Clean energy might be the buzzword globally, with governments around the world making it a priority to allocate more to sectors like wind and solar power, but for India, renewable energy woes continue to haunt. According to a recent data, the country’s concentrated solar power deployment under the aegis of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Commission (JNNSM) is slated to fall well short of its target in its first phase itself, forcing the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to extend the commissioning deadline to 9 May.
The first phase was commissioned in 2010 and was slated to generate about 470 megawatt of solar power. Some of the projects under the scheme included those promoted by names like Lanco Infratech, Hira Group Aurum Renewable Energy and Reliance Power among others.
None of the projects barring one (that by Hira Group) is expected to meet the deadline set two years back. Besides other things, most companies have blamed their missing deadlines on factors such as delays in the supply of equipment. This is attributable, they say, largely to the fact that there is a shortage in the supply of local components.
Besides this, project developing companies complain that they are also grappling with funding issues citing a lack of confidence in lenders and an absence of marquee projects which could be shown off to interested parties to build faith in the technology.
Other issues that have plagued these projects are of local significance. An example is Reliance’s 100 MW project which has stumbled upon the roadblock of a delay in the construction of a water pipeline by the Rajasthan government. The only plant to be on-stream as per schedule is the Godavari plant, which, reports suggest has been able to meet deadlines because it imported foreign equipment given the paucity of local parts.
