In Short : India’s Power Minister has advocated for the installation of solar panels on fallow agricultural fields. This innovative approach aims to harness unused land for renewable energy generation, promoting solar farming and boosting the country’s clean energy capacity. By utilizing fallow fields, India can significantly expand its solar infrastructure, tapping into vast agricultural spaces and advancing the nation’s commitment to renewable energy adoption. This initiative aligns with the government’s focus on sustainable energy solutions and could pave the way for increased solar power generation across the country.
In Detail : Unveiling the government’s plan to generated around 150 mega watt of power through renewable energy sources in the next three years, Power Minister Ramkrishna Sudin Dhavalikar on Sunday made a fervent plea to the farmers and tenants to avail the government scheme to set up solar power panels in the fallow fields.
Speaking at the launching of power infrastructure works amounting to Rs 17 crore at the MCC ground, Margao on Sunday, the Power Minister said Goa would witness a revolution in the power sector in the next five years with the government going about the ongoing job of revamping the infrastructure across the State at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore.
Saying that Goa does not generate power on its own and the current generation of power may be pegged around 40 mega watts, Dhavalikar said the fallow agricultural fields may help to generate solar power if the fields are not put to agricultural use. “We have come across hectares and hectares of square metres around the State, including Salcete. These barren fields can be put to effective use to generate solar power. Today, the New and Renewable Energy Department has issued an advertisement unveiling the scheme for farmers to generate solar power. If the scheme turns successfully, Goa will be able to generate around 150 mega watt of solar power in the next three years,” he said.
The Power Minister said the government headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has set in motion the process to usher in a revolution in the power sector in the next five years. “The Chief Minister has arranged funds to revamp the power infrastructure across the State. A host of power projects are on the anvil across the State which will revolutionise the power sector in the next five years,” he said.
Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, Navelim MLA Ulhas Tuenkar and others spoke.
Earlier on Sunday, the Power Minister launched power works in Velim constituency to revamp the power sector in the presence of Velim MLA Cruz Silva and others.
