Solar panels spread over several villages at Pavagada taluk in Tumakuru district.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Minister for Energy and Tourism K.J. George announced on Tuesday (September 8) that Karnataka is in the final stage of procuring an additional 10,000 acres to develop a solar energy plant at the Pavagada solar park.“Karnataka is one of India’s leading renewable energy states. The State has nearly 27.3 GW of renewable energy capacity, including more than 11.5 GW of solar and 8.5 GW of wind capacity. We already have more than 10,000 acres of land as part of the Pavagada solar park,” he said.He was addressing guests at the Bharat Renewable Energy Summit and Expo 2026 roadshow organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in Bengaluru on Tuesday.Mr. George said, “The renewable energy transition is not only an environmental improvement, but has become an important priority for economic growth, industrial development, technological innovation, employment and energy security. India has entered a refining phase in this transition.”However, the Minister also stated that barren land availability is a major problem in agriculturally progressive States like Karnataka for the installation of renewable energy projects.“In States like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, barren land availability is not a major problem. However, in Karnataka, it is a problem. Hence, we are exploring major technology avenues like Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), which will help us in acquiring lesser land while establishing solar power projects.No shortageThe government is taking all precautionary measures to ensure that the State does not face any power shortage despite the prevailing drought conditions, and is committed to ensuring adequate power supply, said Mr. George.“To ensure adequate power supply, we had procured electricity last summer from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana under power exchange arrangements. The power was returned between June and September. We will once again procure power from these States through exchange arrangements in the coming days. If the expected power is not available through these arrangements, we will purchase electricity from other sources and supply it to consumers,” he said.Summit in NovemberSantosh Kumar Sarangi, Secretary, MNRE, announced that BRESE 2026 is scheduled to be held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from November 2 to 5, 2026.The summit will run concurrently with the Ninth Session of the International Solar Alliance Assembly and the Fourth International Conference on Green Hydrogen. Guided by the central theme ‘Invest, Innovate, Inspire’, the global platform is expected to gather participants from over 75 countries, featuring more than 400 exhibitors and over 80 curated sessions. Published - September 08, 2026 10:58 pm IST
