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A Review to the Progress of Solar Utility Scale and Solar Thermal Power in India—Policies, barriers and the way forward

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Abstract

Being the second most populated country in the world with rapidly developing economy, the excessive use of conventional sources of power like coal, oil and gas follows. Dominance of these sources for energy is a national concern since it leads to detrimental issues related to carbon emissions, import burden of fuels, health impact due to pollutant emissions and the eventual exhaustion of the resources. Solar energy is cost competitive, clean, fairly reliable and inexhaustible source of energy that offers an alternative to fossil fuels. The fall of global photovoltaic prices along with policy and regulatory interventions have lead it to be a significant source of energy in India. The paper explores the development of the solar utility scale and solar thermal power in India alongside policies and regulations. It covers in detail, the bottlenecks the sector faces along with possible solutions and future direction. The review is primarily intended to provide useful insights regarding solar energy/sector to Industry executives, government officials and other stakeholders, which will help in better planning and management in this field. Its particular focus on historical aspects further helps in developing a formal understanding of the sector.

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  1. Amity School of Engineering and Technology, Lucknow Campus, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, India

    Ayush Kumar Singh & Kheelraj Pandey

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Singh, A.K., Pandey, K. A Review to the Progress of Solar Utility Scale and Solar Thermal Power in India—Policies, barriers and the way forward. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. C 102, 525–543 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40032-021-00664-0

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