Solar Energy – The Ultimate Solution

Thousands of years ago, might be the human civilization had not imagined about electricity. Gradually many non renewable (Coal, Petroleum, Nuclear etc.) as well as renewable (Hydro, Solar, Wind, Bio etc.) energy sources were identified on the earth. Thanks to many inventions, which made it possible to generate electricity as well as transfer to other form of energy from these natural energy sources.

Hundreds of years we enjoyed the energy resources which have been stored on the earth for thousands of years. We consumed, consumed and consumed… What now? What about our next generation? Would the coming generation be able to enjoy this privilege? Probably no; if we won’t be able to adopt any of the renewable energy sources!!!

Let’s have a look on an analysis which emphasizes the need of renewable energy sources.

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Current Production Capacity

If we would look on to the above table [1], then we can conclude the following findings. The utility electricity sector in India had an installed capacity of 278.734 GW as of 30 September 2015. Renewable Power plants constituted 28% of total installed capacity and Non-Renewable Power Plants constituted the remaining 72%.

Current Demand Vs. Supply Condition

[1] All values are in GW. The values in the figure are as on dated 31^st Mar’15

There is a further surge in demand due to the initiatives like Make in India (Industrialization), 24×7 Electricity for all etc. So, the gap between the demand and supply is going to be more worse.

Gap Bridging Measures

Aam Admi Contribution => Reduction in Consumption

1. Usage of low consumption appliance like LED light
2. Alternate Solutions like Water bottle light bulb [3] / Green building concept

Government Action => Increase in Production

1. Making every house capable of generating electricity required for their own use

Limitations in Increasing Electricity Production

Source of Energy	Limitations
Thermal	Coal supply constraints Efficiency of Plant Environment impact Large Area requirement High investment & time
Crude Oil	Supply constraints Efficiency of Plant Environment impact
Nuclear	Supply constraints Health and Environment impact
Hydro	Site selection Storage of Water Environment impact
Wind	Availability of Wind / Site selection style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:90px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4797280984343374" data-ad-slot="9468432940">

Solar Energy – The Ultimate Solution

A never ending energy source; the Solar energy should be used maximum to generate electricity, which can actually help us to fight with energy deficiency seen today. Following points says why Solar would be the only and the best solution to the scarcity of energy in India.

• Solar radiation of about 5,000 trillion kWh per year over India
• Environment Friendly [2]

• Low installation cost and Minimum running cost [2]

• Installation and generation is possible starting from few watts to MW

So, let’s put together our hands and install solar cells on the roof of our home. This will fulfill our energy requirement and  also we would help our country to face the energy scarcity problem.

References

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_in_India

[2] http://mospi.nic.in/Mospi_New/upload/Energy_stats_2015_26mar15.pdf

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This post is a contribution from Kamlesh Kumar, a Mechanical Engineer, an abstract thinker and an fantastic analyzer of every real life problem.

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