Essay every Saturday
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20 Apr 2025
Essay
Essay
- Begin with a thought-provoking quote or data point:
“The sun is the source of all energy. Tap it, and India can light up sustainably.” - Briefly introduce India’s energy challenge: dependence on fossil fuels, energy security, and climate commitments.
- Introduce the National Solar Mission as a transformative step towards energy transition.
- India’s rising energy demand (expected to double by 2040)
- Heavy dependence on fossil fuels (~75% of current electricity)
- Climate change commitments (Paris Agreement, Net-Zero by 2070)
- Geographic advantage: India receives 300+ sunny days/year (~5,000 trillion kWh potential)
- Launched in 2010 under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)
- Aims:
- Achieve 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022 (target revised to 280 GW by 2030)
- Promote grid-connected and off-grid solar applications
- Drive the indigenous manufacturing of solar panels and modules
- Phases of implementation:
- Phase I (2010–2013): Focus on off-grid and rooftop solar
- Phase II (2013–2017): Boost utility-scale grid solar
- Phase III (2017 onwards): Competitive bidding, ultra-mega solar parks
- Installed solar capacity: ~74 GW (as of early 2024)
- India ranks 5th globally in solar deployment
- Key initiatives under NSM:
- Solar Parks Scheme
- Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM)
- Rooftop Solar Programme Phase-II
- Employment creation: Over 1.6 million green jobs estimated in RE sector by 2030
- Improved energy access in rural and off-grid areas
- Land acquisition issues for large solar parks
- Grid integration and storage: Intermittent nature of solar energy
- Dependence on imports: Over 80% of solar modules imported (mainly from China)
- Financial viability: DISCOMs' poor health and payment delays
- Rooftop solar underperformance due to lack of awareness, financing
- Domestic manufacturing push: PLI scheme for solar modules
- Storage solutions: Investment in battery technologies, pumped hydro
- Research & innovation: Perovskite solar cells, floating solar
- Public-private partnerships to scale rooftop and decentralized solar
- International collaboration:
- International Solar Alliance (ISA): India’s leadership role
- Cross-border solar energy trade (One Sun One World One Grid initiative)
- Policy reforms: Improved grid infrastructure, time-of-day tariffs, carbon pricing
- Reaffirm the central role of the National Solar Mission in realizing India’s green energy transition.
- Emphasize that solar energy is not just an environmental need but an economic and strategic imperative.
- End with a forward-looking thought: “Harnessing the sun is no longer a choice—it’s India’s destiny in a low-carbon world.”
Day 41: National Solar Mission and India’s Path to a Green Energy Future.(700 words)
Introduction
Body
Context: Why Solar?
The National Solar Mission: Vision and Evolution
Achievements of the Mission :
Challenges in Solar Mission Implementation:
Way Forward for a Green Energy Future