The government will soon make harnessing solar energy mandatory for all households in the State.
In reply to a question in the Assembly on Tuesday, Minister for Power Aryadan Muhammed said the government would soon issue orders to this effect. Already, harnessing solar energy had been made mandatory at all government offices. The Central Electricity Authority had projected that the State needed 4607 MW when the 12th Plan period ended in 2017 and 6100 MW in 2020. Of this, 500 MW was to be generated from solar and wind energy.
Solar park
The proposed 200 MW solar park at Kasaragod would be completed during the tenure of this government. The State would have to provide 1000 acres for the plant being set up by the Solar Energy Corporation of India, he added.
The Minister said the KSEB had given a report to the Ministry of Environment and Forests to generate power at the Athirapally hydroelectric project maintaining the ecological flow. The KSEB had been given a directive to implement the 163 MW project. The Minister, in reply to another question, said Rs.362.88 crore was due to the Kerala Sate Electricity Board from LT, HT, and EHT consumers in 2014-15.
