power capacity addition during the current fiscal with full utilisation of budgetary allocation of Rs 365 crore.