After the grand inauguration of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya on January 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the decision to launch a scheme – Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana – with the goal of installing rooftop solar panels on one crore homes.

Over the past few years, the Modi-led central government has placed a huge emphasis on increasing solar power capacity and a key part of that strategy is the installation of rooftop solar panels, with the total capacity expected to increase from 1.8 GW in 2019 to 10.4 GW in 2024. It has become more. From today.

The Prime Minister said, “The first decision I have taken after returning from Ayodhya is that our government will launch the Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana with the target of installing rooftop solar panels on 1 crore houses.”

He said, “This will not only reduce the electricity bill of the poor and middle class, but will also make India self-reliant in the energy sector.”

The initiative will prove to be a major blow to India’s solar power sector, which has boosted domestic manufacturing capacity, and will significantly hamper the Centre’s stated goal of embarking on the journey towards ensuring 24-hour power supply across India by March 2025. will complete.

This solar scheme, coupled with other schemes dedicated to increasing electricity access such as Saubhagya and Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), is a testament to the Modi-led government’s commitment to ensure access to electricity to all Indians.

It will also strengthen India’s leadership in the International Solar Alliance, which is founded and headquartered in India and comprises 121 countries, as it will illustrate the huge potential of solar energy globally when it comes to empowering the poor And can emerge as a model. Many nations, especially in Africa and Asia.

roof racking

While India is home to some of the largest solar parks in the world, the country has crossed 4 GW of rooftop solar capacity addition in 2023 alone and is projected to add an additional 4 GW over the next two years. The Prime Minister’s latest initiative to install solar power in one crore homes could increase that potential.

By the end of 2023, the cumulative installed capacity in the rooftop solar sector in the country is to exceed 10 GW. Gujarat has emerged as a leader in this sector by contributing a significant 30 percent to the total capacity. Rooftop solar installed capacity has seen substantial growth, from 1.8 GW as of March 31, 2019, to the current 10.4 GW.

The government’s rooftop solar program is geared towards the residential sector, aiming to democratize solar energy access through subsidies. With a special focus on installing solar panels on rooftops, the program aims to empower households to adopt sustainable energy solutions. It is not only a means to achieve India’s green energy goals, but also a sustainable solution to curb rising energy demand, electricity expenses in households.

Additionally, an off-grid solar PV application program is being prepared for rural areas with the goal of providing accessible solar energy through subsidies. Its primary focus lies in implementing off-grid solar PV applications for decentralized power generation, ensuring that remote communities can benefit from sustainable and independent energy solutions.

This, combined with the rooftop solar programme, has made a phenomenal impact in rural areas. Installing rooftop solar power has reduced the burden on rural women and girls, as it eliminates the need to collect fuel wood long distances. This not only reduces the drudgery but also reduces the health risks associated with lung and eye diseases. Additionally, the program generates employment at the rural level, thereby contributing to the overall improvement in living standards.

Drowning in Solar Success

India is enjoying solar power success, boasting of an installed capacity of about 70.10 GW by June 30, 2023. Currently, solar energy accounts for about 38 percent of the total renewable energy capacity. Growing from 21 GW to an impressive 70 GW in the last five years, India has now become the world’s fourth largest solar power player. With an ambitious target of reaching 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, the sun seems to be shining on India’s clean energy aspirations.

Since India has abundant sunlight, solar energy has been an integral part of the larger strategy for renewable energy capacity. The country has abundant solar energy potential, with approximately 5,000 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of solar energy incident on its land area every year. In many areas of the country, the average daily yield per square meter is 4-7 kWh.

Furthermore, India generally has about 300 clear and sunny days in a year, which provides a favorable environment for harnessing solar energy. This wealth of solar resources highlights a significant opportunity for India to expand its solar energy capacity and contribute to a more sustainable and clean energy future.

manufacturing for solar energy

The addition of solar panels to over one crore homes under the Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana will provide a major boost to local manufacturers, who are seeing a boom in business mainly due to the government’s push for self-reliance or ‘atmanirbharta’.

In recent years, the Center has implemented several measures aimed not only at increasing the proportion of solar energy in the country’s energy mix but also significantly increasing India’s presence in the global solar manufacturing sector. The government has resorted to quick solutions as well as long term solutions to make the sector active and energetic.

An important step that has been very beneficial for the manufacturing sector is the government’s option to impose 40 percent basic customs duty on solar modules and 25 percent duty on solar cells. This opened a much-needed window for domestic manufacturers to increase production capacity in line with the growing local and international demand.

Providing further impetus to the sector, the government has launched the Production-Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) to promote self-reliance in the solar manufacturing sector and diversify supply chains away from China. The government’s initial PLI for solar manufacturers is robust with a total outlay of Rs 14,007 crore.

Under PLI (tranche-I), integrated capacity of 8.737 GW has been added. In the field of solar PV manufacturing projects, 11 companies including Indosol, Reliance Industries, Tata Power Solar and Renew and First Solar have secured projects with a total capacity of 39.6 GW.

This is part of the PLI scheme for high efficiency solar PV modules (tranche-II). Breaking down the allocated capacity, 39.6 GW of domestic solar PV module manufacturing capacity has been allocated. As per the operational timeline, 7.4 GW is estimated to be operational by October 2024, with 16.8 GW targeted for April 2025. The remaining 15.4 GW capacity is scheduled to be operational by April 2026.

In the first half of 2023, India is reported to have cut its solar module imports from China by nearly 80 percent, resulting in a reduction of $2 billion, while also boosting its domestic manufacturing capacity which is expected to grow rapidly. Ready for.

As global momentum grows towards reducing dependence on fossil fuels to combat climate change, India’s solar energy sector is gaining international recognition. A report by Wood Mackenzie predicts that by 2025, India will become the world’s second-largest solar module producer, challenging China’s dominance. While China holds 80 percent share in the global solar module supply chain, India is moving towards breaking this monopoly.

Notably, India’s solar manufacturing capacity is ramping up to meet demand from the US, which already accounts for about 93 percent of India’s solar PV exports. This transformation marks a promising development in India’s solar industry.