Encouraged by the success of its four solar plants, Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. (KPCL) is planning to enter the solar power sector in a big way with a proposal to set up grid-connected plants with a total capacity of 50 MW.
“We are planning to set up plants with a capacity of 50 MW in the next two years under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. We are waiting for the fresh guidelines under the mission to make a formal proposal,” KPCL Managing Director M. Maheshwar Rao told The Hindu .
“To begin with, we want to set up a 15 MW plant this year,” he said. The KPCL wants to locate the proposed mega plant in north Karnataka as the region has high potential for tapping solar energy. Also, the KPCL has huge extent of lands in the region. The 15 MW plant will need about 75 acres of land What has prompted the KPCL to think big about tapping solar energy is its successful experiment with implementing solar plants in the last five years and also the global trend of switching to green energy. This apart is the fear of depleting fossil fuels. The KPCL has already set up three grid-connected solar power plants with a capacity of 3 MW each and another with a capacity of 5 MW.
