Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are two of the largest solar energy producing states in India. The country has placed high hopes that the technology will supply a large part of its 450 gigawatt (GW) renewable energy target by 2030, with the goal of reducing its dependence on fossil fuels. The Sun has been worshiped as a giver of life for our planet since ancient times. The industrial age gave us the understanding of sunlight as an energy source.
India is endowed with enormous solar energy potential. Around 5 billion kWh per year, energy affects India's land surface and most parties receive 4 to 7 kWh. Solar photovoltaic energy can be effectively harnessed by providing great scalability in India. Solar energy also provides the ability to generate energy in a distributed manner and allows rapid addition of capacity with short lead times.
Off-grid, decentralized and low-temperature applications will be advantageous from the perspective of rural electrification and will meet other energy, heating and cooling needs in rural and urban areas. From an energy security standpoint, solar energy is the safest of all sources, as it is available in abundance. Theoretically, a small fraction of the total incident solar energy (if effectively captured) can meet the energy requirements of the entire country. To meet the growing need for clean energy, India is increasing solar power generation.
For example, 60% of Delhi metro's daytime energy requirements are met through solar energy. Advocates point to Bhadla Solar Park, one of the largest in the world, as an example of how innovation, technology and public and private finance can drive rapid change. To make Gandhinagar a solar-powered city, the state government has initiated a roof-top solar power generation plan. Coal powers 70 percent of India's electricity generation, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged that by 2030, India will produce more energy through solar and other renewable energy than its entire grid now.
The Potential of Rooftop Solar Energy in NigeriaIndia's experience with rooftop solar and solar farms offers interesting possibilities for Nigeria. Much of the country does not have a power grid, so one of the first applications of solar energy was pumping water, to start replacing India's forty to fifty lakh diesel-powered water pumps, each of which consumes about 3.5 kilowatts, and off-grid lighting. In 2004, more than 2,700 villages and villages were electrified, mainly with solar photovoltaic systems. A pilot project in a food market in Sokoto, Nigeria, aims to change this by testing the business case of solar powered refrigeration on rooftops.
The arid state of Rajasthan, where Bhadla Park occupies an area almost the size of San Marino, has 325 days of sunshine each year, making it the perfect location for the solar energy revolution, authorities say. According to the plan, Gujarat plans to generate 5 MW of solar energy by installing solar panels in about 50 state government buildings and 500 private buildings. Domestic manufacturing capacities in the solar sector are not up to the current potential demand for solar energy in the country. India is entering a “solar energy revolution” that will make coal the country's main source of electricity, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
In November, Prime Minister Modi announced that the government will offer new incentives for solar modules manufactured in India, following the announcement that solar modules have been included in a production-linked incentive scheme to help make domestic players more competitive overseas. In addition, backward integration in the solar value chain is absent, as India does not have the capacity to manufacture solar wafers and polysilicon. Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Approach Fails to Reap the Many Benefits of Decentralized Renewable Energy (DRE) Options, Including Reduction of Transmission and Distribution Losses (T%26D). Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a public sector company, is responsible for the development of the solar energy industry in India.