Goaded by the power crisis in Karnataka, the State Government is now gearing up to tap solar power in a big way. A Solar Park with a potential to generate up to 500 MW of power will be developed near Mannur village in Bijapur district. Energy minister Shobha Karandlaje said that the Solar Park will come up in an area spread over 5,000 acres of land. Land acquisition process for the proposed Solar Park had been initiated and the 5,000 acres of land will be handed over to Karnataka Power Corporation, she said.
The Solar Park, planned on the lines of the one being developed in Gujarat, will have potential to generate about 500 MW of power with investments from the private sector. According to sources in the energy department, the location is ideal for the Solar Park as the area gets over 300 days of sunshine. The Solar Park will provide all infrastructure facilities for private investors interested to set up their solar power panels with facility for evacuating power into the grid. The project would be developed in phased manner. If all goes according to plan, work on the project is expected to start by the end of this year and completed in 18 months.
It is expected to start with capacity of about 100 MW and gradually increase the capacity. Karnataka, which has announced an exclusive Renewable Energy Policy 2009-14, has planned to add 4300 MW from renewable sources of energy in the next two years involving an investment of over Rs. 23,000 crore.
