The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued an advisory asking state governments to utilize available spare space near substations and prioritize construction of solar projects based on availability of land near substations or transmission system.

The MNRE had tasked the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) to conduct a study on the utilization of land near pooling substations to develop solar projects, stated a MNRE official.

The PGCIL has prepared a detailed report on the scope of utilization of such land in Western, Northern, and Southern regions that comes under inter-state transmission system.

The MNRE official added, “In many cases, due to unavailability of access to transmission, projects are delayed. In other cases, construction of transmission systems has to be done which is a costly affair. This move will allow for maximum utilization of existing evacuation mechanisms and lead to lower costs for project developers as pooling substations will be right there.”

Image Credit: “Rodnikovoye Solar Park” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Activ Solar