India's Solar Mission prepares for liftoff

The Indian government has this week confirmed that it will kick off its high-profile Solar Mission project next month, inviting bids for solar photovoltaic (PV) projects totalling 500MW of capacity.

New and renewable energy minister Farooq Abdullah said the initial phase of the programme will see the government deliver 500MW of solar PV and 500MW of solar thermal power by 2013.

It is hoped that the initial wave of projects will prove the viability of the technology and allow the country to attract overseas financing for its Solar Mission project, which is aiming to deliver up to 20GW of capacity by 2020.

Officials said that the initial wave of 100 projects, each expected to deliver about 5MW of capacity, had attracted interest from about 2,000 firms and as a result the ministry would launch a competitive bidding process later this month.

The government said that only one bid per company will be permitted, in a move designed to help build a diverse solar industry.

According to reports in a Hindu newspaper, Abdullah also announced that the government will give the go-ahead for a 100MW tidal power demonstration project off the coast of West Bengal and will authorise a project to power cooling systems for 100 telecom towers using solar panels.