Category: Infrastructure

The stance on solar installation and privatisation has been subjective to debate since “Infinite Reusable Energy Sources” garnered our much due scrutiny and in defiance of cases presented that have depicted both; benefits and drawbacks of Solar Investment as a private home asset, the former remains a matter of speculation well into the second decade of innovating twenty-first century.

To advocate any side of argument it’s imperative to establish a rudimentary understanding of unbounded Solar Energy and the implications of machinery installations it may present as a Goliath investiture.

Indian sub-continent has the natural precedence of geographical alignment at the tropical latitude which guarantees the certitude of 300 sunlight daytime out of a year whence the sharp sun beam falls directly over the land and the amount of Tera and Peta joules that can be derived and made useful out of harnessing the sweltering reservoir is fathomless.

Tapping into Solar Energy and related equipment installation can make for a lucrative and long-lasting investment yet it’s with misgivings that capitalists regard this proposition even in 2K18, wherein the perks of Solar power aren’t missed onto the first world countries who are taking a vociferous plunge into the matter. The exhaustible nature of coal and fossils is a global concern which they acutely address and realise the foreseeable threat of functional blackout if draconian measures aren’t embraced for the quests of a suitable alternative source.

Dearth of awareness and stringent steps taken by the authorities to preclude this amateurishness has attributed to the lag behind of India on the Solar power front. Our investors exhibit a laid back approach and procrastinate the cause because no immediate returns are envisioned on the horizon. The boon of Solar power is a circumstance of delayed gratification and it would run the course of some years before the benefits could be reaped to max potential. Notwithstanding Solar would be the revolution of millennia if we can bring ourselves to educate purposefully on the scheme and evolve our mindset to look beyond the concept of instant returns.

In alignment with government pilot projects, and yet in beta testing stages some premises have undergone Solar equipment installation and are empowered by Solar energy. Albeit narrow in figures it’s still a step forward for the advent of Solar revolution. I can vouch that solar is a golden investment both in terms of long term benefits and conversation of finite resources. If we can wisely harness and channelise solar energy than we can put it to a great many use of lighting up entire cities at relatively low maintenance cost. We can contribute our part in environment conservation. The benefits are limitless yet they don’t come without implications.

Masses and stakeholders alike also refrain from dabbling into the cause because Solar can run into a mammoth billion dollar investment. The initial phase of procuring the device apparatus and its installation can cost between Rs 50000 to 1 lakh. We are not talking one house or a neighbourhood here. We are talking entire cities and town and hundred more of them. Aside from initial their maintenance needs further overhead cost and the solar cells used in grids (Monocrystalline and Polycrystalline) need replacing in every 5-7 years. They bear a sizeable overhead cost. Albeit it’s a solid full proof investment and the bearer has to incur a one time, aside from maintenance. Post the conclude of solar installation, the equipment life stretches for a grand 20-25 years depending on individual’s maintenance and handling of the apparatus. In the course of 25 years, 1 lakh plus some overhead can be deemed as a rewarding investment and not to overlook considerable liquid capital will be spared from exorbitant electricity bills. The surplus can be transacted and traded to other organisations on the basis of market electricity piece, a practise that many home investors already indulge in developed countries.

Community solar, call from the future…

Community solar project is a modern technique of sharing renewable energy in more than one household. As the term says, ‘Community solar’ can also be referred to solar garden or shared renewable form of energy which runs on both, community-owned and third party-owned plants where the benefits are shared by the community as a whole. The project illustrates how the use of ‘one of the greatest sources of energy’ can transform India with participatory processes.

Major purpose of introducing community solar is to help members of a particular community share the benefits of solar power, without having to install solar panels on individual properties. In Community solar project, the participants benefit from the electricity generated by a community solar garden, costing the price that they would otherwise pay for the same utility.

Other purposes of introducing and promoting this renewable energy-based project is to offer clean energy access to the communities in metro cities as well as rural India; offer opportunity to decentralize energy; promote judicial use of resources; and enrich livelihood opportunities.

Story of a village in Bihar…

One of the key examples of Community solar in India is how ‘women in Bihar brought solar power to a village’. There was a huge deficit of electricity in the village since 1960, in fact the village was not at all electrified ever since. To change the circumstances, women of Badil Bigha village initiated a community-based management project, called the Badil Bigha Project, and were responsible for community inclusion at all levels of power distribution and maintenance in the village.

The community solar project is attempting to check price sections in a consistent agreement with family units getting electricity. The Jeevika Women Cell has educated every family unit/recipient about how energy would change occupation structure and how these solar mini-grids can alter dynamic financial strengthening of the village.

It’s an open opportunity for the village to use this CSR pilot venture for social, financial and ecological strengthening. Community ownership has a vital part to play in the supportability of this venture and its monetary incorporation. Gender participation is one of the main thrusts of the project. Once an income-deficit town is now scaling up employments after the establishment of solarized drip irrigation system pumps.

Common misconceptions about community solar…

Community solar is similar yet different from various other methods which allow families and organizations to get associated with the rapidly growing clean energy economy.

The following are a portion of the methodologies that are now and then mistaken for community solar:

• Group Purchase: Group purchasing permit individuals or organizations to buy their own individual solar systems at mass rates through transactions with a solar establishment organization. All things considered, group purchasing does not bring about a communal welfare—once finished, every member benefits independently from a different framework. Interestingly, in a community solar project, all members benefit from a similar framework, which is typically situated on a real estate property not really possessed by any of the members.
• Green Power: Green Power provisions let utility’s clients to buy power sources from sustainable power source plants—primarily hydro and wind. The individuals who agree to accept Green Power for the most part do so not keeping in mind the end goal to save cash on their energy bills, rather to ‘make the best decision’; for this benefit, they pay a top notch cost for power generated by solar energy or wind mills. Cooperating in a Green Power design does not really about the additional inexhaustible power plants, as power might be sourced from prior facilities. Most community solar gardens, then again, are produced while keeping in mind to save essential amount on energy bills.
• Crowdfunding/Online Solar Investment Platforms: Firms like Mosaic have opened up sustainable power source venture to the majority with online stages that permit essentially anybody to put into new community solar power establishments. Under such game plans, purchase in is set up absolutely as a speculation, and the power that such a framework produces isn’t related with the member’s electricity bill in any capacity—and to be sure may not be situated in a similar locality, state or potentially even nation. Returns from these plants might be assessable, while the advantages from a community solar based plant is most certainly not.

Community solar is also an investment in future…

NO ROOFTOP

Community solar garden enables families to take advantage of a nearby shared sun based farm which is introduced in spaces, for example, stockroom rooftops, topped landfills, or other unused land.

You don’t have to claim your home (or housetop) to use it – anyone with an energy bill should be qualified, including leaseholders, apartment suite proprietors, or those with a rooftop inappropriate for solar energy preservation.

NO INSTALLATION

NREL gauges that 49% of American property holders are not qualified for rooftop solar panels because of their rooftop’s alignment, shade, or structure. What’s more, a few property holders would prefer not to experience the way toward finding a contractual worker, purchasing the correct panels, and introducing them all alone, or they basically can’t manage the cost of the entire process. With Community solar, it is easier to install, process, and maintain solar energy.

NO UPFRONT COSTS

In Community solar, you don’t purchase the solar panels, however rather buy in to the power created by your assigned panels in the community solar garden. Your assignment is controlled by your authentic energy utilization, so your month to month energy use is secured by the generation of your solar panel.

LOWER ENERGY BILLS

Community solar supporters save cash on their energy bills, generally accepting a 5-15% rebate. This is made possible by the dipping price of solar energy, state and government incentives, and pricing agreements between the solar energy creator and the utility.

PROMOTES INDEPENDENCE

Solar energy enables individuals to deliver their own energy, and Community solar conveys similar advantages to networks. On a national level, this enables the country to depend less on the worldwide energy showcase, shielding the people from flimsy energy costs and supply discrepancies.

And so…

Community solar is a call from the future. Switching to the solar energy (or any other renewable energy sources) is one of the most vital steps in decreasing world’s carbon footprint and ensuring safety of our planet.

Indian cities suffer from a grave paradox as they are reported to have the lowest floor space index of construction in the world, but are among the most densely populated. It is also evident that India devotes a disproportionately high percentage of its land to agriculture at 48 per cent. The rise of cities is inevitable, with a decline in agricultural employment from 75 per cent in early post independence years to 58 per cent in current times. According to a 2014 working paper by Denis and Zérah, the number of people for whom farming was the main occupation declined from 103 million to 98 million between 2001 and 2011. In 2014, a survey of farmers conducted by CSDS found that 62% of those surveyed were willing to leave farming for a job in the city. A Lokniti survey estimates that 60% of farmers want their children to settle in cities, and only 19% think that village life is better than city life. Meanwhile, India’s farms have significant problems of under-productivity, so the country would do well to focus on non-farm avenues of growth as it works to increase the efficiency of farms.

As the pull of a city is the promise of upward mobility and affordability across public goods, India is slowly drifting towards a services dominated economy. This rural to urban transition suggests that an increasing number of people would gather around fast growing cities, resulting in India’s metropolitans to grow larger even as small towns congregate to become ‘urban’. Therefore, if India has to absorb the large numbers of people leaving agriculture and having aspirations of a better life, it cannot afford to ignore its urban areas. Urban areas means not just large metropolises, but also the smaller cities, towns, and large villages, where much of the job creating economic activities like manufacturing, small-scale industries, and construction are taking place. To match demands over the next decade, India will need to annually invest between 8 per cent and 10 per cent of its GDP on developing its urban infrastructure. Investments in infrastructure and amenities along with skill development would be vital for augmenting employment productivity in these areas. India will possibly double the size of its urban area over the next decade from 3 per cent of overall land area to 6 per cent and to make cities more inclusive to an increasing number of citizens, there is a drastic need for flexible master plans and strategic investment in incremental planning.

But first, transfer of land for urbanization will require land titles to be clear and land acquisition to be transparent and participative. Second, to fund such large investments, cities will have to look towards its own citizens, whether it is through monetizing of its lands, higher usage charges for public goods, or higher property taxes. Hence, the slow, bottom-up changes should be supplemented from the top, with a policy direction that recognizes urban India, and leverages this demographic change to spur economic development.