Across Seven Seas and Thirteen Rivers

In the realm of renewable energy, India is currently doing rather well in both hydro-electricity and wind power. Today, India has an installed capacity of 30,000 MW hydro-electric power, which is approximately 20% of the estimated total capacity. Similarly, India’s installed wind power capacity is 8,000 MW, which again is approximately 20% of the estimated total capacity. However, in solar power the picture is very different. At this time India’s total installed solar power capacity is a meager 100 MW, which indicates that solar power has not even begun to scratch the surface. The game stopper here is the capital cost of the equipment, which includes the solar panel comprising photo-voltaic cells, storage batteries and high lumen yet low wattage LED's. There are other challenges as well. For example, the equipment must be rugged enough to withstand the vagaries of the weather and have a long service life. Due to its high capital cost, today, it is widely acknowledged that solar ...