Solar Energy Industry in India & Its Future Prospects
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| PV Solar System Installer training programme - March 2015 at IST |
initiatives such as tax exemptions and subsidies. Due to technical potential of 5,000 trillion kWh per year and
minimum operating cost, Solar Power is considered the best suited energy source for India.
Much of the country does not have an electrical grid, so solar power will indeed be a boon for water
pumping, to begin replacing India's four to five million diesel powered water pumps, each consuming about
3.5 kilowatt of off-grid lighting. Solar energy technology consists of solar thermal technologies, which utilize
sun’s energy and solar photovoltaic technology, which convert solar energy directly into electricity.
India has been ranked 7th worldwide for solar photovoltaic (PV) cell production and secure 9th rank in solar
thermal power generation. This capacity is growing rapidly due to the entry of various private players in
manufacturing of solar energy equipment.
Top Five States in India with Highest Renewable Energy Capacity
Tamil Nadu
Total renewable energy capacity in the state of Tamil Nadu is 7,491 MW. Wind energy is dominant in all form of renewable energy in the state (7,154 MW, Reference: C-WET, Feb 2013). The state has conventional electricity capacity of 10,438 MW. Renewable energy has around 37% share in total electricity generation capacity of the state.
Total renewable in the state of Maharashtra is 4,497 MW. Wind energy dominant in all form of renewable energy in the state followed by bagasse and small hydel. Maharashtra has 2,976 MW of wind energy installed capacity (Reference: C-WET, Feb 2013).The state has conventional electricity capacity of 24,105 MW. Renewable energy has 14% share in total electricity generation capacity of the state.
Gujarat
Total renewable energy capacity in the state of Gujarat is 4,042 MW. Wind and Solar sectors are dominant in total renewable energy generation. Gujarat has total 3,114 MW of installed capacity for Wind energy (GEDA, As on April 2013) and 852 MW of installed capacity for Solar (GEDA, As on March 2013). The state has conventional electricity capacity of 21,294 MW. Renewable energy has 15% share in total electricity generation capacity of the state.
Karnataka
Total renewable energy capacity in the state of Karnataka is 3,571 MW. Wind (2,113 MW, Reference: C-WET, Feb 2013) and bagasse based electricity generation is dominant in all form of renewable energy in the state. The state has conventional electricity capacity of 6,648 MW. Renewable energy has 26% share in total electricity generation capacity of the state.
Rajasthan
Total renewable energy capacity in the state of Rajasthan is 3,360 MW. Wind (2,355 MW, Reference: C-WET, Feb 2013) and Solar based electricity generation is dominant in the state. The state has conventional electricity capacity of 8,310 MW. Renewable energy has about 25% share in total electricity generation capacity of the state.
