Asia’s biggest single-site solar power project, the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Ltd (RUMSL), commenced operations on July 11. Located in Rewa in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, the facility was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conference. Speaking on the occasion Prime Minister Modi said, “The Rewa solar plant will help this region to become a major centre of solar energy within this decade. Other than supplying electricity to the people and industry in Madhya Pradesh, the Delhi Metro Rail will also benefit from it. Similarly, work is also in progress on big solar projects at Shajpur, Neemuch and Chhatarpur. There is also a plan to construct a floating solar plant at Omkareshwar Dam. Madhya Pradesh will become a clean energy hub once all these projects are ready.” The prime minister said that the biggest beneficiaries of these projects would be the poor, the middle class, the tribal groups, the farmers of the state. He added that solar energy would be a major medium for providing the energy needs of an aspirational India in the 21st Century. Highlighting the government’s push to solar energy, Prime Minister Modi described it as “sure, pure and secure”. Sure because of the continuous supply of energy from the Sun, pure as it was environment friendly and secure because it was a secure source for our energy needs. The prime minister termed mega-solar energy projects like RUMSL as a true representation of Aatmanirbhar Bharat or a self-reliant India. He said the economy was an important aspect of self-reliance and progress. Referring to the eternal dilemma of whether to focus on economy or ecology, the prime minister said that India had resolved this conundrum by focussing on solar energy and other such environmentally friendly technologies. He said that the economy and ecology didn’t contradict but complemented each other. The prime minister emphasised that in all the programmes of the government, priority was being given to environmental protection as well as improving the ease of living. He said that the protection of the environment was not limited to just a few projects but it was being adapted as a way of life. He said it is ensured that the determination towards clean energy is factored in different aspects of life while launching large projects of renewable energy. And the government was ensuring that its benefits reached every corner of the country, every section of society and every citizen. “India regarded as most attractive solar energy market” The prime minister said India’s exemplary progress in the field of solar energy would be a major source of interest to the world. He said owing to such major steps, India was being considered as the most attractive clean energy market. The prime minister said that the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was launched with the motive to unite the entire world in terms of solar energy. He said that it was formed with the spirit of ‘One World, One Sun, One Grid’. The prime minister expressed confidence that Madhya Pradesh’s farmers would also make use of the Central Government’s Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) programme and will install solar energy plants in their lands as an additional source of income. In an indirect reference on the government’s emphasis on cutting down on the sourcing of solar equipment from China, Prime Minister Modi said India was also focussing on reducing its dependence on imports of various hardware needed for solar plants, like photovoltaic cells, batteries and storage. He urged Indian manufacturers to utilise this as an opportunity to create a robust ecosystem for the manufacturing of such equipment locally. “I would like to request entrepreneurs associated with this sector, the youth, start-ups and MSMEs to make the most of this opportunity. Self-reliance will become a reality only when we are self-confident. And self-confidence is instilled only when the entire country, the entire system and every citizen contributes,” he asserted. The prime minister said the work was progressing rapidly for production and betterment of all the inputs required for solar energy. He also expressed the hope that very soon India would become a major exporter of power. - MANISH PANT