Low-cost PV leads to success

Utopia dreams of a city that relies entirely on renewable energy are no longer being passed on to the next generation as they were before. Now, stakeholders are beginning to take a more realistic approach to energy conservation and propose a “hybrid energy” approach. Policy makers intend to absorb a variety of green energy sources (such as solar and wind energy) into the traditional supply grid and set "renewable energy goals."

In all alternative energy sources, solar energy still stands out from the crowd, regardless of the degree of attention or investment. The Haryana government has almost completed its renewable energy goals for the previous year, claiming that it has been developing solar energy for many years. It has provided industrialists with huge subsidies for solar equipment, but this project has few recipients.

However, the Haryana government is still very optimistic. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda recently announced that the forthcoming solar energy policy will demonstrate how much attention Haryana has placed on renewable energy.

Some related issues are always ignored by experts and policy makers: Are consumers ready? For example, whether Gurgaon, the largest electricity-consuming city in Haryana, is willing and ready to transition to solar energy. BK Singh, owner of a small company, said: "Solar energy has not yet served the entire industry and is unlikely to be implemented in the future unless it is more efficient and cheaper."

In Gurgaon, the industrial and commercial sectors have consumed more than 70% of electricity, and their benefits for solar energy are not yet certain. However, there is still a lot of room for growth. Haryana's renewable energy power generation capacity is 195.9MW, of which solar energy only accounts for 7.8MW. If there is appropriate policy intervention, this figure can increase many times.

The first step is to remove bureaucratic obstacles. According to many people's descriptions, these obstacles have slowed the progress in the field of solar power generation. Charu Jain, head of the Advit Foundation, the administrator of the Rajiv Gandhi Renewable Energy Park in Gurgaon, said: “Once the new policy is implemented, everyone will have a deeper understanding of solar energy. More importantly, the subsidy process will be further simplified.”

Haryana's renewable energy sector will also have to change their strategy. One of the suggestions is to think beyond the centralized grid supply. According to Joel Kumar, an assistant researcher in the renewable energy sector at the Center for Science and the Environment, the future of solar energy may lie in the "microgrid model." “At present, I don’t believe solar panels or solar power stations are favored by many people. I think the better way to develop is to develop off-grid projects in remote areas. Solar energy will have economic benefits. There will be decentralized microgrids.”