Page 9 - Solar Energy in India: Challenges with Policies for Off-Grid Installations
P. 9
AN OFF-GRID SOLAR SYSTEM
IS FAR MORE RESILIENT TO
NATURAL DISASTERS AS
THERE IS NO SINGLE POINT
OF FAILURE THAT CAN BRING
DOWN THE WHOLE GRID,
AS IS THE CASE WITH GRID-
CONNECTED/CENTRALIZED
POWER GENERATION.
Figure 1 Energy mix for India. unused space on rooftops to generate
power, whereas a grid-connected system
Source: Adapted from CEA, 2015, as cited in “How India is gearing up to meet 100% Power Requirement?” by M. Mittal, 2015, requires far more space in terms of land.
Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-india-gearing-up-meet-100-power-requirement-madhur-mittal Thus, off-grid solar system is much more
efficient than the grid-connected solar
Solar Energy: The among top five destinations worldwide systems in the current scenario.
Shining Future of for solar energy development. Because
Renewables of India’s location between the Tropic Government’s Initiatives
of Cancer and the Equator, India has an for Solar Energy in India
Among the renewable energy sources, average annual temperature that ranges
solar power has been seen as one of from 25°C to 27.5°C, which shows that Carbon emissions from economic
the most important sources of clean India has huge solar potential. activity are on a rise, and India is the
power generation in the country. Its third largest carbon emitter globally.
significance is manifested by the fact Why Off-grid? Thus, the national focus is on policies
that the National Action Plan on Climate that can rapidly remove carbon from
Change has ‘solar mission’ as one of A key opportunity for solar power lies the energy mix, stop degradation and
the eight missions to address climate in off-grid/decentralized applications. destruction of forests, conserve water
change in India. Most parts of India In remote and far-flung areas where resources, and help communities adapt
witness 300–330 sunny days in a year, grid penetration is neither feasible to the destructive impacts of climate-
which is equivalent to over 5 000 trillion nor cost effective, off-grid solar energy related events that will be unavoidable
kWh per year—more than India’s total applications are cost effective.They in the coming years.The most prominent
energy consumption per year. As per ensure that people with no access to step taken by the Government of
the new targets laid by the Government light and power move directly to solar, India in this regard is the scaling up of
of India, India is expected to have an leap-frogging the fossil fuel trajectory renewable energy targets to 175 GW by
installed capacity of 100 GW through of growth. An off-grid/decentralized 2022, of which solar power will form
solar. As per Ernst & Young’s Renewable solar collection scheme is far more 100 GW (up from the current level of
Energy Attractiveness Index, India is energy efficient than a grid-connected about 4 GW).Table 3 summarizes the
or centralized one. More than 30% of revised targets for solar energy in India.
MOST PARTS OF INDIA electricity is lost in transmission and
WITNESS 300–330 SUNNY distribution in the current system. An The Government of India is making
DAYS IN A YEAR, WHICH IS off-grid system can supply power to conscious efforts to develop this
EQUIVALENT TO OVER 5 000 where it is needed directly without any infinite source of power (solar) and
TRILLION kWH PER YEAR— transmission and distribution losses. An is developing appropriate strategies
MORE THAN INDIA’S TOTAL off-grid solar system is far more resilient to promote accelerated use of the
ENERGY CONSUMPTION PER to natural disasters as there is no single universally and freely available solar
YEAR. point of failure that can bring down the energy. The Central Government,
whole grid, as is the case with grid- through MNRE, prepares national-level
connected/centralized power generation. policies and programmes, invests in
Moreover, off-grid solar system utilizes research and development, and gives
subsidies, tax benefits, and so on. The
state governments then, through their
respective nodal agencies implements
energy future 15 january–march 2017
IS FAR MORE RESILIENT TO
NATURAL DISASTERS AS
THERE IS NO SINGLE POINT
OF FAILURE THAT CAN BRING
DOWN THE WHOLE GRID,
AS IS THE CASE WITH GRID-
CONNECTED/CENTRALIZED
POWER GENERATION.
Figure 1 Energy mix for India. unused space on rooftops to generate
power, whereas a grid-connected system
Source: Adapted from CEA, 2015, as cited in “How India is gearing up to meet 100% Power Requirement?” by M. Mittal, 2015, requires far more space in terms of land.
Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-india-gearing-up-meet-100-power-requirement-madhur-mittal Thus, off-grid solar system is much more
efficient than the grid-connected solar
Solar Energy: The among top five destinations worldwide systems in the current scenario.
Shining Future of for solar energy development. Because
Renewables of India’s location between the Tropic Government’s Initiatives
of Cancer and the Equator, India has an for Solar Energy in India
Among the renewable energy sources, average annual temperature that ranges
solar power has been seen as one of from 25°C to 27.5°C, which shows that Carbon emissions from economic
the most important sources of clean India has huge solar potential. activity are on a rise, and India is the
power generation in the country. Its third largest carbon emitter globally.
significance is manifested by the fact Why Off-grid? Thus, the national focus is on policies
that the National Action Plan on Climate that can rapidly remove carbon from
Change has ‘solar mission’ as one of A key opportunity for solar power lies the energy mix, stop degradation and
the eight missions to address climate in off-grid/decentralized applications. destruction of forests, conserve water
change in India. Most parts of India In remote and far-flung areas where resources, and help communities adapt
witness 300–330 sunny days in a year, grid penetration is neither feasible to the destructive impacts of climate-
which is equivalent to over 5 000 trillion nor cost effective, off-grid solar energy related events that will be unavoidable
kWh per year—more than India’s total applications are cost effective.They in the coming years.The most prominent
energy consumption per year. As per ensure that people with no access to step taken by the Government of
the new targets laid by the Government light and power move directly to solar, India in this regard is the scaling up of
of India, India is expected to have an leap-frogging the fossil fuel trajectory renewable energy targets to 175 GW by
installed capacity of 100 GW through of growth. An off-grid/decentralized 2022, of which solar power will form
solar. As per Ernst & Young’s Renewable solar collection scheme is far more 100 GW (up from the current level of
Energy Attractiveness Index, India is energy efficient than a grid-connected about 4 GW).Table 3 summarizes the
or centralized one. More than 30% of revised targets for solar energy in India.
MOST PARTS OF INDIA electricity is lost in transmission and
WITNESS 300–330 SUNNY distribution in the current system. An The Government of India is making
DAYS IN A YEAR, WHICH IS off-grid system can supply power to conscious efforts to develop this
EQUIVALENT TO OVER 5 000 where it is needed directly without any infinite source of power (solar) and
TRILLION kWH PER YEAR— transmission and distribution losses. An is developing appropriate strategies
MORE THAN INDIA’S TOTAL off-grid solar system is far more resilient to promote accelerated use of the
ENERGY CONSUMPTION PER to natural disasters as there is no single universally and freely available solar
YEAR. point of failure that can bring down the energy. The Central Government,
whole grid, as is the case with grid- through MNRE, prepares national-level
connected/centralized power generation. policies and programmes, invests in
Moreover, off-grid solar system utilizes research and development, and gives
subsidies, tax benefits, and so on. The
state governments then, through their
respective nodal agencies implements
energy future 15 january–march 2017
