India will achieve the target of adding 10,500 MW of solar power generation capacity in 2016-17, Minister for State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy, Piyush Goyal, said on Friday.
“The way things are progressing in the solar energy sector. We will definitely achieve our target. Solar energy is economically viable,” Goyal said at the Concentrated Solar and Solar Cooker Excellence Awards.
“A target of adding 10,500 MW of solar power has been set for this fiscal year. It is four to five times more than last year. For achieving this target we have already floated tenders for 21,000 MW of solar power projects during the last fiscal year. With 21,000 MW of new solar projects out in the market, India has signalled to the world that we’re ready to lead to the world,” the Minister added.
The Minister also said that India has exceeded the solar power capacity addition targets by 116 per cent this year in comparison to last year and had already awarded projects of 11,000 MW.