Solar Energy has been used by mankind for a long time. However technology has evolved from using Solar Energy for natural drying to cookers to Solar Water Heaters and now Solar Photo Voltaic for Power Generation. Solar Energy has been used by mankind since long. Earlier however the use was restricted to utilization of Solar Energy for basic drying or heating purposes. It was soon realized that Solar Energy can be put to better utilization by Sophisticated system for Water heating used at domestic level, or Industrial level, drying etc. The use of Solar Energy for electrical power generation dates back to advent of Space Technology when Solar Photo Voltaic cells were used to power Satellites orbiting around the Earth and with a requirement of a consistent and reliable power supply. Photo Voltaic Solar has been in use on a smaller scale for eg. in Watches, Calculators and Lanterns. Photo Voltaic Solar Power Projects is a relatively new and emerging concept in the Indian context. However the same is widely used and well-accepted on a large-scale Globally. Ironically PV Solar has seen tremendous growth in several Nations which do not receive very good radiation or Sunlight. It is thus no surprise that India - which receives one of the best Solar radiations - and is also suffering from acute power shortage will utilize Solar Energy in a big way in the times to come. Major part of Utilization would be focused on Power Generation due to huge power deficit. Further more Solar Photo Voltaic also has various distinct advantages in general. In fact Solar Photo Voltaic also over other Renewable Technologies.

1. Solar Energy Writeup
(Focus on PV)

2. Enerco Energy Solutions LLP (Mumbai)
www.econserve.in solar@econserve.in
Sun is the ultimate Source of Energy. The very existence of mankind and every living
being on Earth is possible because of The Sun. It is thus no wonder (and very rightly
so) that The Sun is worshipped by many. Solar Energy is the cleanest and the most
promising energy of the future – as it is here to stay till the end of human race.
Technology
Harnessing Solar Energy for our requirements can be done in various ways such as
Direct Solar Heating, Power Generation (Electricity), Solar Drying etc.
For Power Generation there are mainly 2 technologies
 Solar Thermal
 Solar Photo Voltaic (PV)
In case of Solar Thermal the heat energy of The Sun is concentrated and is used to
generate steam which runs turbines to generate power. This technology has many
aspects of conventional power plant i.e. steam turbines, heat generation, several
moving parts, high maintenance etc.
Solar PV is more advanced technology which directly converts Sunlight into electricity
- without using generators or any moving devices (except Trackers – which are
optional). It does so with the help of special Cells which are advanced
semiconductors manufactured from highly sophisticated and expensive raw
materials. The array of these cells is known as Solar Panels (or Modules).
Each Module is capable of generating 50 / 100 / 250 W or more depending on
technology and size. Hence for a power plant several such modules are required to
generate enough power. For around 250 W the size of each module is approximately
1m x 1.5m. The Power generated through Solar Cells is DC and needs to be converted
to AC before supplying to the grid – for which inverters are used.
Design, Implementation and Execution of Solar Power projects require experts as it is
not a simple integration and involves lot of complexities. This is also critical as the
efficiency of Solar Cells is not very high (7-20% depending on Cell technology). It is
thus imperative to maximize the efficiency through perfect design and integration.
The maintenance in case of Solar PV is also very less or almost NIL.

3. Enerco Energy Solutions LLP (Mumbai)
www.econserve.in solar@econserve.in
Solar Energy in India
India is blessed with Solar Energy. Most parts of the country receive good Solar
Irradiation – especially in the states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir and parts of Orissa, Karnataka, Kerala.
The same could be seen in the Solar Map of India – below.
Solar Radiation Map of India
The Government of India has realized the true potential of Solar Energy and has
included Solar Energy as part of its NAPCC (National Action Plan for Climate Change).
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) is a bold step in that direction –
which is primarily to encourage the use of Solar Energy in India.

4. Enerco Energy Solutions LLP (Mumbai)
www.econserve.in solar@econserve.in
Generating Power by using Solar Energy is quite expensive due to the technology
involved. The Central Government and various State Governments are offering
varied incentives to make Solar Energy projects feasible. These are either Generation
Based Incentives (linked to attractive tariffs) or Capital Subsidy (on purchase of
technology and equipments).
The details of same could be discussed specific to a project. To know more on the
subject kindly drop us a mail on solar@econserve.in.