Extremely delighted over the installation of eco-friendly solar project in the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today dedicated the World’s largest Single Rooftop Solar Power Plant with capacity of 11.5 MW to the nation here at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh.Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that Mr. Badal along with New & Renewable Energy Resources Minister Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia inaugurated Rs.139 crore prestigious project, which was also the country’s largest Solar Power Plant spread over 82 acres of rooftop in single campus on multiple roofs with installed capacity of 19.5 MW. The Chief Minister highly appreciated the rare feat of Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) to usher in a solar power revolution in the state. He said Punjab’s immense contribution to tap enormous power potential from various renewable energy resources was evident from the fact that the Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi awarded Punjab for being one of the best performing States for capacity addition of Solar Energy during Re-Invest-2015.
Lauding the pivotal role of PEDA in making our state self-sufficient in power generation through solar energy, Mr. Badal said that this state-of-the-art project installed by the Radha Soami Satsang Beas Educational and Environmental Society (RSSBEES) with technical collaboration of PEDA would go a long way to motivate the other states for replication of such projects to provide clean and green energy to the consumers. Mr. Badal reiterated his government’s commitment to emerge Punjab as a front runner state in the solar generation in the near future.Joining Punjabis in expressing his gratitude to the most revered Head, Radha Soami Satsang Beas Baba Gurinder Singh ji, who has given a new meaning to living in harmony with nature by establishing the World’s largest Single Rooftop Power Plant at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh, Mr. Majithia said he was confident that now when solar roof top technology has been successfully demonstrated many more such plants would come up in our Punjab.The Minister also thanked the Baba ji for taking personal initiative to bring Punjab on the World’s map of solar energy through this prestigious solar power plant. Mr. Majithia said that Punjab, which was acclaimed as a harbinger of green revolution in India, was now on the threshold of bringing ‘Solar Power Revolution’. He also thanked Baba ji for showing us the way to combat the menace of environmental pollution with setting up this eco-friendly solar plant at Dera Beas.
Highlighting the significance of this unique solar power project at Dera Beas, the New & Renewable Energy Resources Minister Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia said this project with enormous environmental friendly benefits would be instrumental in abatement of 4 lac tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in the next 25 years, which was equivalent to planting nearly 2 lac trees.
He said that this project would generate clean and green energy sufficient to power approximately 8000 homes. Besides, this project would also go a long way in creating awareness about the eco-friendly solar power amongst the general public as one crore devotees visits the Dera Baba Jaimal Singh annually. Mr. Majithia pointed out that GoI has set a target of power generation of 40,000 MW from different resources of renewable energy to be achieved by 2022 and this project would be a role model to encourage other states to replicate such large rooftops on the building/sheds. Mr. Majithia said that PEDA had been making all out efforts to bring solar power revolution in the state. Pertinently to mention here that Punjab, which just produced 9 MW in Feb 2012, was now generating 470 MW which was likely to touch 1080 MW by the end of this year, thereby registering an increase by over 115 times. Likewise, the investment in this sector has steeply gone up from Rs. 82 cr. in 2012 to nearly Rs. 10,000 cr. now with an employment potential of 12,500 persons. He said Punjab would achieve a target of 2552 MW of renewable energy generation by 2022.
Recognizing the Punjab’s immense contribution in power generation from new and renewable resources, the New & Renewable Energy Resources Minister said that the state also won another award instituted by the Ministry of Renewable Energy, GoI for outstanding performance during 2014-15 for achieving highest grid connected solar rooftop power capacity addition in the country, given by. The state was also bestowed with “SHRESHTHA RASHTRIYA SOURYA URJA RAJYA PURASKAAR” in 2015 by Renewable Energy Promotion Association of India.. Prominent amongst others who were present on the occasion included Chief parliamentary Secretary Mr. Manjit Singh Mianwind, MLA Mr. Baljit Singh Jalal Usma, Chairman GENCO Mr. Jagtar Singh Rajeana, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. S.K. Sandhu, Principal Secretary Renewable Energy Mr. Anirudh Tiwari, CEO PEDA Dr. Amarpal Singh, Director PEDA Mr. Balour Singh and Deputy Commissioner Amritsar Mr. Varun Roojam.