Solar Open Access in Odisha: Potential and Challenges

Market Potential: Odisha’s industries face RPOs, making it a promising market for solar open access. However, challenges like policy ambiguity and land availability hinder its adoption.

Current Landscape: Thermal sources dominate Odisha’s power mix, with renewables at 36%. Solar constitutes over 6% of the mix.

Industry Perspective: RPO mandates drive demand for green power. Solar open access offers a solution for industries to meet targets and diversify energy sources.

Policy Landscape: Odisha’s policies include incentives for open access solar projects, but challenges like land allocation persist.
Challenges:
Ambiguity in banking provisions, land availability, and transmission infrastructure hinder progress.

Regulatory Developments:
Draft regulations aim to streamline open-access project development, but practical implementation is crucial.

Originally published on Mercom India