10/03/2015
Will govt warm up to solar energy?
NAGPUR: The governments, both at the centre and in the state, are giving much attention to renewable energy, especially solar energy, in the last few months. The high initial cost of investment has meant that generating solar energy has never gained much popularity in India. Experts believe that with the technological advances that improve the affordability and efficiency of solar products, along with governmental support, the scenario can change drastically this year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already pledged his support to the renewable energy sector. State energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule also revealed plans of building solar plants with a total capacity of 7500MW. People from the industry feel that if incentives, tax rebates and favourable policies are introduced soon, the solar power sector could see a rise of up to 10% in business.
"There is a notable shift among commercial users wherein many of them have started showing preferences to opt for green products like solar water heaters wherever they can integrate it in their applications. A new technology in the form of Vacuum Tube Collectors (VTC) has further improved affordability of solar products as it uses glass instead of metal. The only problem is that it is being imported from China which is the largest manufacturer of evacuated tubes in the world," said Nitin Sangle, business head for renewable energy business at Racold Thermo.
"Instead of letting the funds collected through subsidies and rebates flow to China, the government should invest to make our country independently manufacture these glass tubes using the same technology. This will help us produce these tubes at the same or lower costs which would be further beneficial for the industry," said Vivek Bhore, one of the only four persons in India having PhD in solar energy.
Trader Ragbir Singh Chawla who deals with solar products believes that just like personal loans, the government should make provision for loans meant for investing in solar energy. "Several countries have such provision. I am sure a little bit of liberty from government to provide the customers their loan and provide the manufacturers their subsidies can change the present situation," he said.
"Under the JNNSM program, the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) offers very attractive subsidy to consumers in order to encourage them to opt for solar products. In addition to lowering the initial investments for buyers, the government subsidy programme has also helped in building the credibility and in increasing the pe*******on of solar products in domestic and commercial segments, which lasts despite the subsidies," said Sangle. He gave the example of solar water heaters where the government had withdrawn subsidy. This created a temporary phase of slowdown for only a month before normalizing as the product has a proven track record.
"If we look at the combined market pe*******on as well as market potential of alternate energy products (solar, wind, biomass), it makes a very significant number. However, the current pe*******on is just a tip of the iceberg. The industry can grow multifold if combined efforts by the government and industry are put at creating awareness and consumer pull for these alternate technology products," said Sangle.
Bhore concluded by saying that there's a huge number of Indians who believe solar energy is beneath their social status, therefore a compulsory investment on some form of renewable energy should be made for people who earn above a certain amount.
