Modi wants to use solar to bring power to the 400 million Indians without electricity

[skullMAN]

This bounty from the sky should be harness to move
away form India's heavy coal dependency.If solar power doesn't make sense in India...
China isn't the only country that is making bigger bets
on solar power. India's new prime minister, Narendra
Modi, wants to use the sun to bring electricity to the
400 million people in India who do not have access to
electricity.
“We look upon solar as having the potential to
completely transform the way we look at the energy
space,” said Narendra Taneja, who's in charge of
energy in Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. There's a
track record too, because Modi has pioneered India’s
first incentives for large-scale solar power in 2009 as
head of Gujarat state.
The goal would be to use solar panels to allow every
home to have power to run two bulbs, a solar cooker
and a television by 2019. That might not sound like
much to those of us living in rich countries, but this can
be life-changing to people who currently don't have
access to electricity, as well as tremendously improve
their health because burning biomass and coal for
cooking and light creates a lot of dangerous indoor air
pollution .


It shouldn't be too surprising to anyone that India has
tremendous potential for solar power . If China can
build 50,000 megawatts of capacity within a few years ,
India could get even more if only it truly become a
priority.
This map show's how much solar energy is hitting the
country

 

[OrionHunter]

Good idea! But what about the costs involved? And maintenance?

 

[chauvunist]

WTF i didn't know that 1/3rd of Indian Population don't have access to Electricity that too in 21st century...

 

[skullMAN]

WTF i didn't know that 1/3rd of Indian Population don't have access to Electricity that too in 21st century...

means 400m people don't access full time electricity (access 12 hours only)

 

[chauvunist]

means 400m people don't access full time electricity (access 12 hours only)

Oh Ok thanks for the clarification...

 

[Contrarian]

WTF i didn't know that 1/3rd of Indian Population don't have access to Electricity that too in 21st century...

Why?
Do you know that it was after 2000 that the last village in UK was connected to the electricity grid.

And those are developed nations, while India is a poor and developing nation.

 

[skullMAN]

Good idea! But what about the costs involved? And maintenance?

idk about cost but i think the project already start ...check the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir
has just given the green light to a 5,000 MW solar
project and a 2,500 MW solar project.

 

[Yogi]

idk about cost but i think the project already start ...check the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir
has just given the green light to a 5,000 MW solar
project and a 2,500 MW solar project.

link plz

 

[zip]

we should concentrate on atomic energy and coal ..

 

[Indian Jaat]

link plz

The Jammu and Kashmir government today signed an MoU with the Ministry for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, for implementation of solar power projects of the capacity of 7,500 MW.

The agreement was signed at a high-level meeting of the senior officers of the state government and MNRE, chaired by the Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Farooq Abdullah here today.

Under the MoU Solar Projects of the capacity of 5,000 MW inLadakh and 2,500 MW in Kargil possessing tremendous potential for new and renewable energy would be taken up for implementation.


The Union Joint Secretary, MNRE, Tarun Kapoor and Jammu and Kashmir State Commissioner Secretary, Science and Technology Bipul Pathak signed the MoU on behalf of the duo governments.

The Union Minister, while highlighting the importance of the MoU between the state and the Central Government for harnessing of green energy from the Ladakh area, said this area possesses vast potential of solar power.

He said the agreement for its harnessing is an important landmark and the initiative would catapult the energy sector in Jammu and Kashmir besides bringing in economic revolution.

Ladakh possesses the potential of 30,000 MW of solar energy and today's signing of MoU would be a vanguard step towards harnessing this potential, he added.

Abdullah said his Ministry has initiated various projects in Jammu and Kashmir to help the state to generate power from non-conventional resources available here.

He said the Government of India has flagged generation of new and renewable energy as an important sector and a target of producing 1,00,000 MW of power through non-conventional resources of energy in the country by 2022.

The Minister of State for Power Vikar Rasool Wani expressed gratitude to Abdullah for the lot of help and assistance extended by his Ministry to Jammu and Kashmir for strengthening the energy sector and generating solar energy.

He spoke about the help provided by MNRE for installation of Solar Power Plants in hospitals, educational institutions, ITIs and other institutions besides providing solar lights to the people in rural and far-flung areas.
J&K signs MoU for 7,500 MW solar power generation | Business Standard

 

[chauvunist]

Why?
Do you know that it was after 2000 that the last village in UK was connected to the electricity grid.

And those are developed nations, while India is a poor and developing nation.

well 400 million is quite a huge figure,Don't you think so..

 

[Indian Jaat]

well 400 million is quite a huge figure,Don't you think so..

True it's more than total population of USA + Canada
But if Government can complete there plan of adding 100000 mWh power generating capacity India by 2022 then i can be true

 

[Gandhi G in da house]

well 400 million is quite a huge figure,Don't you think so..

Article is misleading. These are people who get less than 12 hrs electricity per day.

 

[Yogi]

WTF i didn't know that 1/3rd of Indian Population don't have access to Electricity that too in 21st century...

Yes, its true although its mostly really poor people living at less than a $1/day in rural areas. we r a developing nation with tons of poverty n a long way to go...

means 400m people don't access full time electricity (access 12 hours only)

Article is misleading. These are people who get less than 12 hrs electricity per day.

here is the world bank report which states the same :
Energy - Energy - The Facts

the article isn't misleading, as of 2013 we still got 269 Million people below poverty line n that too Indian poverty line i.e. Rs.22.42 per person per day in rural areas and Rs.28.65 in urban areas. Do u think such people could even afford electricity?
India’s poverty level falls to record 22%: Planning Commission - Livemint

n here is what the article is talking about :

The goal would be to use solar panels to allow every home to have power to run two bulbs, a solar cooker and a television by 2019.

now think r they really getting less than 12hr electricity? Most of us Indians live in dream land with no idea about reality of our surroundings

 

[Robinhood Pandey]

WTF i didn't know that 1/3rd of Indian Population don't have access to Electricity that too in 21st century...

South asian average is 71 with only maldives as an exception in terms of electricity access.

http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/document/SAR/Reducing Poverty by Closing South Asia's Infrastructure Gap_Web.pdf

we still got 269 Million people below poverty line n that too Indian poverty line

Does world bank consider Indian poverty line in their database or they use the International standard for their calculations ?