Karnataka seeks investors for 350 MW solar projects

Karnataka will award permits to companies to build 200 MW of projects through bidding and the remaining 150 Mw by application.

This according to its solar power policy outlining terms for 350 Mw of capacity that it’s targeting to build by 2016. A copy of the policy posted on the Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd. website.

Solar photovoltaic projects, which use panels to convert sunlight directly into electricity, must be 3 Mw to 10 Mw in size, it said. Solar thermal plants that use the sun to heat liquids to produce steam for generators must be at least 5

Karnataka will use a bidding process that will award capacity to those developers who offer to sell their solar power at the steepest discount to the state tariff, the policy said.

The current tariff for solar power plants set by the state electricity regulator is Rs 14.50 per kilowatt-hour for photovoltaic plants and Rs 11.35 per kilowatt-hour for solar thermal plants. The state requires power distribution companies to procure 0.25 percent of their electricity from solar resources, which will create demand for sun-powered electricity, according to the policy.