Ravi Pradhan, an NRI, to start 5 MW Solar plant in Nagpur

Ravi Pradhan, a non-resident Indian (NRI) with roots in Nagpur, wants to  set up solar power plants in Nagpur district. He has set up a private limited company along with local associates.  

And, on July 7, 2010  he unveiled a plan to build a 5MW photo voltaic plant and, subsequently, a solar thermal power plant with up to 50 MW generating capacity.  Pradhan, the founder of the company, did his schooling in Nagpur and later graduated in mechanical engineering from VRCE (now known as VNIT). 

Starting his career with Hindustan Motors, Pradhan later shifted to the US where he did his post graduate studies and worked for top American companies, including Bechtel, which is a global player in solar energy technology. He is one of the few experts in nuclear energy field and hopes to contribute in the sector which has thrown open after the Indo-US nuclear pact signed last year. “The over-dependence on fossil fuels has led to problems of climate change, greenhouse gasses and pollution. 

Moreover, the BP oil spill in southern coast of US has devastated lives of millions of people there and necessitated a hard look at renewable, clean energy alternatives,” said Pradhan. Having gained rich experience in energy sector he now wants to contribute to his mother nation and Nagpur was the obvious choice. “Fortunately, like most of India, Vidarbha is in the yellow belt with sunny days of around 300 days a year,” said Pradhan. So, Pradhan Energy Projects Pvt Ltd (PEPPL) has started looking for land to start the 5 MW photovoltaic (PV) plant. 

“For setting up PV panels, we will need at least 25 acres of land. We have decided to buy directly through negotiations with land owners at the prevailing market rate and not depend on government acquired land. The idea is to earn their goodwill. Not only will we pay them the market price but also provide direct employment to 250 locals at the plant,” said Prakash Kulkarni, ex technical director of MSEB, who joined PEPPL as project director. Admitting that the initial investment for solar plant is much higher that conventional coal-fired plant, Pradhan says a PV plant costs Rs 18 crore to produce 1 MW. 

Solar Street Light in Chakauti

Guidelines for Rooftop and Other Small Solar Power Plants

There are large number of areas in India (including our village Chakauti) without access to electricity. Rest of the country is suffering from Power Shortage. Huge quantities of Kerosene and Diesel is used for lighting and power generation. And still, there is darkness all around. Therefore,  rapid  tapping of Solar Energy resources  is essential for sustenance in the country. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission announced in January 2010   with this purpose has laudable objectives  to fulfill.  Besides production of 1000 MW Solar Energy to be supplied through Grids, there is a proposal to create 200 MW Off Grid Solar Energy through Rooftop and Other Smaller Solar Power Plants, which  gives the possibility of greater access to the common people  and smaller entrepreneurs.  In this connection the Guidelines issued by Government of India on June 16, 2010 are very important. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited(IREDA) which has been declared the "Programme Administrator" for Rooftop and Other Small Solar Power Plants by the Government of India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), has issued guidelines for Rooftop and Other Small Solar Power Plants.  These Guidelines can be viewed at the following website :

  
http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/jnnsm-g170610.pdf

Sufferings in power-starved Bihar : Solar Energy: a lovely dream

As the mercury soars to 40 degrees Celsius and above, traditional cooling with hand fans to beat the heat is the only way out  in the power-starved Bihar.   People are forced to live in the lantern age. A running fan is a luxury there.  Electricity, wherever it is there, fails regularly. 

All towns, districts and villages are hit badly due to  lack of power. If there is power at night, it is considered a gift for the few who have electricity connections for a few hours.Power shortages have sparked protests in several places in the state. Electricity offices have been attacked in towns while protest marches have been taken out.

Bihar faced a deficit of more than 1,000-1,200 MW of power a day. Bihar faces a serious power crisis due to shortage of supply from the central grid.  Bihar produced 100-120 MW a day from its two thermal power units at Barauni in Begusarai and Kanti in Muzaffarpur district. The state is dependent on central grid for power. Bihar needs 2,200-2,500 MW of power a day but gets less than 900 MW from the central  pool despite a daily allocation of 1,646 MW.


Compare this with the targets set for 2022 by  Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission for solar power installation in the country targeting  20,000 megawatt (Mw) of solar power for which several  companies are investing over Rs 1,00,000 crore. Proposals worth over Rs 1.2 lakh crore under the Special Incentive Package Scheme from solar and photovoltaics (PV) manufacturers were received in 2009.

 To make solar power attractive, project developers have been offered a 10-year tax holiday for photovoltaic (PV) and thermal solar plants set up by 2020, reduced customs duty and zero excise duty on specific capital equipment, critical materials and project imports, besides loans at cheap interest rates. As per the Generation Based Incentive programme, the Government will provide financial assistance of Rs 12 per unit in case of solar photovoltaic and Rs 10 per unit in case of solar thermal power fed to the electricity grid from a grid interactive solar power plant of a capacity of 1 MW and above for a period of 10 years.  Solar equipment makers will also get several incentives as per Special Incentive Package for setting up integrated solar manufacturing plants.

There is enormous potential for off-grid PV deployment in India, based on real needs and benefits, in the areas of rural lighting and electrification, for powering irrigation pump sets, back up power generation for the expanding network of cellular towers across the country, captive power generation, urban applications and highway lighting,

Solar energy itself is in a nascent stage in India, with less than 10 mw of installed capacity. India has a total installed generation capacity of almost 1,60,000 mw.

Quantum Leap in Solar Energy Generation

Solar Power Installation in the country is targetted to reach 20,000 megawatt by 2022   —A large number of companies have proposed investments totalling over Rs 1,00,000 crore. Huge incentives offered by the government are irresistible for  business houses.   Solar project  promoters  have lined up huge investments as the opportunities coming up are  very huge. Last year  the government received proposals worth over Rs 1.2 lakh crore under the Special Incentive Package Scheme from solar and photovoltaics (PV) manufacturers.

To make solar power attractive, project developers have been offered many fiscal incentives, including a 10-year tax holiday for photovoltaic (PV) and thermal solar plants set up by 2020, reduced customs duty and zero excise duty on specific capital equipment, critical materials and project imports, besides loans at cheap interest rates. As per the Generation Based Incentive (GBI) programme, the Government will provide financial assistance of Rs 12 per unit in case of solar photovoltaic and Rs 10 per unit in case of solar thermal power fed to the electricity grid from a grid interactive solar power plant of a capacity of 1 MW and above for a period of 10 years.  Solar equipment makers will also get several incentives as per Special Incentive Package (SIP), for setting up integrated solar manufacturing plants.

भारत की सौर ऊर्जा उत्पादन क्षमता विश्व में सर्वप्रथम

India is currently ranked number one  in the world   along with the United States in terms of installed Solar Power generation capacity. 

However, our current output is as low as follows:

• Number of solar street lighting systems: 55,795
• Number of home lighting systems: 342,607
• Solar lanterns: 560,295
• Solar photovoltaic power plants: 1566 kW
• Solar water heating systems: 140 km² 
• Box-type solar cookers: 575,000
• Solar photovoltaic pumps: 6,818     

Govt. has $19 billion plan to produce 20 GW of solar power by 2020  and under the National Action Plan  we have plan to generate 1,000 MW of power by 2013.

We have 300 clear sunny days in a year. Our total theoretical solar power capacity is about 5000 trillion kwhryr ~ 600 TW.  This is far more than our current total energy consumption.

We have  a long  way  to  go in effective production to meet our solar energy needs.

भारत की प्रचुर सौरशक्ति India has abundant Sunshine

 Solar lanterns will light up rural households

The average number of sunny days in India ranges from 250 to 300 days a year, with a solar energy equivalent to or greater than the country’s total energy consumption. Energy efficiency is critical to India's large and growing population. Solar lanterns, which make the most of the country’s natural and abundant sunshine, could be a practical and clean energy alternative to kerosene lamps in village communities. Solar energy has the potential to improve the living conditions of poor rural households in India as well as contribute to the country’s future energy security.

By using solar lanterns, there will be substantial saving compared to the kerosene and electricity costs. Expenditure on kerosene and electricity will drop significantly after solar lanterns are introduced. Each household is likely to make savings ranging from Rs 7,200 to Rs 12,000 approx annually. The solar lanterns will particularly benefit school-aged children and women. With five to six hours of light supplied daily by the solar lanterns, study hours will increase which will have a positive influence on the children’s performance at school. Women will also be able to perform their routine household work both indoors and outdoors during power outages.

The use of solar energy will contribute to India’s future energy security, particularly in rural areas where the technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity offers a decentralised alternative to uncertain electricity supplies.

In India, approximately 70 per cent of rural areas lack electricity. Even out of electrified villages, 70 percent of the villages connected to power grids do not receive power because the power companies redirect electricity to major towns and cities. Over 60 per cent of rural households use kerosene lamps for lighting. Kerosene lamps are not only expensive, they are also inefficient, potentially dangerous and a major source of greenhouse gases.

If implemented efficiently, renewable energy projects could not only improve the quality of life for India’s rural poor but also enhance sustainable use of the environment.