WHY SOLAR ENERGY IS BETTER THAN CONCENTIONAL SOURCES OF ENERGY

Classification of Energy Sources

Energy sources can be divided into two types based on how quickly can they be
replenished:

• Conventional sources of Energy

• Non-conventional sources of Energy
What is a conventional source of energy?

When we cannot reuse a source of energy after using it once we call

them “conventional sources of energy” or “non-renewable energy resources”.
They are the most important conventional sources of energy. These include coal,
petroleum, natural gas and nuclear energy. Oil is the most widely used source of
energy. Coal, petroleum and natural gas account for about 90% of world’s
production of commercial energy and hydroelectric and nuclear power account for
about 10%.
What are Conventional Sources of energy ?
Major sources of energy in this type are coal, mineral oil and natural gas, firewood and
nuclear power.

I. Coal:
About 6000 billion tons of coal lies under the earth. By now over 200 billion tons
had been used. The total coal production in world has increased from 273 crore
metric tons in 1980 to 323 crore metric tons in 1986, registering an increase of 18.4%

Table 1 (B). 12. Shows coal production in major countries of the world.

Coal, besides a prime source of industrial energy is also a raw material. Coal,
including lignite even today accounts for 60% of the country’s commercial power
requirements. In developed world there is a trend of shift from coal to oil or gas.
Major coal fields in India are Raniganj, Jharia, East Bokaro and West Bokaro; Panch-
Kanham (Tawa Valley Singrauli, Talcher (Orissa), Chanda-Wardha and Godavari
Valley. M.P.,A.P. and Maharashtra. By and large, the quality of Indian coal is rather
poor in terms of heat capacity.

This poor heat capacity can be converted into electricity and gas and even oil. This is
the reason coal fields to produce electric power to feed regional grids. Coal
production in India which was just 35 million tons in 1951 has now gone to cover 180
million tons in 1988-89.

Per capita consumption of coal increased from 135 kg to nearly 225 kg. Lignite
(brown coal) is generally a low quality coal. But Indian lignite has less ash content
than coal. The deposits at Neyveli (Tamil Nadu) are about 3,300 million tons, about
90% of country’s lignite reserves. It produces 600 mw of thermal power.

II. Oil and natural gas:

Sedimentary rocks containing plants animals remains-about 10 to 20 crore year old

are the source of mineral oil. Mineral oil is very unevenly distributed over space like
any other mineral. There are four regions in the world which are rich in mineral oil.
USA, Mexico, former USSR and the West Asian region (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
Iran, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain are the major oil producing countries
of the world.

It is seen that the oil production has declined from 300 crore metric tons in 1980 to
275 crore metric tons in 1986. India has large proportion of tertiary rocks and
alluvial deposits particularly in the extra-peninsular India. Such potential oil bearing
area is estimated to be over a million square km, one third of total area. It covers the
northern plains in the Ganga-Brahmaputra valley, the coastal strips together, with
their off-shore continental shelf (Bombay Hight), the plains of Gujarat, the Thar
desert and the area around Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Till Independence Assam was the only State where mineral oil was drilled. In India,
oil was first found at Kakum (north-east Assam) but drilling of oil was started at
Digboi in Lakhimpur district. After independence, Gujarat plains and the major
reserves were founu off the Bombay High (115 km from the shore).

The latest oil deposits have been found in off shore areas off the deltaic coasts of
Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri and Mahanadi. The gas reserves are generally found in
association with oil fields. However, exclusive natural gas reserves have been located
in Tripura, Rajasthan and almost in all off-shore oil fields of Gujarat, Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.

In 1951 our total mineral oil production was 269,000 tons. Total consumption at that
time was only 3.1 million tons. By 1984- 85, production increased to 29 million tons
but consumption also jumped to 39 million tons. The net imports were 7 million tons
of crude and 5 million tons of petroleum products.

In 1986-87 oil production was 30.5 million tons and in 1988 nearly 36 million tons.
It was only 10 million tons in 1980-81. The recoverable reserves of crude oil which
were 366 million tons in 1980 rose to 580 million tons by 1987. Natural gas
production (million cubic meters) in 1980-81 was 2,358 that rose to 9,812 by 1986-
87. The total gas reserves were estimated to be 5, 41,000. In India gas is a natural
gift. It can be used both as energy source and also industrial raw material in
petrochemical industry.

It takes lesser time to build a gas-based power plant. The gas is also used for fertilizer
plants. Through pipe line, the gas from Bombay and Gujarat gas fields is now taken
to M.P., Rajasthan and U.P.-Hazira-Bijaipur Jagdishpr (HBJ) gas pipe line is 1,730
km long and carries 18 million cubic meters of gas every day. It feeds six fertiliser
and three power plants. There are already 12 refineries in India. The liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG), also called the cooking gas is now a very common domestic
fuel.

III. Thermal power:

Hydro-electricity comes from a renewable source, water. But thermal power plants
use coal, petroleum and natural gas to produce thermal electricity. These sources are
of mineral origin and also called fossil fuels. They are exhaustible and polluting.

Electricity, whether thermal, nuclear or hydro is the most convenient and versatile
form of energy. This is in great demand in industry, agriculture, transport and
domestic sectors. Installed capacity to produce thermal power in 1988-89 in India
was about 40 million k w, a little more than twice the capacity to produce hydel
power. The actual power generated in 1988-89 was 201 billion units. Against this,
hydel power accounted for 53.8 billion units and nuclear power accounted for 5
billion units, in a single year it had risen to 10%.
Both, big and small power stations are scattered all over the country. Electricity
produced by them is fed into regional grids. It is proposed to have a single national
grid. The grids receive electricity produced from all the four major sources coal, oil,
water and nuclear. Total length of lines was 10.000 circuit km. in 1950 that rose to 1,
71,000 circuit km in 1987. Besides, there are high voltage transmission lines of400
kv strength-16,000 km, and 55,855 km of 220 kv strength.

IV. Firewood (Fuel wood):

One must combine supply of fire wood and other biomass energy sources. Besides we
need technologies for total utilisation of biomass and/or conversion to solid), liquid
(liquification) and gaseous (gasification) fuel. According to ABE (1985) the demand
for firewood is likely to go up to the order of300-330 Mt. Table 1(B). 13. lists such
demand State wise.

It may be seen that nearly 70% of firewood demand pertains to the rural areas. Only
50 Mt. of the fuel wood may become available from natural forests. According to
NCA for next 15 years or so the average fuel wood contribution from natural forests
would be 0.75 t/ ha/year and the rest is to be met from plantations. Table 11(B) 14.
gives an idea about the same. Whole of the required plantation is to be non-
agricultural land, degraded forest land, culturable wasteland, barren/incultivable
land, permanent pasture and grazing lands.

Roughtly 60 Mha of such land are available, and it may be difficult to bring more
than 50% of this land under plantation. On the basis of present day chulah efficiency
of 8%, scenario for different States is given in Table 1(B). 15. together with possible
strategy for bridging the gap.

Briquetting:
The Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi has developed the technology of
briquetting saw dust into smokeless fuel.

Gassification:
Gasification of biomass is an important means to harvest energy through thermo-
chemical conversion. It yields biogas, producer gas and pyro gas.

Improved chullahs:
Present day chullahas (about 112 million) have a very low, 2-10% efficiency. This
results waste of wood, forest and environment degradation and health problems.
Department of Non- conventional Energy Sources (DNES) could design the
improved stoves with thermal efficiency to about 15-25%. These besides wood can
also use coal cakes, cow dung, pellets etc.

V. Hydro-power:
Water-energy is the most conventional renewable energy source and obtained from
water flow, water falling from a height. Hilly and highland areas are suitable for this
purpose, where there is continuous flow of water in large amounts falling from high
slopes In the late 18th and early 19th century most industries were located near
water-falls. Technology was also developed for use of steam energy.

Hydro-power is a clean, non-polluting source of energy. It can be transmitted to long

distance through wires and cables. But, this form of energy cannot be stored for
future. Thus, markets arc to be fixed before generation of this form of energy.

Dams are constructed on rivers. Norway, Switzerland, Canada. Sweden and New
Zealand harnessed their water resources for water energy. In South America, about
75% of the total electricity consumption comes from water, Japan, USA and former
USSR are the loading countries in production of hydro-power.

In India the generation of hydro-electric power was emphasised from the first five
Year plan. A number of multipurpose river valley projects were launched, of which
Bhakra Nangal project over Sutlej, Bakaro, Panchet and Tilaiya in Damodar Valley,
Hirakud, Rihand, Nagarjuna Sagar, Kosi and Koyana etc. are the examples.

A number of such project including construction of large dams as Tehri Dam on

Bhagirathi river in UP, Sardar Sarovar in Gujarat, and Narmada Valley Project (NVP)
are also under different stages of development. The construction of these dams could
generate at times much political and environmental controversies.
VI. Nuclear power:
This is of course a main source of energy, when the fossil fuel reserves are depleting
very fast. A small quantity of radioactive material can produce an enormous amount
of energy. For instance, one tonne of Uranium-2.35 would provide as much energy as
by three million tonne of coal or 12 million barrels of oil. Besides electricity, atomic
power is also used as fuel for marine vessels, heat generation for chemical and food
processing plants and for spacecraft’s.

For atomic energy, we need a nuclear reactor. The decay of fissionable matter
produces enormous heat. This is used to make steam and channeled through a
turbine connected to an electric generator. There are different types of nuclear
reactor.

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(a) Light water reactor (LWR):

It uses ordinary water for cooling and moderation.

These are of two basic types:

(i) Boiling water reactor (BWR) and

(ii) Pressured water reactor (PWR).

There are also high temperature gas cooled reactors (HTGCR) which are basically of
LWR-type.

(b) Heavy water reactor (HWR):

It uses heavy water. The most popular one has been Canadian Deuterium-Uranium
(CANDU) reactor. Here the design is different from that LWR-type. The fuel is
arranged horizontally rather than vertically as in LWR.

(c) Liquid metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR):

It uses liquid sodium as the coolant. There are over 300 atomic power plants,
operating in the world. The maximum are in U.S.A. (83), followed by USSR (40),
U.K. (35), France (34), Japan (25) Germany (15) and Canada (13).

India has been a leader in making peaceful use of nuclear power in medicine,
agriculture and space. India is rich in certain atomic minerals. Uranium mines are
located in Singhbhum in Bihar and parts of Rajasthan. Most abundant source is
monazite sands on the shores of Kerala. Thorium is derived from these sands.
In India, Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) is engaged with establishment of nuclear
power plants. We are the seventh nation in the world to have mastered the nuclear
fuel cycle. At present there are six nuclear power plants in operation generating 1230
MW (individual plant capacity ranging 210 to 235 MW.)

These plants are located in states of Maharashtra (Tarapur), Rajasthan (Kota) and
Tamil Nadu (Kalpakkam). Some more units are to come up in Gujarat (Kakarapar),
Karnataka (near Karwar) and Uttar Pradesh (Narora) in near future increasing the
present installed capacity of 1230 MW to 10000 MW by 20 i 0 A.D.

Non-conventional sources of Energy

Natural resources like wind, tides, solar, biomass, etc generate energy which is
known as “Non-conventional resources“. These are pollution free and hence we
can use these to produce a clean form of energy without any wastage.

Why do we need non-conventional energy

resources?
As the consumption of energy grows, the population depends more and more on
fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas day by day. There is a need to secure the
energy supply for future since the prices of gas and oil keep rising by each passing
day. So we need to use more and more renewable sources of energy. For the
effective exploitation of non-conventional sources, there has been an establishment
of a separate department namely “Department of non-conventional sources of
energy” by the government of India.

Renewable resources provide energy in four important areas like :

• Electricity generation
• Water heating or cooling
• Transporting
• Rural
Types of Non-convention sources
• Wind Energy
• Tidal Energy
• Geothermal Energy
• Biomass
• Solar Energy

Wind energy

Wind energy describes the process by which wind is used to generate electricity. As
the wind increases, power output increases up to the maximum output of the
particular turbine. Wind farms prefer areas, where winds are stronger and constant.
These are generally located at high altitudes. Wind turbines use wind to make
electricity. There is no pollution because no fossil fuels are burnt to generate
electricity. One of India’s largest windmill farm is in Kanyakumari which generates
380mW of electricity.

Biomass energy

Biomass is the organic matter that originates from plants, animals, wood, sewage.
These substances burn to produce heat energy which then generates electricity. The
chemical composition of biomass varies in different species but generally, biomass
consists of 25% of lignin, 75% of carbohydrates or sugar. Biomass energy is also
applicable for cooking, lighting, and generation of electricity. The residue left after
the removal of biogas is a good source of manure. Biomass is an important energy
source contributing to more than 14% of the global energy supply.

Tidal energy

Tidal power is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into
electricity. In areas where the sea experiences waves and tides, we can generate
electricity using tidal power. India may take up “ocean thermal level conversion” by
which it will be able to generate 50,000mW of electricity to meet the power
requirements.

Geothermal energy

Geothermal energy is the heat energy that we get from hot rocks present in the
earth’s crust. So Geothermal wells release greenhouse gases trapped within the
earth and but these emissions are much lower per energy unit than the fossil fuels.
This energy generally involves low running costs since it saves 80% on fossil fuels.
Due to this, there is an increase in the use of geothermal energy. It helps in
reducing global warming and does not create pollution.

Solar Energy

Solar power is usable energy generated from the sun in the form of electric
or thermal energy. Solar energy is captured in a variety of ways, the most common of
which is with photovoltaic solar panels that convert the sun’s rays into usable electricity.
Aside from using photovoltaics to generate electricity, solar energy is commonly used in
thermal applications to heat indoor spaces or fluids. Residential and commercial
property owners can install solar hot water systems and design their buildings with
passive solar heating in mind to fully take advantage of the sun's energy with solar
technology.

In 1954, Bell Labs developed the first silicon photovoltaic cell. Although solar energy had
previously been captured and converted into usable energy through various
methods,only after 1954 did solar power begin to become a viable source of electricity to
power devices over extended periods of time. The first solar cells converted solar
radiation to electricity at an efficiency of 4 percent - for reference, many widely available
solar panels today can convert sunlight to solar power at above 20 percent efficiency, a
number constantly on the rise.

Solar energy in India

Solar energy systems

India is endowed with abundant of solar radiation. The country receives solar radiation equivalent
to more than 5,000 trillion kWh/year, which is far more than its total annual energy
requirement. The radiation available could be utilized for thermal as well as for photovoltaic
applications. Solar thermal technologies have already found ready acceptance for a variety of
decentralized applications in domestic, industrial and commercial sectors of the country. The
most widely acceptable application is the solar water heating technology. However, solar steam
generating and air heating technologies and energy efficient solar buildings are also attracting
attention in urban and industrial areas. Among solar photovoltaic technologies, there are some
devices/ systems such as solar lanterns, solar home systems, solar street lights, solar pumps,
solar power packs, roof top SPV systems etc which could be useful both in rural and urban areas
for the purpose of reducing burden on conventional fuels.

Solar lanterns
 Solar Cooker

Solar Power Plant

 Solar Water Heating System

Solar Energy in India

India has tremendous scope of generating solar energy. The geographical location
of the country stands to its benefit for generating solar energy. The reason being
India is a tropical country and it receives solar radiation almost throughout the
year, which amounts to 3,000 hours of sunshine. This is equal to more than 5,000
trillion kWh. Almost all parts of India receive 4-7 kWh of solar radiation per sq
metres. This is equivalent to 2,300–3,200 sunshine hours per year. States like
Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa,
Punjab, Rajasthan, and West Bengal have great potential for tapping solar energy
due to their location. Since majority of the population lives in rural areas, there is
much scope for solar energy being promoted in these areas. Use of solar energy
can reduce the use of firewood and dung cakes by rural household.

Advantages of Solar Energy in India

Some of the advantages of solar energy which makes it all the more suitable for
India are as follows:
• This is an inexhaustible source of energy and the best replacement to other non-
renewable energies in India.
• Solar energy is environment friendly. When in use, it does not release CO2 and
other gases which pollute the air. Hence it is very suitable for India, India being
one of the most polluted countries of the world.
• Solar energy can be used for variety of purposes like as heating, drying, cooking
or electricity, which is suitable for the rural areas in India. It can also be used in
cars, planes, large power boats, satellites, calculators and many more such
items, just apt for the urban population.
• Solar power is inexhaustible. In an energy deficient country like India, where
power generation is costly, solar energy is the best alternate means of power
generation.
• You don’t need a power or gas grid to get solar energy. A solar energy system
can be installed anywhere. Solar panels can be easily placed in houses. Hence, it
is quite inexpensive compared to other sources of energy.
Solar Energy Power in India : Future
In solar energy sector, many large projects have been proposed in India.
• Thar Desert has some of India’s best solar power projects, estimated to generate
700 to 2,100 GW.
• On March 1st, 2014, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi,
inaugurated at Diken in Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh, India’s biggest
solar power plant.
• The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) launched by the Centre
is targeting 20,000 MW of solar energy power by 2022
• Gujarat’s pioneering solar power policy aims at 1,000 MW of solar energy
generation.
• In July 2009, a $19 billion solar power plan was unveiled which projected to
produce 20 GW of solar power by 2020.
• About 66 MW is installed for various applications in the rural area, amounting
to be used in solar lanterns, street lighting systems and solar water pumps, etc.
India is slowly gaining its prominence in the generation of solar power due to the
comprehensive and ambitious state and the Centre’s solar policies and projects
and National Solar Mission. In the latest 2014 budget, Finance Minister Jaitley
declared that the Government has proposed an amount of 500 crore rupees to
develop some mega solar power plants in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and
Ladakh. He also said that solar power-driven agricultural water pumping stations
and 1 MW solar parks on canal banks will be developed in the country at an
estimated cost of $74 million and $18.5 million, respectively. Considering all these
facts, we do have a bright picture in front of us as India’s potential to be a solar
power driven country of the world.

India’s Major Solar Energy Initiatives

• In August 2015, Cochin International Airport in Kerala, one of India’s busiest
airports became the first in the world to operate entirely on solar power. The
airport’s solar power plant produces 48,000 units of energy each day and is
likely to help cut down about 300,000 tons of carbon emission over 25 years.
• As of 2015, Madhya Pradesh is gearing up to invite global tenders to
commission what is likely to become the world’s largest solar power station.
The station is likely to generate 750 Mega Watts of power when fully
operational.
• In July 2014, Dharnai in Bihar became India’s first fully solar-powered village
when Greepeace launched its 100 kilowatt solar energy microgrid here. In
2015, Fakirpur and Chanduhar in Uttar Pradesh and Baripatha in Odisha joined
the league of fully solar-powered villages in India.
• Solar-powered automobiles are the new rage in India.
• In April 2015, students of the Manipal Institute of Technology designed SERve,
a completely solar-powered car. Similarly in July, students of the RV College of
Engineering, Bengaluru, designed Soleblaze, a single-seater solar-powered car.
This seems to be the trend India’s automobile industry is taking.

Cost of Solar Powering a Household

The cost of powering an average Indian household with solar panels is between
INR 1.2 lakh and INR 1.8 lakh. This system should generate about 1 Kilowatt of
energy – enough to power about 8 power points such as fans and lights, and even
television sets. All that is required is a solar power system and about 120 square
feet of space exposed to direct sunlight. While this may not be adequate to run air
conditioners, refrigerators and other sophisticated high-consumption systems,
these are more than adequate for the masses that do without such luxuries. The
solar power system includes a set of solar photovoltaic panels, a power inverter
capable of supporting about 3KW energy, and a battery for solar charging. The
battery itself costs INR 11,000 or less. Most manufacturers extend a warranty of
about 5 years, but on an average the system produces energy for about 20 years.
After 20 years, the energy generation capacity diminishes to about 85 percent.
Looking at the immense benefits extended by these systems, the costs of solar
powering households are more than justified. A number of manufacturers have
also come up with smaller systems within INR 50,000 that power smaller
households.

India‘s Solar Alliance

In the midst of a worsening climate change environment and much turmoil caused
by natural elements, India has emerged stronger and more committed towards a
green future. Our nation has turned a grand pioneer and announced a new global
alliance of over 120 nations committed to developing and promoting use of solar
power. This announcement was made by PM Narendra Modi along with French
President, Francois Hollande at Paris during the course of the Paris COP21 Climate
Change Summit. The headquarters of this alliance will be set up in India, likely in
Gurgaon. The Indian government is likely to make an investment infusion of about
USD 30 million to get the initiatives of the alliance going and eventually this Solar
Alliance aims to raise about USD 400 million. A number of companies from across
the globe, including Tata Steel, HSBC France, Areva, Engie, and Enel have shown
interest for active involvement in the project. In time, this initiative shall be a
 global game changer, said the French climate change ambassador and indeed this
is likely to benefit India greatly.

Why Solar?
Solar Energy can be utilized for varied applications. So the answer to “Why Solar”
question can be sought from two different perspectives: utilizing solar energy for grid-
interactive and off-grid (including captive) power generation.
1. Solar for grid connected electricity:
Grid interactive solar energy is derived from solar photovoltaic cells and CSP Plants
on a large scale. The grid connection is chosen due to following reasons:
• Solar Energy is available throughout the day which is the peak load demand time
• Solar energy conversion equipments have longer life and need lesser maintenance and hence
provide higher energy infrastructure security
• Low running costs & grid tie-up capital returns (Net Metering)
• Unlike conventional thermal power generation from coal, they do not cause pollution and
generate clean power

• Abundance of free solar energy throughout all parts of world (although gradually decreasing
from equatorial, tropical, sub-tropical and polar regions). Can be utilized almost everywhere.
2. Solar for off-grid solutions:
While, the areas with easier grid access are utilizing grid connectivity, the places
where utility power is scant or too expensive to bring, have no choice but to opt for
 their own generation. They generate power from a diverse range of small local
generators using both fossil fuels (diesel, gas) and locally available renewable energy
technologies (solar PV, wind, small hydro, biomass, etc.) with or without its own
storage (batteries). This is known as off-grid electricity. Remote power systems are
installed for the following reasons:
• Desire to use renewable - environmentally safe, pollution free
• Combining various generating options available- hybrid power generation
• Desire for independence from the unreliable, fault prone and interrupted grid connection
• Available storage and back-up options
• No overhead wires- no transmission loss
• Varied applications and products: Lighting, Communication Systems, Cooking, Heating,
Pumping, Small scale industry utilization etc.
Captive power generation is done mainly considering the replacement of diesel with
solar. Comparison of diesel vs captive power generation is available here. Our
tailormade report on Captive Solar Power Generation can be downloaded here.

Technology
Solar Photovoltaic

Solar photovoltaic (SPV) cells convert solar radiation (sunlight) into electricity. A solar
cell is a semi-conducting device made of silicon and/or other materials, which, when
exposed to sunlight, generates electricity. Solar cells are connected in series and
parallel combinations to form modules that provide the required power.
• Crystalline Silicon solar cells (C-Si): Monocrystalline and Polycrystalline
• Thin-film solar cells: Amorphous Silicon Solar cells (A-Si), CIGS, CdTe
PV modules are manufactured by assembling the solar cells after stringing, tabbing
and providing other interconnections.
Solar Thermal
Solar Thermal Power systems, also known as Concentrating Solar Power systems,
use concentrated solar radiation as a high temperature energy source to produce
electricity using thermal route. High temperature solar energy collectors are basically
of three types:
• Parabolic trough system: at the receiver can reach 400° C and produce steam for generating
electricity.
• Power tower system: The reflected rays of the sun are always aimed at the receiver, where
temperatures well above 1000° C can be reached.
• Parabolic dish systems: Parabolic dish systems can reach 1000° C at the receiver, and
achieve the highest efficiencies for converting solar energy to electricity.

India's Unique Proposition

CLICK HERE to find potential areas by providing latitude and longitude data input.

• Economic Value: The generation of solar electricity coincides with the normal peak
demand during daylight hours in most places, thus mitigating peak energy costs,
brings total energy bills down, and obviates the need to build as much additional
generation and transmission capacity as would be the case without PV.
• Geographical Location: India being a tropical country receives adequate solar
radiation for 300 days, amounting to 3,000 hours of sunshine equivalent to over 5,000
trillion kWh. Almost all the regions receive 4-7 kWh of solar radiation per sq mtrs with
about 2,300–3,200 sunshine hours/year, depending upon the location. Potential areas
for setting up solar power plant can be analyzed using Solar irradiation map of India.
Our Statewise analysis of Solar resource, Business Opportunities and Latest trends in
the states are discussed:
Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh

Maharashtra OrissaPunjab RajasthanUttar PradeshWest Bengal

• Power Shortage: Electricity losses in India during transmission and distribution have
been extremely high over the years and this reached a worst proportion of about 24.7%
during 2010-11. India is in a pressing need to tide over a peak power shortfall of 13%
by reducing losses due to theft. Theft of electricity, common in most parts of urban
India, amounts to 1.5% of India’s GDP. Due to shortage of electricity, power cuts are
common throughout India and this has adversely affected the country’s economic
growth

Solar Cities Master Plan

STATE CITY Plan Description
Guwahati Solar City Master Plan of Guwahati [1]
Assam
Jorhat Solar City Master Plan of Jorhat [2]
 Bilaspur Solar City Master Plan of Bilaspur [3]
Chhattisgarh
Raipur Solar City Master Plan of Raipur [4]

Solar City Master Plan of Gandhinagar [5]

Gandhinagar
Development Project - Gandhinagar [6]

Gujarat
Rajkot Solar City Master Plan of Rajkot [7]

Surat Solar City Master Plan of Surat [8]

Faridabad Solar City Master Plan of Faridabad [9]

Haryana Gurgaon Solar City Master Plan of Gurgaon [10]

Hamirpur Solar City Master Plan of Hamirpur [11]

Himachal Pradesh
Shimla Solar City Master Plan of Shimla [12]
Karnataka Mysore Solar City Master Plan of Mysore [13]
Solar City Master Plan of [14]Aurangabad [14]
Aurangabad
Addendum - Solar City Plan of Aurangabad [15]

Kalyan_Dombivli [16] Solar City Master Plan of Kalyan_Dombivli [17]

Maharashtra

Nagpur Solar City Master Plan of Nagpur [18]

Thane Solar City Master Plan of Thane [19]

Mizoram Aizawal Solar City Master Plan of Aizawal [20]

Nagaland Kohima Solar City Master Plan of Kohima [21]

Solar City Master Plan of Bhubaneswar [22]

Orissa Bhubaneswar
Addendum - of Solar City Plan of Bhubaneswar [23]

Tamil Nadu Coimbatore Solar City Master Plan of Coimbatore [24]

Agra Solar City Master Plan of Agra [25]

Uttar Pradesh Haridwar Solar City Master Plan of Haridwar [26]

Moradabad Solar City Master Plan of Moradabad [27]

Uttarakhand Chamoli Solar City Master Plan of Chamoli [28]

West Bengal Kolkata Solar City Master Plan of New Town Kolkata [29]
 Madhyamgram Solar City Master Plan of Madhyamgram [30]

Solar City Master Plan of Chandigarh [31]

Chandigarh Chandigarh Addendum-1 of Solar City Plan of Chandigarh [32]
Addendum-2 of Solar City Plan of Chandigarh [33]

Akshay Urja Shops

Introduction
The ministry has been promoting the establishment of Aditya Solar Shops in major cities of the
country since 1995 with a view to make solar energy products easily available and to provide
easy after sales repair services. During the 9th Plan period, shops were established by the State
Nodal Agencies (SNAs) / Manufacturer’s Associations and reputed NGOs. During the 10th Plan
period, private entrepreneurs have also been allowed to establish these shops. Under the
present scheme, the shops are renamed as “Akshay Urja Shops” with a view to cover wider sale
and service of all renewable energy devices and systems including solar energy products. The
network of the shops will be expanded by encouraging private entrepreneurs and NGOs to set up
and operate such shops in all districts of the country.
Objective
The objective of the programme is to support the establishment of one shop in each district for
creation of a network of retail outlets in form of “Akshay Urja Shops” in all the districts for sale
and service of solar energy and other renewable energy products.

Major photovoltaic power stations[edit]

Below is a list of solar power generation facilities with a capacity of at least 10 MW.

Major photovoltaic (PV) power plants

DC peak
Plant State Commissioned
power (MW)

Pavagada Solar Park[63] Karnataka 1400 March 2019

21 September
Kamuthi Solar Power Project Tamil Nadu 648
2016[64]

Gujarat Solar Park-1[65] Gujarat 221 April 2012

Madhya
Welspun Solar MP project[66] 151 February 2014
Pradesh
 Major photovoltaic (PV) power plants

DC peak
Plant State Commissioned
power (MW)

ReNew Power, Nizamabad Telangana 143 15 April 2017[67]

Sakri solar plant Maharashtra 125 March 2013

NTPC solar plants[68] 110 2015

Maharashtra I Maharashtra 67 2017

Green Energy Development

Odisha 50 2014
Corporation (GEDCOL)[69]

Tata Power Solar Systems Madhya

50 March 2014
(TPS), Rajgarh[70] Pradesh

Welspun Energy, Phalodhi[71] Rajasthan 50 March 2013

Jalaun Solar Power Project Uttar Pradesh 50 27 January 2016

GEDCOL[72] Odisha 48 2014

Karnataka I Karnataka 40 2018

Bitta Solar Power Plant[73] Gujarat 40 January 2012

Dhirubhai Ambani Solar

Rajasthan 40 April 2012
Park, Pokhran[74]

Rajasthan Photovoltaic Plant[75] Rajasthan 35 February 2013

 Major photovoltaic (PV) power plants

DC peak
Plant State Commissioned
power (MW)

Welspun, Bathinda[76] Punjab 34 August 2015

Moser Baer, Patan district[77] Gujarat 30 October 2011

Lalitpur Solar Power Project[78] Uttar Pradesh 30 2015

Mithapur Solar Power Plant[79] Gujarat 25 25 January 2012

GEDCOL[80] Odisha 20 2014

Madhya
Kadodiya Solar Park 15 2014
Pradesh

Telangana I Telangana 12 2016

Telangana II Telangana 12 2016

NTPC Odisha 10 2014

Sunark Solar Odisha 10 2011

RNS Infrastructure Limited,

Karnataka 10 2016
Pavagada

Bolangir Solar Power Project Odisha 10 2011

Azure Power, Sabarkantha[81][82] Gujarat 10 June 2011

 Major photovoltaic (PV) power plants

DC peak
Plant State Commissioned
power (MW)

Green Infra Solar Energy, Rajkot[83][84] Gujarat 10 November 2011

Waa Solar Power

Gujarat 10 December 2011
Plant, Surendranagar[85]

Sharda Construction, Latur[86] Maharashtra 10 June 2015

Ushodaya Project, Midjil Telangana 10 December 2013

Solar-panel manufacturing in India[edit]

The 2018 manufacturing capacity of solar cells and solar modules in India was 1,590 MW and
5,620 MW, respectively.[232][233] Except for crystalline silicon wafers or cadmium telluride
photovoltaics or Float-zone silicon, nearly 80 percent of solar-panel weight is flat glass.[234] 100-
150 tons of flat glass is used to manufacture a MW of solar panels. Low-iron flat or float glass is
manufactured from soda ash and iron-free silica. Soda-ash manufacturing from common salt is
an energy-intensive process if it is not extracted from soda lakes or glasswort cultivation in alkali
soil. To increase installation of photovoltaic solar-power plants, the production of flat glass and its
raw materials must expand commensurately to eliminate supply constraints or future imports.[235]
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), India, has issued a memorandum to
ensure the quality of solar cells and solar modules.[236] Compliance with the requisite
specifications will grant manufacturers and their specific products an entry in the ALMM
(Approved List of Models and Manufacturers.) [237][238][239] Indian manufacturers are gradually
enhancing the production capacity of monocrystalline silicon PERC cells to supply better
performing and enduring solar cells to local market.[240]
For utility scale solar projects, top solar module suppliers in 2016-17 were: Waaree energy ltd,
Trina Solar, JA Solar, Canadian Solar, Hanwha and GCL Poly.[241] For rooftop solar projects,
international companies with the largest market share in the Indian market were: Waaree energy
ltd, Trina Solar, Canadian Solar, Renesola, REC Solar and Jinko Solar.[242]

Solar energy is a renewable power source

Solar energy is a clean, inexpensive, renewable power source that is harnessable nearly
everywhere in the world - any point where sunlight hits the surface of the earth is a
potential location to generate solar power. And since solar energy comes from the sun, it
represents a limitless source of power. Renewable energy technologies generate
electricity from resources that are infinite. Compare, for instance, producing electricity
with renewable resources to doing so with fossil fuels. It took hundreds of thousands of
years for oil, gas and coal to form, so every time one of those resources are burned to
create electricity, that finite resource is moved marginally closer to depletion. Using a
renewable resource - such as wind, solar and hydropower - to generate electricity, does
not deplete that resource. There will always be consistent sunlight shining on Earth's
surface, and after turning sunlight into electricity, there is still an infinite amount of
sunlight to turn into electricity in the future. That is what makes solar power, by nature,
renewable energy.
While the current electricity mix in the india is still made up largely of fossil fuels like oil
and gas, renewable energy sources like solar are steadily becoming a larger part of the
country's energy profile. As the cost of solar and other renewable technologies continues
to be competitive.

Solar energy + battery storage, electric vehicles and more

The rapid proliferation of solar power nationwide and globally has also led to parallel
growth in several adjacent areas. Notably, energy storage systems and electric vehicles
are two sectors poised to explode alongside solar power by augmenting the benefits of
solar.
Given that solar panels can only produce power when the sun is shining, storing
produced but unused energy throughout the day for use at a later time has become
increasingly important. For instance, solar batteries store electricity and can be drawn on
during periods of low solar production. What’s more, solar-plus-storage solutions work
for all scales of solar panel installations and provide many added benefits, from energy
reliability to grid resiliency and lower-cost power.
Electric vehicles are a second product poised to ride the wave of solar energy adoption.
With lower maintenance costs, lower fuel costs, and a lower environmental footprint than
traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, electric vehicles are set to be an
important piece of the automobile industry for years to come. With increasing electric
vehicle adoption also comes a growing need for electricity to run the vehicles, a perfect
fit for solar energy. Distributed solar installations provide cheap and reliable power for
electric vehicles directly from the sun. In a world of increased electrification throughout
the home, solar power is one of the most inexpensive, reliable, and cleanest ways to fuel
our electrified future.
Conclusion
As the fossil fuels are one of the most the biggest pollutants on the planet, demand
for the non-conventional sources is developing. These sources not only instigate
greenhouse effects but also reduce the dependence on oil and gas. Therefore in
order to meet the energy demand of the increasing population, the scientists are
developing methods for us to tap into various non-conventional sources of energy,
which are not only renewable but also non-polluting.