The country's 100GW solar mission target will be achieved ahead of its target in 2022, Minister for Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan said in Kolkata today. "The government has set a target of 175GW of renewable power by 2022 and out of it 100GW should be in solar. It will not be a problem," he said.
He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a seminar on solar technologies organised jointly by NB Institute for Rural Technology (NBIRT) and Vikram Solar. The Union minister, however, did not mention how much of the solar mission has been achieved so far. In West Bengal, roof-top solar project has not picked up fast enough owing to regulatory hurdles, a senior solar power expert said.

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According to the present regulation, net metering is not allowed for single phase roof-top solar projects below 5KW. "West Bengal is the only state in the country where net metering is not allowed for roof-top solar below 5KW as against 1KW in other states. Moreover, the same is not allowed for single phase (residential connections)," he said.

"The West Bengal regulatory Commission will have to bring down the threshold criteria to 1KW from 5KW to push household roof-top solar in the state," the expert said. The first floating solar project in the city will come up at Vikramgarh jheel close to South City Mall. "The state power minister Shovandeb Chatterjee had taken an initiative to protect the lake with a floating solar project of 350KW to be constructed at Rs 2.6 crore at Vikramgarh lake," NBIRT president S P Gon Chaudhury said.

The lake area has reduced to 3.6 acres in 2017 from 7.6 acres in 2002 according to satellite date, he said.