India plans to export solar power: official

Source: The post is based on the article “India plans to export solar power: official” published in The Hindu on 20th February 2023.

What is the News?

By 2026, the Indian industry will be able to manufacture solar modules every year that can generate 100 gigawatts of power and help the country be a net exporter of solar power.

What is the present solar power status of India?

India was to have installed 175 GW of renewable energy — from solar, wind, biomass and small hydropower sources — by December 2022 but has only installed 122 GW.

Of this, solar power was to have been 100 GW, though only 62 GW has been installed.

Why has India not achieved its solar power target?

Cost of solar modules (or panels): India has traditionally relied on Chinese-made components such as polysilicone wafers to make solar modules. But higher customs duty on them (to make equivalent Indian-manufactured components more competitive) has shrunk supply.

Land Acquisition: Land acquisition has been a major challenge for solar power manufacturers. Despite the Centre commissioning 57 large solar parks with a capacity of 40 GW in recent years, only 10 GW has been operationalised.

This is because installing a megawatt of solar power requires on average four acres of land. So various developers face challenges in acquiring land.

What is the plan for renewable energy going ahead?

The future phase of India’s renewable energy development will be led by hybrid projects and renewable energy parks that will host solar and wind projects along with battery storage systems.