Is India Truly Utilizing Solar Power as an Alternative Source of Energy

Over the past five years, solar capacity in India has expanded more than 11 times. Solar energy produced 3.36 TWh of power in 2013-14, and solar installed capacity rose by 44.3 GW as of August 31, 2021. In 2010, this capacity was 161 MW. In terms of power generation, India generated 60.4 TWh of electricity using solar energy in 2020-21. As a matter of fact, around 75% of power generation in India is still dependent on fossil fuels. However, with a growing sustainability sentiment in the country, the nation is actively redesigning its energy strategy. If India continues on its path towards green energy solutions, it will soon emerge as a world leader and exporter of solar power solutions.

In the last two and a half decades, India has been actively engaged in activities connected to the research, development, demonstration, manufacture, and use of a wide range of renewable energy technologies for use in various industries. The easy access to solar energy has made it the most sought-after alternative for residential and industrial sectors. Here are a few benchmarks that offer a testament to India’s inclination towards harnessing the power of the sun:

Increased Capacity: The amount of solar energy accessible in a single year is much greater than the whole production of India’s fossil fuel energy reserves. India has 45611.91 MW of installed solar power capacity, accounting for around 11.8 percent. Recently, authorities have recognized solar power’s cost and energy-saving potential and are driving policies for its increased adoption.

Off-grid Usability: Unlike many other types of energy, solar power can be created off-grid. In India Ministry of Renewable and New Energy came up with an off-grid solar PV application program that intends to provide solar PVbased installations across the country. So far, more than 8,00,000 solar street lights have been placed as part of this scheme. Additionally, around 17, 00,000 residential lights, 2,80,000 solar panels, and 2,16,407.67 kW of stand-alone power plants have been deployed. Given its advantages, the government announced the ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthan Mahabhiyan. This intends to build new freestanding solar pumps in off-grid locations and solarize existing grid-connected agricultural pumps.

A solution to the High Demand: As a country’s population grows, so does its energy usage. As a result, India is making efforts to raise awareness and rely on solar energy to satisfy the country’s increasing energy needs. This is essentially important as energy produced via fossil fuels is insufficient for our growing population. As a result, India must focus on building energy security without disrupting its thriving economy. This implies that the nation must transition from non-renewable energy (crude oil and coal) to renewable energy. In light of this, India targetted 1,522.35 MW of renewable energy capacity which has increased the total installed renewable energy capacity to 103.05 GW as of October 31, 2021., according to the monthly cabinet brief provided by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) on November 12, 2021.

Contributor to Environmental Sustainability: Usage of Solar energy prevents the production of harmful pollutants from the combustion of fossil fuels and enhances the quality of life for those living around these plants. Some of the most important environmental advantages of transitioning to solar solutions are decrease in air pollution, reduction in water usage, contributes to reducing the impact of climate change, and use of fossil fuels, and lowers the nation’s carbon footprint. Taking these advantages into account, India has begun to build plans for solar power plant installations.
 

Government and Private Sector Initiatives: The government of India has been an ardent supporter of sustainable growth and has taken a significant step in the right direction by setting a net-zero emissions target for India by 2070. Additionally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently assured world leaders at COP 26 that by 2030, renewable energy will produce half of India’s power. However, solar energy has not been confined to government initiatives; the private sector is equally in the game.

India Aims to become World Leader: India will be a significant beneficiary of solar power’s emerging global energy trade. To make India an exporting nation, the government would shortly increase financing under the production linked incentive (PLI) plan for domestic solar cell and module manufacturing to Rs 24,000 crore from the current Rs 4,500 crore.

Solar power is a huge source of immediately usable energy that eventually generates various energy resources such as biomass, wind, hydropower, and wave energy. Without question, India is employing solar power as an alternative energy source and is doing all necessary to go entirely solar and emerge as the world leader.

- Mayur Misra, Co-Founder and CEO, Corrit Energy and Infra