Can solar sector keep growing? - Power Engineering

Tariffs have given solar sector a much-needed boost in India, but the question is if they would help in bringing technological development. Sumanto Basu and Pallavi Bedi take stock

A kin to the global position, there is a growing demand in India for alternative sources of energy (such as wind, solar and biomass) to address climate change and energy security concerns.

The Indian Government under the Electricity Act, 2003 (the principal statute covering major issues involving generation, distribution, transmission and trading of power) has included provisions which accelerate the development of renewable sources of energy. India being a tropical country has abundant sunlight and hence 'Solar' is one of the prominent renewable energy resources in India.

Promoting solar power generation has recently been at the centre stage of India's plan to increase generation of electricity from renewable sector. One such initiative to promote solar power generation is the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). The Government of India through JNNSM wishes to promote ecologically sustainable growth while addressing India's energy security challenge. The objective of JNNSM is to establish India as a global leader in solar energy by creating policy conditions for its diffusion across the country.