Energy from the sun has been one of the oldest and cheapest forms of

primary energy which has been traditionally used for drying agricultural
commodity preservation and cloth drying, and it is still used till date for such
purposes in most developing countries (Solar thermal).
As per the INDC(Intended Nationally determined Contributions ) submitted to
the UN Framework convention on climate change(UNFCC) by India, there is
going to be a shift towards cleaner sources of energy and solar energy is one
of them. India has large amount of solar insolation present throughout the year and can be
solution to Indias growing energy demand. India is ranked number one in terms of
solar electricity production per watt installed, with an insolation of 1,700 to
1,900 kilowatt hours per kilowatt peak. Various projects have been run by
government such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, and M.P etc. to harness this
energy. Dharnai in Bihar near Bodh Gaya became energy-independent with
the launch of Greenpeaces solar-powered micro-grid last year after being in
darkness for so many years. It is the first village to have complete
dependence on solar energy. The 100 kilowatt (kW) micro-grid present there
provides quality electricity to more than 2,400 It is clean and most
importantly independent of power grids and infrastructure required to supply
electricity and innovation in this field has reduced the cost of production to
about Rs.5 will is at par with cost of electricity production from coal.
Government of Bihar has pledged to follow this model in other villages. Other
states will also follow. Thus there is large impetus from government side
which would also attract individuals towards solar energy.
Solar energy will be successful to its full extent if private money is used in
installations of solar plates. Government has estimated the total cost of
shifting towards cleaner and greener energy will be 2.5 trillion dollars and it
intends to use, to some extent private money for it. The role of government
in popularizing solar energy will play a large role accompanied by subsidies
and assistance. Further the people should be convinced that solar energy is
better than other conventional forms of energy. When it comes to the
common consumer, the primary adoption factor is money. The consumer will
not easily adopt something that it does not bring economic benefits.
Arguments can be made about the environmental benefits but it is a
secondary concern or sometimes not a concern at all. For rural areas, it will
be better to subside the adoption of renewable energy on a community level
than per consumer. It is easier and more efficient to create small renewable
energy plants powering groups of consumers (e.g. villages) rather than
trying to convince every single individual to adopt such measures.
In addition to it, there is another class which would like to adopt solar energy.
It is the affluent class which has a lot of money and would like to contribute
to the society by using cleaner sources. Money is of less concern to them but

high performance is required. These people can be the early adopters

without any assistance of government. Earlier a large number to plates were
required to light a single bulb from solar energy and the numbers of hours
the bulb remained lit was also low but with innovation and increasing
efficiency, solar energy has become more reliable. Further the use of solar
energy to heat water is also becoming popular along with solar cookers and
other solar appliances. Need is to project solar energy as reliable and a
symbol of pride to this category of people.
Commercial buildings are another target, they have a large surface area in
case of large multistoreyed building in which glass panels can be replaced by
solar plates to generate large amount of solar energy to run the offices as
well as source of extra income from excess electricity produced. Corporates
would be ready to invest as it would enhance their brand image as they are
adopting cleaner energy. The initial cost should be justified by long term
benefits.
There are different segment of customers of solar energy with a possibility of
increasing demands in near future. The requirement is to cater to the needs
of these segment to increase the sales. Solar energy has a bright future in
India.