Tamil Nadu to begin using solar power

Issues tender for solar projects with a capacity of 1 gigawatt.

The Indian state of Tamil Nadu is diversifying into solar power to solve a persistent shortfall in electricity. Its Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd. or TANGEDCO has issued a tender for solar projects in 2013 with a total capacity of 1GW.

The tender is part of a three-year, Tamil Nadu program that includes installing a total of 3GW of PV and solar thermal technology by 2015.

TANGEDCO will buy the energy generated from plants, each of which will have a capacity of 1MW and above, through a long-term power purchase agreement up to the total capacity of 1,000MW.

To meet its rising energy demand in the coming years, Tamil Nadu has proposed new power generation projects for the next five years.

Tamil Nadu is one of India’s 28 states and is located at the southernmost part of the Indian peninsula. Its capital is Chennai.