There is enough power in the sun to light up thousands of homes. With the present technology and current prices of electrical energy in the country, a full-blown conversion to solar energy would prove very expensive. Inadequate technology combined with expensive setups, are some of the biggest bottlenecks to the commercialization of products and services based on solar energy.
Solar energy is beginning to get preference over conventional energy sources for remote and rural areas of the country. At a micro level, it is encouraging the use of solar products such as solar lanterns, torches, healers, cookers, etc.; and at a macro level, it is laying the groundwork for private participation in providing solar street lighting, and even in constructing solar townships.
Almost all technologies currently available for the conversion and utilization of solar energy can be categorized under the umbrella of photovoltaic (PV) or thermal conversion, out of which the photovoltaic technology is the more popular choice. Solar thermal power, on the other hand, is somewhat cumbersome and its suitability is on a case-to-case basis. PV technology relies on direct solar-to-electrical energy conversion using solar cells made of silicon wafers doped with required impurities.
PV cells can be used on a small scale using a couple of solar panels, perhaps installed on a rooftop, or on a larger scale through solar farms comprising rows and rows of such panels and connected to a grid. Solar thermal technology employs the heat energy generated by solar collectors, mostly solar reflectors, to produce steam, which in turn, is used to rotate turbines, thereby producing electricity.
Globally, the demand for PV cells is such that there is a shortage of raw material. The global silicon shortage is acting as a necessity that is mothering the invention of alternatives, what have come to be known as plastic solar cells. Nano-deposits of semiconductor material on glass and polymer foils are able to simulate the actual solar-electrical energy conversion to quite an extent.
The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) has come up with several schemes to not only encourage the use of solar-powered systems, but also facilitate businesses in the arena. It has come up with a four-point financing model based on corporate, co-operative, NGO and dealer mechanisms for benefiting end-users and entrepreneurs alike. The PV Pumping Program provides opportunities for startup financial and solar companies to act as intermediaries for offering solar products to rural users under specific leverage schemes to combat the high cost of initial setup.
Several solar startups in India are offering solutions for rural lighting and electrification. These are offering solar lighting and space heating and cooling solutions to the rural and urban population. Investment in the sector is very high. It also needs to be taken up at the government level, for instance, encouraging its usage by offering rebates, subsidies and soft loans for its function. As for long-term profitability, it is measured taking into account high initial investment costs vis-a-vis energy saving costs spread over the life span of the system. It is the widespread feeling that the emergence of renewable conceptual technologies to benefit the earth and its inhabitants is the next best thing that can happen today.