Solar Energy - Background
Solar Energy needs to be harnessed. The term Solar Energy in general refers to the 2 types of Energy produced by The Sun - Heat Energy and Light Energy. Both forms of Solar Energy have been in use in India for quite sometime although Solar Thermal has been more popular as it is a relatively older technology and has found widespread application at household levels as well.
Solar Photo Voltaic on the other hand is relatively new in Solar Energy space in India. Although Solar PV has been in use at a smaller scale (Calculators, Watches, Lanterns)., the use of Solar Photo Voltaic as a Power Source in India is a relatively new and emerging concept.
Solar Energy has been used by mankind since long. Earlier however the use was restricted to utilization of Solar Energy for basic drying or heating purposes. It was soon realized that Solar Energy can be put to better use by utilization of Sophisticated system for Water heating used at domestic level, or Industrial level, drying etc. The use of Solar Energy for electrical power generation dates back to Space age when Solar Photo Voltaic cells were used to power Satellites orbiting around the Earth.
With passing time it was realized that Solar Photo Voltaic can be used as a Power source not just for satellites but as also the cleanest and greenest power source on Earth. Solar Energy thus started being used not just for conventional purposes such as heating but also power generation.
Solar Energy in India
Solar Energy is one of the cleanest and greenest technology. Although Solar Energy in India is led by Solar Thermal., it is expected that Solar PV in India will prove to be the single largest source of power in the times to come.
As in case of any new technology the support extended by Government of India by way of providing attractive incentives under Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) is generating significant interest in Solar Energy especially in Solar Photo Voltaic.
India has Geographical advantage with excellent Solar radiation across the Country. It is thus no rocket Science that Solar Energy will prove to be the single most promising Energy Source of the future. In fact Rajasthan has been recently termed as among the best in the world for Solar Energy. Even other parts of India including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Prades, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Eastern Belt, Southern Belt (especially around Chennai), Northern Belt received very good to excellent Solar Energy.
As can be seen from the Solar Radiation Map of India - most parts are suitable for effectively utilizing Solar Energy.
The most suitable areas are Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and West Bengal. In general major Geography of Country is suitable for Solar Energy Utilization.
It is thus no surprise that Solar Energy is and will continue to play a dominant role in the Indian Power Scenario due to various benefits it offer over other renewable technologies.
Solar Energy is popularly used to refer to Solar Power Projects as well. Solar Power Projects which use Light Energy of Solar Energy are known as Photo Voltaic Solar Power Projects. PV Solar has various advantages as compared to conventional power plants and infact PV Solar also counts much higher than other Green Energy Technologies. In fact PV Solar also has certain distinct advantages over Solar Energy Thermal Power Plants.
With reducing price of PV Solar Technology the cost of Power generation from PV Solar has considerably come down. This can be seen the graph below which gives a comparison of cost of power from D.G. Set vs Grid Power vs Solar Power.
PV Solar has definite benefits over fossil fuel power generation and also over other renewable energy technologies (including Wind, Biomass, Hydro etc.). In fact PV Solar also scores above other type of Solar Energy i.e. Solar Thermal in the Power generation space.
Some of the benefits of Photo Voltaic Solar over other renewable technologies are :
(a) Photo Voltaic Solar is maintenance-free and hence has nearly zero operational cost - an advantage which no other technology can offer.
(b) Photo Voltaic Solar is highly modular and scalable and hence can be installed from a few kW to MW range.
(c) It is non-hazardous. Even large-scale Photo Voltaic Solar Power Projects can be closer to human habitat. Large-scale Wind installations cannot be installed closer to human habitat.
(d) Generation load proximity ensures nearly zero transmission losses - a very big challenge for India with around 30% ATC (aka T&D) Losses.
(e) Photo Voltaic Solar is tryly green in nature with a very short energy payback of 2-4 years depending on the technology.
(f) It does not require water to operate - a distinct advantage over Solar Thermal Power.
(g) A Solar Photo Voltaic Power Project has a typical life of 25-30 years.
And many more such advantages which can be seen in this post - How and Why PV Solar scores over other renewable technologies?
After the initial investment has been recovered (typical payback periods range from 2.5 years to 5 years) a Solar Power Plant typically pays for itself becomes a profit making investment providing free power for the next 20-25 years.
We provide end-to-end Services from Concept to Commissioning of Solar Photo Voltaic Power Projects (rooftop kW to utility MW Scale). The first and foremost step in Solar Photo Voltaic Power Project is Photo Voltaic Solar Site Assessment. A brief video describing the same is present in our Solar Video Gallery. We initiate Solar Photo Voltaic Power Project by offering our expert Advisory and Consultancy Services.
Our promise of delivering Quality Solar Energy Solutions & Services enables us to take care of your requirements right from the stage of feasibility study to project execution. The first and foremost step for PV Solar Power Project is PV Solar Site Assessment.
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