Five of the top ten economies with solar energy potential are in Asia, including India, China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam.
At present, solar energy will not only be a necessity of the future, it will be an imperative. But it will be fully capable and powerful only when it can be accessible to all. Geographically India is one of the tropical countries, where there is sunshine for three hundred days in a year.
Obviously, this can make India a strong country in terms of solar energy. However, as of now concrete arrangements have not been made in this direction, as it should be. But generating electricity through conventional means is becoming increasingly expensive, so solar energy is emerging as a better alternative.
Significantly, by 2035, the demand for solar energy in the country is expected to increase seven times. India’s population will exceed that of China in no time. In such a situation, solar energy will be more effective in the electricity requirement of the world’s largest populated country. The fact is also that solar energy is a far better option from the point of view of the environment as well.
A large part of India’s energy demand is met by thermal energy, which is dependent on fossil fuels. By the way, only energy production around the world emits about twenty billion tons of carbon dioxide and other pollutants every year, which are responsible for climate change. Obviously, solar power also helps cut carbon emissions. Solar energy is such a clean form of energy that is a great alternative to conventional energy sources.
India, a developing economy, has been exploring various energy options. India has been facing new challenges due to industrialization, urbanization including agriculture and everyday electricity needs. Due to the high population density, where the availability of land for setting up solar plants is less, on the other hand, it is not possible to supply the required amount from conventional energy.
Then again solar power is not just a pleasant aspect, the waste generated from it may be the challenge of the future. At present, India is in trouble regarding the disposal of many wastes including e-waste, and plastic waste. It is estimated that by 2050, solar waste in India is likely to be around 1.8 million tonnes. Apart from all this, India is also facing challenges between prioritizing its domestic goals and WTO commitments.
At present, various schemes are also being run by the Central and State Governments to promote the use of solar energy. Solar panels are being made available at a very low cost. There is also a provision for subsidy on setting up solar plants. But it should also be understood that every fifth person in India is below the poverty line. From slums to kutcha houses, the number is also in abundance here. According to the 2011 census, 65 million people in the country live in slums and crores are homeless. In such a situation, installing solar panels is a challenge of its own kind. The Government of India had promised to provide two crore pucca houses by 2022. If these houses become available, then perhaps they will also be useful for installing solar panels.
The government has set a target of 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by the end of 2022. This includes 60 GW of wind energy, 10 GW of biomass and only 5 GW of hydropower, while 100 GW of solar power alone. However, at the rate at which the power requirement is increasing, it will have to keep increasing manifold over time. But this is possible only when solar panels are cheap and durable.
Along with this, it can reach the rooftops of more and more people and solar parks should also be increased. Indian goods have always been in competition with Chinese companies. Indian domestic manufacturers are not that strong technically and economically, so dependence on the market of other countries has to be reduced. There are many possibilities for new employment opportunities in the solar energy sector. Statistics show that one gigawatt of solar power generation can provide direct and indirect employment to about four thousand people. Apart from this, employment opportunities can also be found in its operation and maintenance.
While India is expected to account for eight per cent of the total global solar capacity by 2035, it is also expected to emerge as a global leader with a capacity of 363 GW. International Solar Alliance, which was launched by India and France on 30 November 2015 in Paris. It was initiated by India. At that time the Paris Climate Conference was going on. There are one hundred and twenty-two countries in this organization, whose position is between the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn. The Sun shines directly between these two lines throughout the year, due to which the maximum amount of sunlight and light can be seen. However, on the equator, it remains maximum in the proportion of sunlight and heat.
The country’s best solar power project has been started in the Thar desert of Rajasthan in India. If we look at the target of the Solar Energy Mission, apart from setting up a solar grid with a capacity of 20,000 MW by 2022, a strategic plan for the smooth operation of a 2,000 MW non-grid is visible. Two crore solar lights have also been included in this mission by 2022. Installation of e-charging stations has been started.
This is a great step for solar-powered vehicles. Significantly, the vehicle industry in India has also started adopting solar energy rapidly and such vehicles are being made which can be run on solar energy instead of petrol, or diesel. Skill development is an essential requirement for the execution of any scheme. is the side. The skilled human resource of any country is like lifeblood for developmental and reformative planning. While there is an acute shortage of it in India, there has also been a challenge regarding the cost.
The average cost of solar energy is more than one lakh rupees per kilowatt, which is not affordable for everyone. There are two and a half lakh panchayats and six and a half lakh villages in India, where poles and wires have more or less reached, but electricity rarely runs in them. Rural entrepreneurship and the medium, small and small scale industries there struggle with lack of electricity, due to which many skills remain grounded and their migration to cities becomes their compulsion. There are many such handicraft related businesses in the villages, from the dairy industry, in which solar energy can make a valuable contribution and the villages can become self-sufficient.
By the way, India has also done wonders in the field of solar energy to some extent. In the first half of the current financial year, due to solar power generation, 19.4 million tonnes of coal has been saved and additional expenditure of $ 4.2 billion has been avoided. Five of the top ten economies with solar energy potential are in Asia, including India, China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. At present, solar energy will not only be a necessity of the future, but it will also be imperative. But it will be fully capable and empowered only when it can reach everyone.
