Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, along with New and Renewable Energy Resources Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, inaugurated the “world’s largest single rooftop solar power plant” — spread over 40 acres with a power generation capacity of 11.5 MW — at Radha Soami Satsang Beas here today.
Speaking on the occasion, Badal said Punjab, which had spearheaded the Green Revolution, was now on the threshold of ushering in the ‘Green Power Revolution’.
The Rs 139-crore project is also India’s largest solar power plant, spread over Rs 82 acres on eight rooftops with a total generation capacity of 19.5 MW. It has been set up by the Radha Soami Satsang Beas Educational and Environmental Society in collaboration with the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA).
Badal said the project would go a long way in motivating other states to provide clean and green energy. He reiterated the government’s commitment to making Punjab a front-runner in solar generation.
Punjab, which produced only 9 MW in February 2012, is now generating 470 MW. The figure is likely to touch 1,080 MW by the year-end. The CM said Punjab would achieve a target of 2,552 MW of renewable energy generation by 2022.
Meanwhile, Majithia thanked Radha Soami Satsang head Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon for putting Punjab on the world solar energy map. He said the project would be instrumental in the abatement of 4 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide in the next 25 years, which was equivalent to planting about 2 lakh trees. He added that this project would generate clean and green energy sufficient to power around 8,000 households.