Solar Energy – Key to Atmanirbhar Bharat

Can Solar Energy do a Sachin Tendulkar for India?

• SRT changed Indian Cricket forever. Gave fans hope, juniors inspiration & Cricket connoisseurs memories! India is at a very crucial juncture, where it can either make or break its growth.

What makes Solar Energy so critical for India?

• To start with, it takes just 18 months to set up a 500 MW Solar Plant. Whereas it takes at least 6 years to set up a similar Thermal or Hydel Plant. Also, the cost of production is 15% less!

• It is one of the few sectors in India which has the potential to provide employment to all types of labourers.

Skilled, unskilled & semi skilled et al.

• Reduction in dependence on other countries for importing oil.
Renewable energy will save us big dollars!

• Solar plants will give a big boost to Entrepreneurship at the grassroots level among the rural areas. For every SRT, there is a Greg Chappell waiting to be a party spoiler.

• Amidst all the Anti-China Sentiments, we forgot how dependent we are on our neighbors. We imported around $16 Bn worth of solar equipment in 2019. 7 out of 10 of those firms were based in China!

India needs to ramp up its production capacity or we would remain dependent on China.

• Another important aspect here is, India does not have enough quality Semi Conductor producing factories.

Here, we have no one but ourselves to blame.

In 2007, Intel was very keen on setting up a huge Semi-Conductor factory. Unfortunately, they could not get the necessary prerequisites from the government & things fell out. To become Atmanirbhar Bharat Solar Energy or Renewable energy will play a big part. Directly or indirectly, they would generate more jobs, innovation & most importantly reduction in dependence on others.

Does Solar Energy have the ability to become our SRT or will fizzle out like Kambli? Thoughts?