Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the state government was working on plans to tap renewable energy sources to the fullest and expressed resolve to make the state a global hub for renewable energy.
“Gujarat has great potential in solar energy. Even if only 0.01% of the state’s total area is set aside, there is a potential to generate 10,000 MW of solar energy,” Modi said at a seminar on renewable energy in Gandhinagar.
The CM, reading from a prepared statement in English, said that Gujarat had taken the lead in the field of solar power by setting up the country’s first 500 MW solar power park. He said that solar power was also being generated on rooftops and in fields. “We now plan to install solar panels on the Narmada canal to generate solar energy. We plan to start by covering 25 km stretch of the canal, which will have the potential to generate 25 MW of power,” he said.
Modi said that power thus generated would be supplied to villages alongside the canal, which would help in reducing transmission losses. He pointed out that this would not only resolve land related issues, but also prevent evaporation of huge quantities of water
“The state government is also exploring the possibility of placing turbines below the covers, which could be used to generate power using the flowing canal waters,” he said.
Modi also said that the government was keen to tap the huge potential of wind power along the state’s 1,600-km coastline.
The chief minister said that there was a need to find new solutions to tackle climate change.
Earlier, Freddy Svane, ambassador of Denmark, one of the most successful countries in tapping wind energy, praised the efforts of the state government in renewable energy. “Gujarat has the potential to be a model for energy efficient technology,” he said. Taking a dig at the slow pace of things in the country, Svane said that the Planning Commission of India already existed, but an Implementation Commission was also needed.
“We find Gujarat as a place where planning is taking place, but so is implementation,” he said.
