VVM (2024-25)

Harnessing Solar Energy

~ By N1ghtmàrè

National Solar Mission

The National Solar Mission is an initiative of the Government of India and State Governments
to promote solar power. The mission is one of the several policies of the National Action Plan
on Climate Change.

 The program was inaugurated as the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission by
former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 11 January 2010 with a target of 20 GW by
2022.

 This was later increased to 100 GW by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2015
Union budget of India.

 India increased its utility solar power generation capacity by nearly 5 times from 2,650
MW on 26 May 2014 to 12,288.83 MW on 31 March 2017. The country added
9,362.65 MW in 2017–18, the highest of any year.
  The original target of 20 GW was surpassed in 2018 (counting only utility installed
capacity), four years ahead of the 2022 deadline.

National Programme On high efficiency solar

Photovoltaic Modules –

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What is photovoltaic (PV) technology and how does it work? PV materials and devices convert
sunlight into electrical energy. A single PV device is known as a cell. An individual PV cell is
usually small, typically producing about 1 or 2 watts of power. These cells are made of
different semiconductor materials and are often less than the thickness of four human hairs. In
order to withstand the outdoors for many years, cells are sandwiched between protective
materials in a combination of glass and/or plastics.

To boost the power output of PV cells, they are connected together in chains to form larger
units known as modules or panels. Modules can be used individually, or several can be
connected to form arrays. One or more arrays is then connected to the electrical grid as part of a
complete PV system. Because of this modular structure, PV systems can be built to meet almost
any electric power need, small or large.

PV modules and arrays are just one part of a PV system. Systems also include mounting
structures that point panels toward the sun, along with the components that take the direct-
current (DC) electricity produced by modules and convert it to the alternating-current (AC)
electricity used to power all of the appliances in your home.

The largest PV systems in the country are located in California and produce power for utilities
to distribute to their customers. The Solar Star PV power station produces 579 megawatts of
electricity, while the Topaz Solar Farm and Desert Sunlight Solar Farm each produce 550
megawatts.

Reference –
https://youtu.be/0elhIcPVtKE?si=xckUsP3ZUxt_yFju

On 11 November, 2020, the Cabinet approved introduction of Production Linked Incentive

(PLI) Scheme for 10 key Sectors, for enhancing India’s manufacturing capabilities and exports
under Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. One of the 10 sectors for which introduction of Production
Linked Incentive (PLI) has been approved by the Cabinet is ‘High Efficiency Solar PV
Modules’ for which Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has been designated as the
implementing Ministry. The financial outlay for PLI for ‘High Efficiency Solar PV Modules’

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(Tranche-I) is ₹ 4,500 crore. On 28.04.2021, MNRE has issued the Scheme Guidelines for
Production Linked Incentive Scheme ‘National Programme on High Efficiency Solar PV
Modules’, with an outlay of Rs. 4,500 crores for supporting setting up of integrated
manufacturing units of high efficiency solar PV modules by providing Production Linked
Incentive (PLI) on sales of such solar PV modules.

Aim:

To promote manufacturing of high efficiency solar PV modules in India and thus reduce import
dependence in the area of Renewable Energy.

Objectives:

• To build up solar PV manufacturing capacity of high efficiency modules

• To bring cutting edge technology to India for manufacturing high efficiency modules. The
scheme will be technology agnostic in that it will allow all technologies. However, technologies
which will result in better module performance will be incentivised

• To promote setting up of integrated plants for better quality control and competitiveness

• To develop an ecosystem for sourcing of local material in solar manufacturing

• Employment generation and technological self-sufficiency

PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana-

PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana is a government scheme that aims to provide free electricity
to households in India. The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
February 15, 2024. Under the scheme, households will be provided with a subsidy to install
solar panels on their roofs. The subsidy will cover up to 40% of the cost of the solar panels. The
scheme is expected to benefit 1 crore households across India. It is estimated that the scheme
will save the government Rs. 75,000 crore per year in electricity costs.

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PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana targets installation of 1 crore solar rooftops in residential
sector. It is estimated that to undertake these targeted installations, the 1 lakh teams comprising
3-4 technicians working full time would be required. In order to ensure that sufficient teams are
available at the ground level, to ensure better consumer experience and ensure quality
installations under the scheme, it is imperative that skilling and capacity building of field
personnel, including installation teams, design teams and vendors is undertaken in a structured
and planned way.

Use Of Solar Thermal Energy :-

 Solar Water Heaters -
Solar water heaters (SWHs) are the simplest application of solar thermal technology
using free energy from the sun to provide hot water for any applications ranging from
domestic to industrial. Solar water heating systems mainly include water storage tanks,
piping systems, and solar collectors. They are a mature technology, pollution-free, cost-
effective, and result in significant savings on electricity bills.
Solar water heater of Solar water heaters (SWHs) of 100-500 liters per day (LPD)
capacity are suited for domestic use. Larger systems can be used in dharamshalas (guest
houses), restaurants, canteens, hotels, hospitals, etc.

 Solar Cookers -
Solar cooking is identified as one of the most viable and sustainable cooking
alternatives which offers key advantages including food nutrition retention, low cost,
and environment-friendly operations.
The solar cooker could be useful to residential schools, institutional kitchens such as
industrial and administrative canteens, religious ashrams, hotels, hospitals, police, and
armed forces kitchens, etc. Solar cookers can save around 35 to 40 LPG cylinders/ year
on full use in community kitchens.
Solar cookers have been designed to cater to specific cooking methods (boiling, frying,
roasting, baking)

 Heating and cooling spaces: Solar thermal energy can be used to heat spaces in homes
and businesses.

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  Industrial processes: Solar thermal power can generate heat at a wide range of
temperatures, making it suitable for industrial applications such as food production,
dairy pasteurization, and water desalination.

 Electricity production: Solar thermal energy can be converted into electricity, though
this is a less common use.

Features of the Bhadla Solar Park in Jodhpur,

Rajasthan:
It’s the world’s largest solar power plant, covering 14,000 acres in the Thar Desert. It has a
capacity of 2,245 megawatts (MW) and can power one million homes. It has 10 million solar
panels. Robots clean the solar panels at night without water. The desert’s temperature of 46–
48°C is ideal for solar panels. The project was funded by $775 million from the Climate
Investment Fund and $1.4 billion from other sources. The park was developed in four phases
starting in 2015. The Solar Energy Corporation in India (SECI) operates the park. The park
helps India reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimize its reliance on fossil fuels. It also
creates jobs in the surrounding communities and improves air quality.

Features Of. Pavagada Solar Park in Tumkur,

Karnataka :
The park is located around 180 km from Bengaluru in the Pavagada region of the tumkur
district. It is spread over 13,000 acres of land that has been taken from 2,300 farmers on a 25 -
year lease. The total capacity of this solar park is said to be 2,000 megawatts.In its first phase, it
will generate 600 MW of power. Work for the remaining 1,400 MW will be commissioned by
the end of the year. This will help increase Karnataka’s power capacity from 23,379 MW and
help bridge the gap between demand and supply of power. The budget for this park is
calculated to be approximately Rs 16,500 crore.

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Quick Facts about Pavagada Solar Park-
Address: Tirumani Village, Pavagada Taluk, Thirumani – 572136

Construction Began: October 2016

Operated By: Karnataka Solar Power Development Corporation Ltd.

Type: Flat-panel PV

Site Area: 13,000 acres (53 km2),

Site Resource: 5.5-6.0 kWh/m2 per day

Power Generation: Units operational – 600 MW [4], Under Construction – 1,400 MW

Features of anantpuram ultra mega solar park

anantpur, Andhra Pradesh :
The 1500-megaWatt NP Kunta Ultra Mega Solar Park is spread across 11,000 acres in
Ananthapuramu district. It commenced operations in 2016 when land was acquired for the
same. The solar power park is a joint venture of Andhra Pradesh Solar Power Corporation Pvt
Ltd, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd, APTRANSCO, Andhra Pradesh Industrial
Infrastructure Corporation, and New & Renewable Energy Development Corporation of AP
Ltd. They acquired lands from the farmers and leased it to five private power generators (Tata
Power Renewable Energy, Azure Power Thirty Six Pvt. Ltd, ACME Solar Holdings Pvt. Ltd,
FRV Power India Pvt. Ltd and NTPC) to set up the power plants. The power generated will be
purchased by the Solar Energy Corporation of India and then sold to other companies.