Tamil Nadu aims for up to 20,000 MW of wind and solar power in next 4-5 years

The Tamil Nadu government wants to raise its wind and solar power generation capacity by 15,000 to 20,000 MW over the next four to five years. State Energy and Law Minister C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar said this while speaking as guest of honour at the ET Now.in Realty Conclave and Awards 2026 (South Edition) in Chennai on October 15, 2026.

To make better use of renewable energy, the state government will also create battery energy storage capacity of 5,000 to 6,000 MW. The new policy for this is in its final stage and will be released soon.

To promote rooftop solar on homes, the government announced a new policy and additional subsidy two weeks ago. Since then, about 24,000 applications have come in within just three weeks. Only 97,000 rooftop solar installations were done in the state in the past 10 to 15 years, so the response is quite encouraging.

The chief guest at the event was Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. He stressed the importance of ethical values, transparency and business integrity for the growth of the real estate sector. He said development should not merely earn profit but create lasting value for society.

Citing Indian tradition, he explained the difference between "Shubh Labh" and "Shuddh Labh". "Shuddh Labh" means profit earned by ethical means. He said profit earned wrongly lasts only a short time, while a durable business can stand only on the foundation of honesty. The Governor also said modern infrastructure should be developed while protecting the identity and cultural values of villages.

Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) Dr Mahesh Kumar Agarwal spoke at length on police reforms, women's safety and cybercrime. He said there is no such thing as "digital arrest" in law, so people should not be frightened by these fake threats from cyber fraudsters. Cybercrime cost the state Rs 2,100 crore last year. The police have set a target of preventing losses of at least Rs 400 crore this year.

For cyber fraud involving more than Rs 1 lakh, a facility has now been introduced to register a "zero FIR" on a single phone call. For the safety of women and children, the Singapenne Special Force, with more than 2,000 women police personnel, has been formed. The unit visits schools, colleges and residential settlements to spread awareness.

On the technology front, contactless services such as e-FIR and e-CSR are running. Facial recognition system (FRS), CCTV and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras are also in use.

The event was held in association with RoofandFloor.com, with Mudra OOH as outdoor partner and CREDAI Tamil Nadu as knowledge partner. Twenty-five people were honoured for notable contributions to the real estate sector, and expert sessions were held on various subjects.