Punjab eyes 2,000 MW solar vault

With over 5,000 acres of land offered by farmers and NRIs across the state, Punjab´s solar energy generation has jumped from a mere 9 mega watt (MW) in 2012 to 541MW at present. Punjab government is now looking at a target of 2,000MW in the next few years. Apart from rooftop projects, farmers in the state have pitched in to take the project to every part of the state, with one solar project located at no man´s land along the Indo-Pak border. Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said that the state would further encourage farmers to establish mini-solar plants on their own land.