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PluginIndia Electric Vehicles

Modi's Solar Lining

4/6/2014

4 Comments

 
By Justin Guay and Vrinda Manglik
Narendra Modi has secured India’s prime minister position with a sweeping mandate.
What that mandate will bring is an open question. Many have serious concerns about Modi’s human rights record in Gujarat, while environmentalists worry about his administration's desire to speed environmental clearances for dirty fossil fuel projects.
How Modi uses his mandate leaves the fate of India's future energy mix precariously perched between 19th century fossil fuels and modern clean energy technology.
Modi's energy policy is still heavily reliant on dirty fuel sources, with a special emphasis on increasing coal expansion. However, there is a silver lining - he's all in on solar . With a freshly minted pledge to bring solar power to all 400 million Indians living in the dark, Modi has elevated solar to the prime time - and made an important break with the fossil fuel status quo that the international community will do well to watch.
Picture
Narendra Modi at the Canal Solar Power Project near Chandrasan village in Mehsana district of Gujarat
However, the first and most important thing to realize about Modi's pledge to bring power for all is that it's nothing new. Prime minister after prime minister have promised complete energy access since India's independence in 1947, and all have failed miserably. That's why there are roughly 80 million households still without power. Yet, Modi's pledge is different in one important way - the type of energy he has chosen for the job.

Rather than relying on ineffective, expensive, and slow centralized grid extension, Modi has chosen the most appropriate power source for this job - distributed solar. Of course, breaking with the past failure of fossil fuels by no means ensures future success. But what Modi is promising is the first of its kind anywhere in the world. So, just how ambitious is this promise, and can Modi really deliver? To answer those questions, we need look no further than neighboring Bangladesh - a hot bed for off-grid solar installations.

Bangladesh is home to a whopping 2.8 million off-grid solar home systems, and every single month, the country pumps out 80,000 new installations. That's thanks to the wildly successful Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) program, a model India would be wise to replicate. IDCOL has led to surging 60.86 percent compound annual growth rates (CAGR) over the past decade, increasing the number of solar home systems installed from 25,000 in 2003 to 2.9 million in 2013.  That's a CAGR investors here in the U.S. would drool over.  

Let's compare that growth to what Modi needs in order to deliver on his pledge. According to the 2011 Indian census, there were approximately one million households using solar. In order to increase from that small base of one million to total access for 80 million people in five years, Modi needs to increase the solar sector at a 71.07 percent CAGR. While that seems like a steep demand, judging by Bangladesh's success, it is eminently doable. Especially if you compare it to the 95 percent growth rates the World Bank's Lighting Africa program has clocked for sub-Saharan Africa.
Picture
In sum, Modi's goal is not only achievable, it's already working in both Bangladesh and Africa. If he is able to stay on track, every Indian household may be seeing a brighter solar future very soon.

4 Comments
Ramesh Krishnan
5/6/2014 05:17:34 am

I am a great fan of this website and love its technology discussions. Keep doing the good work.

The Bangladesh Model is where the poor people are empowered and the electricity is developed by the people for themselves. There are such projects in Rajastan as well but on a very small scale.

The Gujrat and Rajastan Model is where Big companies benefited and they will sell the power to the people at a (since its solar) better profit even though at the existing rates and those below the poverty line who cant afford it will obviously be bypassed and power will be delivered to the upmarket sections who can pay.Plus these companies got land at a fraction of the real cost for I wonder how many years.

I only hope that the poor people get to enjoy the advantages of cheap electricity.

Reply
Johnson
8/6/2014 04:48:41 am

Well noted Mr Krishnan... a country can only become developed if the poorer sections of the society are not left ignored and can get their basic needs for free... needs like Electricity, Water, Education, Medical and at least 2 free meals a day...if we can do it then that is SOLID... and damn good development... a country that can send missions to the Moon but cannot do the above is not developed but selfish & capitalistic!

If farmers are committing suicide... we are not a developed nation...but we are putting more land out of cultivation, ignoring that fact.... and going backwards.. most of the slum dwellers especially the Asian cities are farmers who have lost or left their lands and came in the city to seek "jobs".

Surely the new Government looks to be more "Free-Energy" friendly than all the past governments.... and hope they will fast forward the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan of putting 7,000,000 Electric Vehicles on the road by 2020... meaning add around 1,000,000 vehicles every year...even this year!!! That would be a great move!

Reply
Dr.Eng.El-sayyed Gomma MANSI
1/12/2014 09:23:47 am

My dear
We are consulting engineering specialized in power generation
We hope to cooperate as agent or representative office or any method you see. Egypt government decides to sell K.W.h. 14 cent (U.S.A.)
We hope to build Hybrid tower sun-gas 50 M.W. or 2x50 M.W. modules.
We have many chances for solar field to existing combined cycle plants
We can design concentrating solar thermal parabolic trough systems for existing industrial applications
We hope to build 100 M.W. at South Cairo photo volt cell
Please reply me
Best regards
Dr.Eng.El-sayyed Gomma MANSI
mcegomma@windowslive.com
mcegomma@gmail.com
mcegomma@yahoo.com
Mob: +201227310060
Tel:+20233458129



Reply
Solar Companies in Denver link
19/7/2022 01:40:03 am

Great post.

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