India has set an ambitious target of generating 100,000 MW
of solar energy by 2022 but does not have the technology to process sand into
silicon, forcing its import in huge quantities, a top scientist said.
"As silicon is not produced in the country, we are totally
import-dependent for it. Though we have plenty of sand as raw material, we
don't have the technology to process it into silicon wafers for solar cells or
panels," former Atomic Energy Commission chairman Srikumar Banerjee told
IANS in an interview at the 103rd Indian Science Congress here, about 140 km
from Bengaluru. Asserting that solar power would reduce carbon footprint in the long-term, Banerjee
said energy generated from cells or panels was, however, 20-25 percent of the
installed capacity as against 80 percent from a nuclear plant.
"As setting up a solar plant is highly capital intensive owing to import
of silicon for panels or photovoltaic cells, its power can only complement
nuclear or other forms of energy, including renewable and conventional,"
Banerjee said on the occasion.
Though India is a tropical country above the equator, with plenty of sunshine,
especially in western, central and southern regions for at least 10 months,
harnessing its energy and distributing it with minimum loss at source or in
transmission is a challenge for its stakeholders in the absence of an ecosystem
yet.
"Unlike nuclear, which is a concentrated form of energy, solar is a
distributed form, enabling us to have a mix of different sources. Both
complement as they emit very low carbon footprint," Banerjee said after
delivering a special address on 'Atomic Energy' in a plenary session in the
University of Mysore campus.
"We can have any installed capacity but what determines its utility and
value is the quantum of energy produced in units per hour. A 1,000 mw
solar-based plant will not produce more than one-third of what a nuclear or
thermal-based plant does per hour," Banerjee pointed out.
Ironically, for various reasons, every energy form has issues, including
environmental, economic, social and political, which delay execution, leading
to cost escalation and shortage in view of the growing demand for power across
the country.
"Our per capita electricity consumption is about 800 kilowatt per hour,
with 25 percent of the population still having no access to power. In contrast,
the world's per capita consumption of power is 2,600 kw per hour. We have to generate
four times the present output to meet the energy needs of our population, which
will be about 1.4 billion in 20 years (2035)," Banerjee noted.
As domestic manufacturing of solar cells and panels was limited, the country is
dependent on imports from China and other countries, including Germany.
"Even if we invest a lot to produce energy from renewable solar and
nuclear sources, our dependence on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas will
continue though we can reduce proportionately to check carbon emission from
thermal power units," he added.
In a related development, the government on December 30 hiked the budget for
tapping solar energy through rooftop installations across the country to a
whopping Rs.5,000 crore from Rs.600 crore earlier.
The increased budgetary support will enable utility providers to source power
generated from rooftops solar systems through a grid over the next five years
under the National Solar Mission. An estimated 4,200 MW of solar rooftop systems are expected to be installed
over the next five years on residential, government, social and institutions
sectors such as hospitals and educational buildings.
OriginalPost: IANS
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