|
Sensing the huge demand for Off-grid connections in the future, the Indian Government will be offering loans through agencies, self-help groups, PSUs and NGOs to attract even small-time manufacturers.
Gujarat-based Gadhia Solar Energy System has designed and installed the World’s largest solar steam cooking system at Saibaba Santhan Trust in Shridi, Maharashtra. Installed on July 30, the environmental-friendly technology will reportedly cook food for 20,000 pilgrims per day.
Manufactured within a period of 10 months, the system comprises 73 automatically tracked solar dishes and generates around 3,500 kg of steam daily. The system is path-breaking in the sense that even when the electricity is not available to run the feed water pump for circulating water in the system, it could produce adequate amount of steam to cook food for requisite number of people. The system supposedly consists of a steam header connected to large number of receivers where water can be stored in the morning when electricity is available.
The total expenditure of the system amounted to Rs.1.33 crore and the Minister of New and Renewable Energy has provided a subsidy to the tune of Rs.58.4 lakh to the trust for the same. The system is being considered to be a massive money saver, considering its usage might save nearly 1, 00,000 kg of liquefied petroleum gas per year which is equivalent to around Rs.20 lakh.
Companies specializing in manufacturing of small capacity solar-powered systems-- Gadhia is one among them-- like home lighting systems, solar lanterns, pumps, traffic blinkers, illuminating hoardings and billboards, cookers, geysers, traffic signals and power plants- all clubbed together as off-grid –can now look forward to government support in a more proactive way.
The centre is planning to disburse soft loans and subsidies by roping in the services of not just central and state government ministries and departments but even local bodies, public sector undertakings, educational/technical institutions, non-banking financial companies, self-help groups, non-governmental organizations and the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) will also be actively involved.
The off-grid connection will have a huge market in the future. And if we offer soft loans, it will attract even small time manufacturers, informed Gauri Singh joint secretary, MNRE. The scheme, however, will not cover larger manufacturers of solar photo-voltaic (SPV) cells and modules.
India is a blessed country in terms of solar energy, as most of the regions enjoy nearly 300 sunny days a year, so naturally an ideal market for solar power companies. However, the major roadblock seems to be the high-cost of light-to-electricity conversion-at Rs.12 to Rs.20 per Kwh.
So despite being involved in the industry for over two decades, India attracts domestic revenues in between $250 million and $500 million. India’s 60-70 percent of solar ware is exported to Europe, North America and China.
The Indian government has decided to achieve a target of 1,000 Mw of solar power generation for the Eleventh Five Year Plan, and 20 giga watt (Gw) by 2020. The project primarily will cover huge grid-connect solar power plants. However, the little known fact is that the government has prepared an outlay of Rs.375 crore for the remaining period of the 11th plan.
Though cost is the major deterrent, we believe sponsoring such innovative projects will give the much-needed boosts to solar-based projects, informed a top source of IREDA.
The government is planning to come up with 2 million such SPV applications by 2020. Till March, this year, around 637,000 solar cookers, 434,692 home lighting systems and 697,419 lanterns have been distributed to the people in the country.
Further, under the government’s Remote Village Electrification Programme, solar home lighting systems will be provided in majority of the 5,379 un-electrified villages.
Moreover the governments of Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Union territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Chandigarh have given orders to urban local bodies to install solar water heaters in functional buildings in their respective states.
The MNRE has been offering a subsidy of 25 and 50% on concentrating cookers and 50-90% on home light systems depending on the general/specific category states. A financial support of Rs.2, 400 will also be given on solar lanterns in unelectrified villages and hamlets of special category states and Union Territories.
In the last three years around Rs 195 crore has been spent on solar cookers and SPV systems- including solar lanterns and solar home lighting systems. In the current year, the government has allocated an amount 89 crore for SPV systems and demonstration programme on solar thermal systems which includes solar cookers.
|
