Unlocking India’s green energy ambitions

A sneak peek into India’s solar power boom

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ENERGY GOALS


India plans to increase renewables capacity to 500 GW by 2030.

Solar energy is one of the key renewable energy resources where large-scale implementation of solar projects can ensure a net zero future in cities and rural areas. In case of India, the potential to generate solar energy is about 5 billion kWh of energy annually (MNRE, 2022), which is highest among the energy generating potential of the other renewable sources of energy .

National solar projects in India date back to the 1970s. During the world oil crisis, India realized the importance of being energy independent and resilient to overcome future energy crisis of the nation. Thus, Research and Development (R&D) teams were set up with the aim to design solar cells, ensure the capacity to develop and manufacture solar photovoltaics (SPVs), and strengthen the economy to provide incentives for the installation of SPVs in the country.

Over time, India has strengthened their manufacturing base and production performance to generate 48212.20 million units (MU) by 2020, as reported by Central Electricity Authority (2021), and has achieved the fifth rank globally in solar power generation and deployment, surpassing Italy, Australia, and United Kingdom (MNRE, 2022).


As on 30th November 2022, Solar power installed capacity has reached around 61.97 GW.


SOLAR PARKS


How do solar parks look like?

Mass generation of on-grid solar electricity from arrays of solar panels mounted across acres of land.

Solar power plants utilize thermal energy from the sun and transform it into electrical energy using photovoltaic panels. Simply, numerous panels are installed in an optimal configuration and harvest light energy from the sun and convert it into electrical energy which feeds into the grid.

Another type of solar power plant is the concentrated solar power plant. Here, the system is composed of mirrors or lenses that are stationed in an organized way to concentrate collected heat to one specific position. This heat is further utilized to power a steam turbine that generates electricity.

However, the most common solar power plant is the traditional photovoltaic (PV) option.

Here is a list of India's top 5 Solar plants / Solar parks in India:

  • Location: Jodhpur district of Rajasthan
  • Power Generation: 2055 MW
  • Area of Park: 14000 acres
  • Investors: Development Company Limited (a subsidiary of Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Limited), Saurya Urja Company (joint venture company of the government of Rajasthan and IL&FS Energy Development Company), and Adani Renewable Energy Park Rajasthan.
  • Location: Palavalli, Karnataka
  • Power Generation: 2000MW
  • Area of Park: 13000 acres
  • Investors: Karnataka Solar Park Development Corporation Limited (KSPDCL), a joint venture between the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and the Karnataka Renewable Energy (KREDL), with help from the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) 
  • Location: Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh
  • Power Generation: 1000 MW
  • Area of Park: 5932 acres
  • Investors: Andhra Pradesh Solar Power Corporation jointly with Solar Energy Corporation, Andhra Pradesh Generation Corporation and New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation.
  • Location: Kamuthi Tamil Nadu
  • Power Generation: 648 MW
  • Area of Park: 2500 acres
  • Investors: Adani Green Energy TN Limited (AGETL), Ramnad Renewable Energy Limited (RREL), Kamuthi Solar Power Limited (KSPL) and Kamuthi Renewable Energy Limited (KREL)
  • Location: Charanka village in Patan district of Gujarat
  • Power Generation: 615 MW
  • Area of Park: 4900 acres
  • Investors: Gujarat Power Corporation Limited (GPCL), Gujarat Energy Transmission Company Limited (GETCO), Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) are the primary developers.

FLOATING SOLAR PLANTS


India has successfully deployed large number of floating solar plants to harness this renewable form of energy. The floating solar plants allow harnessing of solar energy on solar panels mounted on a structure that floats on a water body, typically a lake or a reservoir.

It is very promising at it prevents occupancy of land and the efficiency of solar panel increases by 5% to 15% due to the cooling effect provided by the water.

Here is a list of major floating solar plants in India:


MISCELLANEOUS SOLAR PROJECTS


Rooftop solar system in buildings has gained wide acceptance in Indian cities and in remote rural areas. The  National Portal for Rooftop Solar  by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), India allows people from any part of the country can apply for rooftop solar. The portal provides the do's and don'ts of rooftop solar system instalments in a single frame.

The Government of India has launched the  Solar rooftop subsidy scheme  to reduce the overall cost of the solar system and promote solar rooftop usage in the country.

The  PM-KUSUM  project launched by the Indian Government is a solar-based irrigation scheme. The government plans to distribute 3.5 million solar pumps to the farmers.

However, it is always the initial cost of purchasing solar equipment and installing solar panels which emerge as the initial hindrances towards solar energy acceptance. Although the Government provides different subsidy programs, tax initiatives and rebate incentives to promote the use of solar panels, we are still way behind in making efficient use of solar energy.

A silver lining to this technology is the reduction in the cost of the system over time as new cost-effective technology gets invented through rigorous R&D, thereby promoting the use of solar cells to generate electricity.