National Solar Mission
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The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), also referred to as the National Solar Mission, is an initiative of the Indian Central and State Governments aimed at advancing solar power development in India. As part of the mitigation strategy of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), it is one of the eight climate missions of the Indian government. After two updates since its initial introduction in January 2010, the National Solar Mission now states that it wants to achieve 100 GW of solar PV by 2022. Through the establishment of the policy framework necessary for its widespread implementation, JNNSM hopes to establish India as a global leader in solar energy.
Why concentrate on solar power?
India is a tropical nation where sunlight reaches most parts of the country for over 300 days. It can produce 5000 trillion kWh of electricity if it is used to generate power.
Being a developing nation, there is a high need for energy, which must be met by some source.
Thus, all of the pollutants and climatic changes have forced us to switch from fossil fuel-based to renewable energy.
Because of its renewable capacity, pollution-free generation, and widespread use, solar energy is a perfect substitute for fossil fuels.
Goals of the National Solar Mission
To make India a leader in solar energy by creating the political conditions for quick national adoption of new technologies.
Phases: The Mission will employ a three-phase approach: Phase 2 will cover the last four years of the 12th Plan (2013–17), Phase 3 will cover the 13th Plan (2017–22), and Phase 1 will cover the last year of the 11th Plan and the first year of the 12th Plan (up to 2012–2013).
At the conclusion of each plan and mid-term during the 12th and 13th Plans, there will be an assessment of the plan's progress, a capacity review, and targets for the following phases based on evolving cost and technology trends, both domestically and globally.
Assuring the government against subsidy expenses in the event that predicted cost reductions do not materialize or advance more rapidly than projected would be the goal.
The first phase will focus on establishing off-grid systems to assist those without access to commercial energy, encouraging low-hanging fruit in solar thermal, and gradually increasing the capacity of grid-based systems up to 2013.
After accounting for the lessons learned from the first few years, capacity will be sharply boosted in the second phase to establish favorable conditions for greater and competitive solar energy penetration in the country.
National Solar Mission- Salient Features
The 100GW solar power capacity has been divided into the following 4 parts:
- The rooftop solar energy generation of 40 GW.
- Large and medium scale grid-connected solar projects of 60 GW.
- To achieve 15 million square meters of solar thermal collector area by 2017 and 20 million by 2022.
- To deploy 20 million solar lighting systems for rural areas by 2022.
National Solar Mission- Benefits
- Renewable source: Among all other benefits of solar energy this is the most imp one that is solar energy is truly a renewable source of energy, that is it will never end as far as the sun is there. Therefore solar energy is available for at least 5 billion years according to scientists.
- Less pollution: relative to other energy sources like fossil fuels, wood, etc solar power generates no pollution to the environment. So, it comes under green energy.
- Low maintenance costs: most reliable solar panel manufacturers offer 20-25 years warranty and so the cost of maintenance is less. It just needs proper cleaning a couple of times a year.
- Reduction in energy bills: generating your own electricity means using less from the utility supplier. So this will translate to savings on your energy bill and will increase your energy self-reliance.
- Improvement in grid security: the grid is less vulnerable to blackouts if there are many power plants. A grid with high penetration of solar energy has thousands of energy production centers that are widely spread out.
