Over 1759.43 megawatts (MW) of grid connected solar energy projects have been commissioned in India as on 31 May 2013, under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM).
The JNNSM programme is the ministry of new and renewable energy's three-phase approach to encourage the adoption of solar power in India, and is being done in different batches under the three broad phases.
Eleven projects of 50.50 MW capacity under migration scheme, 26 projects of 130 MW capacity under Batch-I of the solar mission and 69 projects totalling 88.80 MW of small capacity power projects have been commissioned, according to a statement from the press information bureau (PIB).
A total capacity of 252.50 MW off-grid solar power projects has been sanctioned and 60 MW have been commissioned. About 70.01 lakh sq. meter of collector area of solar thermal systems have been installed against a target of 70 lakh sq. meter of collector area, the PIB statement said.
The JNNSM was launched on 11January 2010 with the target of deploying 20,000 MW of grid connected solar power by 2022. The first phase of this mission aims to commission 1000 MW of grid-connected solar power projects by 2013, having been launched last year. The second phase is to last until 2017 and the third will be on till 2022 with the aim of reaching 20 gigawatt (GW).
The Batch-I of the second phase, which includes off-grid projects, was expected to begin by April 1 2013, but has been delayed.