Meghalaya Solar Policy and it's Solar Highlights
Meghalaya is a state located in the Northeastern part of the country and shares boundary with Bangladesh. Shillong is the capital city of Meghalaya. With 70% forestation and very heavy rainfall that the region experiences, it is not surprising that in total Meghalaya has only .01 MW of commissioned solar energy. This .01MW was also added in the last financial year of 2016/17. In the year 2016, the Loyala College in East Garo Hills became the first institution in the state to go 100% solar by installing a 10KW system. The project has helped the Institute save on their cost of electricity as well as set an example to the students who learn about green and renewable energy. Azure Power has since also proposed to setup a 10MW plant in Meghalaya which would see an investment of 150 crores. The location for the plant has been set at Ri-Bhoi and West Garo hills. Such projects will be critical for Meghalaya, a state that requires at least 610MW of power, while currently it only produces 185.2MW. So in order to become self reliant, solar has been identified as one of the sources that would help the state bridge this gap.