79. Promotion of SPV Programme in India

Promotion of Solar Photovoltaic Technologies has traversed through decades in India Technologies need to be focused towards improving achieving higher efficiencies of solar cells, reduction in cost in solar cells, modules, system and overall improvement in the technology of performance and use. Though technology may have long term impact in end user's view point, however, dissemination of SPV systems requires strategies for deployment with respect to need, requirement, geographic location, type of end users for various applications in the day to day affairs of human life. India is endowed with abundant natural wealth, which can be harnessed as sources of energy. Energy is an essential element for social and economic development of the country. Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) have lots to offer by adopting environmental friendly technologies. RETs have an edge over conventional fuels to serve the remote population in rural areas that have difficulty in accessing grid connected power. It is a well-known fact that decentralised RETs are ideal for rural applications for domestic, agricultural and commercial purposes. There are promising applications of renewable energy for mechanical power, agriculture and small enterprises. A number of renewable energy technologies have been promoted for providing energy requirement for cooking, drying and lighting. The SPV came into prominence in the wake of oil crisis in 1970s. Promotion of SPV was limited to frontier technologies for communications, defence and space applications, which were available on commercial scale without any subsidies. Later the idea shifted to promote SPV on a wider scale for use in rural areas to improve the quality of life. The promotion of RETs began intensively with the establishment of exclusive Ministry of Nonconventional Energy Sources in 1982. Later focus of the Ministry shifted to rural applications for cooking, lighting, water pumping, drying, and community services. An attempt in this paper has been made to present the strategies for dissemination of SPV programme and discuss these through appropriate institutional strategies.