Looking at a solar future

Ashish Joshi, Director, Addin Power Limited

“Subsidy in residential rooftop solar is one of the best initiatives in solar sector, which has enabled several individuals to take the benefit of subsidies to install solar projects”

Indian power sector is undergoing a major transformation and solar power generation is set to see a massive increase by 2040. Ashish Joshi, Director of Addin Power Limited, explains the strengths and shortcomings in the solar sector.

What are your views on the current development in power sector?
Power is one of the most critical components of infrastructure and crucial for the economic growth of nations. The development of adequate infrastructure is essential for sustained growth of the Indian economy. India’s power sector is one of the most diversified in the world. Massive addition of solar power projects is currently going on in India in order to meet the increasing demand for electricity. In India, 24GW solar power projects have been installed till date and a total of 100GW is expected to be installed under National Solar Mission by 2021-2022. However, we are missing to focus on the consumer awareness for solar project.

Can electrification drive India’s growth?
India’s energy consumption has doubled since the 2000 and is expected to increase even more by 2040, which will account for one-fourth of global increase in that same period. Even though India is the third largest market in terms of gross electricity generation, it still has almost 250 million people without access to power. Rectifying this situation would be critical to ensure that India’s economy grows five-fold by 2040, given that policies such as Make in India, and Digital India are a big success. Energy growth will therefore become crucial for powering the country’s future. Renewable energy will also play a huge part in India’s economic growth.

Has government initiatives been beneficial for solar sector?
The Indian government has taken several initiatives to promote solar energy. In last two years, 15 GW of solar projects have been installed in India. On the other hand, the cost of solar project has come down, which makes solar projects affordable. Subsidy in residential rooftop solar project is one of the best initiatives in solar sector, which has enabled several individuals to take the benefit of subsidies to install solar projects.

Tell us about Addin’s contribution to the sector
Despite being newcomers, last year we have achieved good figures in solar project installation for residents as well as for commercial establishments. We are expecting to give our real contribution by the end of 2018-19 by developing 250 MW Solar Power Park in Gujarat.

Do you think there is a vast potential in solar-powered irrigation?
Around 26 per cent of the total power is consumed by agricultural sector. A switch from conventional irrigation pump systems to solar-powered ones in India would save enormous amount of money and generate income for farmers. Recent solar irrigation initiatives by the central government’s Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahaabhiyan (KUSUM) scheme and the Gujarat state government’s Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY) scheme are steps in the right direction.

What needs to be done in solar sector?
The way development in solar sector is going on, India would be able to achieve the power ambitions. The area which needs more focus is smart installation. We should focus where the power supply is not available and for that we should start public awareness in rural areas for solar power utilisation. We should evaluate specific power consumption and take the action accordingly. We should add solar knowledge in education syllabus, so that our young generation will also get the awareness and can act accordingly in future.