Gujarat Solar Power Policy, 2015
Government of Gujarat announced new solar policy to increase the solar power production in the state. The Energy and Petrochemicals Department presented the ‘Gujarat Solar Power Policy-2015’, the second solar power policy by the Government, the first one was given in 2009. The first solar policy of Gujarat gave them a production of cumulative solar power generation capacity in excess of 1000 megawatts with investment of about Rs 9,000 crore. Now, the Government wants to scale up the production as Gujarat has potential to achieve more than 10,000 MW of solar generation capacity, according to new policy. This policy look after for the various methods of solar power generation including roof-top solar power for house or building owners, distribution of solar-powered pumps to the farmers and standalone photo-voltaic (PV) systems for domestic use. The state will make de-centralized and off-grid solar applications to fulfill various energy requirements of domestic purpose, according to an official release. For the population living in remote areas where regular grid connection is not economical, the Government will initiate schemes for basic home lighting using PV system.