Solar Mission of India
Thursday, 01 April 2010 05:30 Edit

why not synergise across Afro-Asia?

If ever there was a case for policy to make an impact on social and economic conditions of a nation, then there can be no more worthy candidate than solar energy.

Therefore it is all the more important, nay critical, that policy in India, and the countries of Africa and Asia, lay out bold visions and investments to harness the sun.

Mr. Sun gets up every morning and goes to work for man. Humankind is at last waking up to move away from dinosaurian dependence—and there is urgency
now. It may be strange to think that a planet and its inhabitants who have evolved and lived through millions of years now suddenly needs one—our—generation to deliver all answers for the future of mankind. Today, it does seem so. Let us examine—India has at last gathered the policy and planning wits to aim for 20,000 MW of solar energy by 2022 under the National Solar Mission unveiled on January 11 2010. The policy provides an enabling framework and incentives—all cued to drive down the per unit cost for the consumer.

Unfortunately this is the core issue with solar energy - there surely is a path ahead, but the present technology and volumes are economically not viable, and each government is individually struggling to drive up the volumes.

It is therefore a submission of this column that the government of India and like-minded countries of Africa and Asia must pool together their planning on solar energy—to obtain economies of scale.

If we pool the solar energy plans of India along with other countries of Africa and Asia, we may find that the cumulative total target is no less than 200,000 MW by 2022. If we can even synchronise or harmonise, plans for say, 100,000 MW—imagine the effect it shall have on entrepreneurs and innovations, and per unit costs?

This column therefore urges the reader to consider the aggregation of solar energy strategies among our various countries—so that the volumes provide necessary incentive for innovations, R&D, private equity investments, and even PPP ventures in this sunrise sector.

I am sure this Chronicle will act as an enabling catalyst in this noble effort.

Robinder Sachdev
President
The Imagindia Institue