Harnessing Solar energy, Options for India

The Indian power sector is highly dependent on coal as fuel – 52% of the total installed capacity is
coal based. India imports at least 10% of coal required for power generation and imports 70% of its
oil consumption. Given the constraints on coal and other fossil fuel supplies, and the concerns of
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, India needs to look at renewable sources of energy to meet at least
part of its demand for its energy security and for a sustainable low-carbon growth trajectory.
2. Why Solar?
Solar energy has the potential to generate virtually unlimited, essentially clean, carbon-free
electricity. Given that it holds great promise, with most parts of the country receiving plenty of
sunshine – four to six hours a day for over 300 days a year – India should look to the sun to reap the
benefits of its energy.
The announcement of the JNNSM will hopefully provide solar energy the impetus it requires.
Installing solar panels in a mere 400 km 2 of land can result in 20,000 MW of solar power, even under
conservative assumptions. Hence, getting to the target of 20,000 MW by 2022 may not appear that
challenging, but given that at present India has only 10 MW of grid-connected solar power
generation and considering the high cost of solar energy today, even achieving a fraction of the
target would be quite ambitious.
Utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) plants pose few technical challenges. With the generation-based tariff
offered by the government, it becomes economically viable to the investor despite the high cost of
the technology at the present time. However, considering that a solar PV plant will need an area of 5
to 6 acres per MW of capacity, finding large tracts of suitable land can be vexing.
About 16% of villages in India are not connected to the grid. Furthermore, many households even in
electrified villages do not have grid supply due to difficulty with last mile connectivity. Households
that are un-electrified and use kerosene for lighting make up about 42% of the total number of rural
households. 3 The real advantage of solar-PV-based electricity is that it can be generated close to
demand centres, thus avoiding large transmission and distribution losses. Beyond this, decentralised
solar energy can make a real social impact with benefits that include local job creation and economic
empowerment. This study focuses on the techno-economics of a few decentralised applications in
the chapter, ‘Solar Photovoltaic Applications’.
The advantages of solar energy extend beyond the socioeconomic. Power generation from solar PV
does not produce noise or air pollution, and the replacement of kerosene with solar lighting will
have significant positive effects on family health. Furthermore, in India today, diesel is used by small
commercial enterprises as well as large buildings (private and public) to generate electricity during
grid outage. The exact installed capacity of captive generation from diesel and furnace oil in the
country is unknown, but it is said to run into tens of thousands of MW. Given that power generation
from diesel is highly polluting and is increasing India’s dependence on oil imports, solar energy
could play a crucial role. The chapter, ‘Solar Photovoltaic Applications’ has economic and policy
analyses on diesel abatement in urban buildings and in diesel based irrigation pumps.
Solar thermal technologies have far-reaching benefits beyond the reduction of fossil fuel use. The
manufacturing is simple and yet cost effective for many applications. There are only a limited
number of solar thermal installations in India despite the benefits it can offer. For example, the use
of solar dryers in agriculture can reduce wastage and improve the income of farmers. If hostels and
large institutions were mandated to augment or supplement fossil fuel with solar energy for cooking,
their savings on fossil fuel could be substantial. Similarly, solar box cookers can help families who do
Introduction CSTEP | Page 22