Rajasthan, the number one solar power state

In India, Gujarat was the leader in solar power. However, it has been overtaken by its close rival Rajasthan.

According to information released by the Union ministry of recent and renewable energy on June 4, 2015, Rajasthan has stood in the number one position within the country as it attained the capability of 1,167 megawatt contrary to Gujarat’s 1,000MW.

An avid soul of solar power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was most likely one of the few leaders who as the chief minister of Gujarat foresaw the potential of alternative energy and therefore the state invariably remained at the highest as the largest generator of the green energy.

In contrast, Rajasthan had all the natural blessings for solar such as plentiful barren land and high radiation in the country, however it did not live up to its potential due to absence of investor-friendly policy and hostile promotion of the sector by the government.

Earlier, Gujarat was one of the few states that noticed the chance in the sector and consequently, it brought out a solar policy in 2009. As a result, several power developers have partnered with the state and created significant investments.

But, due to the dramatic changes in dynamics later, the price of solar power generations was crashed to Rs.6 per unit.

At present, tough competition exist among the states to draw the attention of investors. And Rajasthan is utilizing its natural benefits with a proactive policy to meet the competition.

In the past one year, the government of Rajasthan has made several agreements for the development of solar parks throughout the state. It has also signed various MoUs to generate solar power.

Image Credit: Bkwcreator / CC BY-SA 3.0

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:India_One_Solar_Thermal_Power_Plant_-_India_-_Brahma_Kumaris_05.jpg