Coimbatore: The solar mission announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, under which 20,000 MW solar power was expected to be generated, would remove the power shortage in the country and the consumers 'would not have sleepless nights,' a top official of Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA) said on Friday.
Though only 50 MW of solar power was tapped in India, once the Solar Mission was implemented the industry need not worry about power cuts and production losses, R Christodas Gandhi, CMD, TEDA, said, inaugurating a workshop on 'iomethanation and application of renewable energy in pulp and paper mills', in Coimbatore.
Stating that Tamil Nadu generated 40 per cent of total wind energy produced in India and about 25 per cent of total energy in the State, Gandhi said the shortage being faced by the industries could be made up if industrialists come forward and invest in solar power.
He said 25 per cent of over 400 sago units in Tamil Nadu has voluntarily gone in for co-generation from the waste in the units, without depending on State grid and TEDA would extend assistance to other units to follow suit, so that they can also become self-sufficient in power.
Citing the example of Sugar industry, which used bagasse for cogeneration and not bothered about the profit from sugar production, Gandhi asked paper mills to come for discussion with TEDA, so that it could be decided on the use of paper waste for generation of power, investment pattern and other modalities.
On the utility of solar energy, Gandhi said that solar steam could be useful in community kitchens, hostels and big industries, where more persons were employed and cited example of a university in Tamil Nadu, where it was saving rs.30 lakh on LPG in the kitchen.