Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, also known as National Solar Mission, is one of the eight key National Mission’s which comprise India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). NAPCC was launched on 30th June 2008 which identified development of solar energy technologies in the country as a National Mission. The mission was approved on January 11, 2010 by the government.

The Mission has set the ambitious target of deploying 20,000 MW of grid connected solar power by 2022, which was revised to 1,00,000 MW by 2022 during June 2015.

Objective and targets

The objective of the National Solar Mission is to establish India as a global leader in solar energy, by creating the policy conditions for its diffusion across the country as quickly as possible.

The Mission will adopt a 3 - phase approach, Phase 1 (up to 2012 - 13), Phase  2 (2013 - 17) and Phase 3 (2017 - 22).  The immediate aim of the Mission is to focus on setting up an enabling environment for solar technology penetration in the country both at a centralized and decentralized level.

To achieve this, the Mission targets are

• To create an enabling policy framework for the deployment of 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022. The cumulative target has been revised to 1,00,000 MW by 2022. The target will principally comprise of 40 GW Rooftop and 60 GW through Large and Medium Scale Grid Connected Solar Power Projects.
• To ramp up capacity of grid connected solar power generation to 1000 MW within three years by 2013; an additional 3000 MW by 2017 through the mandatory use of the renewable purchase obligation by utilities backed with a preferential tariff. This capacity can be more than doubled reaching 10,000MW installed power by 2017 or more, based on the enhanced and enabled international finance and technology transfer. The ambitious target for 2022 of 20,000 MW or more, will be dependent on the learning of the first two phases, which if successful, could lead to conditions of grid-competitive solar power. The transition could be appropriately up scaled, based on availability of international finance and technology.
• To create favourable conditions for solar manufacturing capability, particularly solar thermal for indigenous production and market leadership.
• To promote programmes for off grid applications, reaching 1000 MW by 2017 and 2000 MW by 2022 .
• To achieve 15 million sq. meters solar thermal collector area by 2017 and 20 million by 2022.
• To deploy 20 million solar lighting systems for rural areas by 2022.

Mission strategy

Phase 1

• The first phase will announce the broad policy frame work to achieve the objectives of the National Solar Mission by 2022.
• During the first phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, the target is to set up 1,000 MW grid connected (33 KV and above) solar plants, 100 MW of roof top and small solar plants connected to LT/11 KV grid and 200 MW capacity equivalent off-grid solar applications. An amount of Rs.4337 crore has been approved for the activities proposed under the first phase of the Mission till March 2013.
• The implementation of the target of 1,000 MW of grid connected (33 KV and above) solar power plants will be through NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN), a trading subsidiary of NTPC Limited. NVVN will directly purchase the solar power from the project developers as per the norms and guidelines fixed in this regard.
• 100 MW capacity of solar roof top and small grid connected solar power plants will be connected to LT/11 KV grid of the distribution utility and the solar power will be directly purchased by the distribution utilities as per the norms and guidelines fixed in this regard.
• 200 MW equivalent capacity of off-grid solar applications, both solar thermal and photovoltaic will be implemented through a combination of low interest bearing loans and /or central financial assistance. as per the norms and guidelines fixed in this regard.
• In addition, the Mission will support various activities, as considered necessary, on R&D, Human Resource Development, Technical Assistance, training, publicity and awareness etc. for successful implementation of the Mission.

Phase 2

National Solar Mission envisages installation of around 10 GW utility scale solar power projects in Phase-II. It is envisaged that out of this 10 GW target, 4 GW would be developed under central scheme and 6 GW under various State specific schemes.

Thrust areas for Phase-II are as follows:

• Scaling up Grid connected Projects -Capacity addition target of 9 GW under Phase-II
• Rooftop PV Programme -1000 MW ( Both for Grid connected and Off-grid)
• Solar Cities -15 (In addition to existing target of 60 cities)
• Energy Access -20,000 (Villages/hamlets/basti/padas)
• Off-Grid Lighting Systems -10 lakhs
• Solar Cities - 15 (In addition to existing target of 60 cities)
• Solar Water pumps - 25,000 Systems
• Telecom Towers - 25,000 Systems
• Solar Water Heating Systems -8 Million Sq.m of Collector area
• Solar Cooker & Steam Generating Systems - 50,000 Systems
• Industrial Process heat application - 400,250 Sq.m each on an average
• Manufacturing - 4/5 GW Capacity
• Solar Monitoring and Assessment - 60 Monitoring Stations
• Human Resource Development - 1 Lakh trained & Specialized personnel
• Solar Parks (250 MW capacity and Land area of 600 hectare) - Not Defined
• Hybrid Systems -Not defined

Implementation Model

• Bundling Scheme
• Generation Based Incentive (GBI) Scheme
• Viability Gap Funding Scheme .

The mission is aimed at reducing the cost of solar power generation in the country through (i) long term policy; (ii) large scale deployment goals; (iii) aggressive R&D; and (iv) domestic production of critical raw materials, components and products, as a result to achieve grid tariff parity by 2022. Mission will create an enabling policy framework to achieve this objective and make India a global leader in solar energy.

Related Resources

• National Solar Mission