India Poised for Positive Developments

I just returned from SOLARCON India 2009 in Hyderabad, our first-ever exposition and conference for solar/PV in this market. Our first event in India was encouraging. Attendees and exhibitors were excited and poised for positive developments, especially in light of the official announcement of the implementation plan for India’s National Solar Mission, which calls for 20 GW by 2020. The announcement has been delayed due to the unavailability of India’s Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, but we expect updates within a matter of days.

Two data points resonated with me in particular during my stay:

The first one: Over 400 million Indians live without electricity. That’s the entire US population (308 million) and then some. Rural electrification and electricity for the poor are top priorities for the Indian government but pose huge challenges because the infrastructure is shaky at best. Some say it doesn’t exist.

The second one: The Indian government spends US$5 billion on subsidizing imported kerosene. The kerosene lobby is likely as potent as the oil and gas lobby in the US. One can only hope that the US$19 billion set aside for the National Solar Mission will be put towards strengthening and expanding infrastructure, manufacturing and deploying solar energy building, and lessening the dependence on kerosene. Taking action against global warming is commendable, but taking action to help India’s poverty-stricken rural areas literally see the light is a social responsibility.

In his keynote address, Applied Solar’s president Charlie Gay emphasized the need for self-reliance, a notion he shares with Gandhi. You generate electricity where you need it and thus empower local communities to become self-sufficient. If, simply put, our collective goal is to accelerate the deployment of solar energy to the mass population everywhere, India’s plan to invest in solar energy, along the same lines as China’s Golden Sun initiative, has the potential to do just that.