Solar Overview - 2024 (Solar Power deployment)

The Sun has been worshiped as a life-giver to our planet since ancient times. The industrial ages gave us the understanding of sunlight as an energy source. India is endowed with vast solar energy potential.

About 5,000 trillion kWh per year energy is incident over India’s land area with most parts receiving 4-7 kWh per sqm per day. Solar photovoltaic power can effectively be harnessed providing huge scalability in India. Solar also provides the ability to generate power on a distributed basis and enables rapid capacity addition with short lead times.

Off-grid decentralized and low-temperature applications will be advantageous from a rural application perspective and meeting other energy needs for power, heating and cooling in both rural and urban areas. From an energy security perspective, solar is the most secure of all sources, since it is abundantly available.

Theoretically, a small fraction of the total incident solar energy (ifcaptured effectively) can meet the entire country’s power requirements.

In order to achieve the above target, Government of India have launched various schemes to encourage generation of solar power in the country like Solar Park Scheme, VGF Schemes, CPSU Scheme, Defence Scheme, Canal bank & Canal top Scheme, Bundling Scheme, Grid Connected Solar Rooftop Scheme etc.

Government has taken several steps for promotion of solar energy in the country. These include:

1. Permitting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) up to 100 percent under the automatic route,
2. Waiver of Inter State Transmission System (ISTS) charges for inter-state sale of solar and wind power for projects to be commissioned by 30th June 2025,
3. Declaration of trajectory for Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) up to the year 2029-30,
4. Notification of standards for deployment of solar photovoltaic system/devices,
5. Setting up of Project Development Cell for attracting and facilitating investments,
6. Standard Bidding Guidelines for tariff based competitive bidding process for procurement of Power from Grid Connected Solar PV and Wind Projects.
7. Government has issued orders that power shall be dispatched against Letter of Credit (LC) or advance payment to ensure timely payment by distribution licensees to RE generators.
8. Notification of Promoting Renewable Energy through Green Energy Open Access Rules 2022.
9. Notification of “The electricity (Late Payment Surcharge and related matters) Rules 2002 (LPS rules).
10. Launch of Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) to facilitate sale of Renewable Energy power including Solar power through exchanges.

Solar Grid Connected

Solar power sector in India has emerged as a fast-upcoming section in last few years. It supports the government agenda of sustainable growth, while, emerging as an integral part of the solution to meet the nation’s energy needs and an essential player for energy security.

In order to achieve the above target, Government of India have launched various schemes to encourage generation of solar power in the country like Solar Park Scheme, VGF Schemes, CPSU Scheme, Defence Scheme, Canal bank & Canal top Scheme, Bundling Scheme, Grid Connected Solar Rooftop Scheme etc. Various policy measures are also undertaken to promote the grid connected solar power plants.

India has achieved 5th rank in the world in solar power deployment.