Our country India’s part in the consumption of coal is 11% of the worldwide consumption. This is a big figure as India houses only a meager 8% of the coal reserves worldwide. Estimates say that our coal reserves would last for a maximum period of a decade. Further, there has been 4.2% increase in the rate of energy consumption in the recent years because of the energy demands of the growing Indian population. With such an exploitation of non-renewable energy resources, not only does our energy resources get depleted, but also there are issues faced due to heavy greenhouse gas emission. So, it is time we start meeting at least a part of our energy demands by switching to a renewable energy resource such as the solar energy.
Solar energy potential in India
The solar energy potential in India is immense. For, there are some sunny days a year. This means that we can harness the solar energy of 5000 trillion (1012) kilowatt-hours per year. This amount is far more surpassing than the energy output of all fossil fuel energy reserves in India, which was 1209 * 107 kilowatt- hour last year.
Until the past decade, widely adopting solar energy was not a feasible thing, mainly due to the high initial investment costs of the equipment needed. Over the past couple of years, there has been a tremendous change in this regard. People, institutions, industries and other commercial entities have started switching to solar power. This is further supported by the government’s initiatives around clean energy.
Moreover, today you can get a range of solar appliances at the touch of a button. Yes, you can buy solar devices online in India. Numerous manufacturers have come up with a variety of solar appliances; and e-commerce stores out there sell solar water heaters, solar water pumps, solar lamps, solar chargers, and a lot more. You can check those out along with their prices online.
Because of our country’s climatic appropriateness for solar energy, presently it is one of the nations with the highest solar electricity production per watt installed. Given below are a few fully functional solar plants in our country:
Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park, Andhra Pradesh generates 1000 MW power.
The Kamuthi Solar Power Project, Tamil Nadu. It generates 648 MW power- the highest solar power capacity in a single location.
Sakri solar plant, Maharashtra generates 125 MW power.
Solar CSP plant, Dhirubhai Ambani, Rajasthan generates 100 MW power.
The Gujarat Solar Park, Charanka village generates 1100 MW power. It is Asia’s largest solar park.
Solar power in homes and villages
Until a decade before, there were wide prevalent doubts in the minds of people about harnessing using solar power. But today all such hindrances to solar power are gone. Several villages have now adopted solar energy and are operating on solar power remotely. Many homes too have adopted solar energy in our country. They are using solar energy for running lights, electrical appliances, lamps, water heaters, cell phone chargers, etc. You can buy solar devices online in India. In remote villages, solar energy is particularly used for pumping water for irrigating crops, feeding livestock, and providing potted drinking water. Five states including Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh contribute to 67% of the total solar power capacity operation in our nation.
Soon, solar energy will become the major source of energy in our country as governments, private sectors, public sectors, organizations, households, and institutions are increasingly adopting solar energy.
