THE Punjab government has asked the Centre to grant more subsidy for installation of 10 MW solar power plant. The move comes at a time when Reliance Industries has evinced keen interest to tap the renewable energy sector in the state. Recently Suzlon Gujarat Wind Park had signed two MoUs with Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) for the setting up of two wind power projects of 50 MW each in the district of Hoshiarpur and Mukatsar at an estimated cost of Rs 500 crore. The state has a tremendous potential in non-conventional sources of energy, which has to be optimally utilized to further augment the power generation. Group president of corporate affairs RIL, Dr A Shankar has, however, asked the government to enhance the subsidy component for the installation of projects based on non-conventional sources of energy in the state. “We have deliberately chosen Punjab as the investment destination because it had an investor-friendly climate coupled with pro-investor policies,” Dr Shankar said. The government has even been exploring the potential in the wind energy in Punjab to be harnessed especially for the agrarian sector. Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has earlier stated to make Punjab a power surplus state by adding 6,000 MW within next three years. “We would soon take up the matter with the ministry of renewable and non-conventional energy for the reviving the subsidy on the solar water pumping sets which had been discontinued by the centre from the past few years,” stated the chief minister.