Bhubaneswar: The state government’s plan to generate around 2.2 gigawatt (GW) renewable energy by the end of 2022 could get an impetus as several farmers from the state have come forward to extend their support to the
mission.
The Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA) under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) has brought more than 100 farmers onboard for the solar power mission in state. These farmers would provide their waste and barren lands for installation of solar panels, sources said.
“Around 100 farmers have confirmed their participation in the solar power mission. The total availability of land for this mission has now reached around 1,100 acres. As this is an ongoing project, we are expecting more land from the farmers in future,” OREDA Joint Director (Technical) Ashok Choudhury told Orissa POST.
As per the plan, the farmers and other rural players would provide their barren lands to the solar power developers who would use the same to install panels and small grids for generating solar power commercially.
OREDA sources said the farmers would get royalty for providing their barren lands to the solar power developers. Solar power is the prime source of clean energy in Odisha while wind energy is a non-starter due to lack of favourable climate.
According to OREDA officials, the collaboration among the agency, solar power developers and farmers could help the state in raising its clean energy generation.
According to available data, around 66 per cent of the energy in Odisha is generated from thermal plants which use coal as primary input.
The state government had earlier tried to install several small standalone solar grids in remote areas of Odisha as part of its rural electrification process. It also promoted rooftop projects in several government and public buildings.
Notably, the Indian government has made a global commitment to ensure the generation of 175GW of renewable energy by the end of 2022.
Manish Kumar, OP