More Power to Solar Plans

As the sun shines 300 days in a year, proper utilisation of solar power could undoubtedly light up millions of houses without availability to conventional power across the country.

- Pari Saikia

India’s rural electrification scenario is still in a weak position, thereby, impacting the lives of millions of villag-ers who continue to live in the dark. Even after 70 years of Independence, 100 per cent access to energy by inaccessible regions has not been met. The colossal demand for power exceeds the amount of electricity produced in India.

Going by the record, India’s eight million people or more, are still heavily dependent on firewood, dung cake, kerosene and the like as an alternative source to electricity. The new government is claiming to have achieved groundbreaking progress in taking electricity to the country’s inaccessible areas, hoping to reach 100 per cent electricity access to all by 2019-end.

Placing of grid connection is not feasible due to certain factors such as geographical location, fallible transport connectivity, unfavourable climatic conditions, poor infrastructure, militant threat and others. However, as the sun in India shines for 300 days a year, the utilisation of solar energy could undoubtedly light up deprived houses in every state of India. As the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) states “Around 5,000 trillion kWh per year solar energy is received by India land area with most parts receiving 4 kWh to 7 kWh per square metre per day,” solar could well shine up every nook and corner of the country.