Despite over 300 days a year of brilliant sunshine and no dearth of rooftop space, the huge potential of generating power from solar panels from roof top panels remains seriously underutilized in India. This is especially true for the rural areas of the country that are largely dependent on the grid for their supply of electricity and a very large number of rural folk are still dependent on diesel to their energy supply. Both these scenarios are neither viable, nor environmentally sustainable or economically sensible. These are the reasons why we are exploring the idea of a solar revolution through roof top panels.
- Solar power from roof top panels is a long-term, sustainable, reliable, and durable source of power. These panels can last up to 25 years or more! Roof top solar is available throughout the day and night as the batteries in the system store excess electricity that can be used at night and during power outages – which are common through the utility companies. Given that solar panels are connected directly to the household / establishment, there is no loss of electricity during transmission or loss due to theft, which is commonplace with grid electricity. An increasing number of households and commercial establishments are realizing the significance and usefulness of rooftop top solar to meet their growing power needs.
Given that the panels are mounted on the rooftops, there is no delay in the installation owing to delay in land acquisition, challenges of space, and other hindrances – thereby making it an easy to implement solution. The micro-grid system has negligible costs post installation and the maintenance too is insignificant. Rooftop solar empowers people to become energy efficient, save money, and contribute to the environment’s safety and maybe earn some money by selling excess electricity back to the local electricity board. There seems to be a huge scope for rooftop solar to become a significant means of livelihood for the less privileged, in the near future.
- Rooftop solar reduces carbon emissions, making it safe and healthy for the environment. The high fossil fuel consumption of our country poses a significant risk to the environment, as also is fast depleting these non-renewable natural resources. These risks can be reduced dramatically by using rooftop solar power, while saving money and adding a source of income for its users. Despite the potential, there are still far too many establishments, industries, and organizations, which continue to use fossil fuel for their energy needs – this can easily be replaced with rooftop solar, making it a much more viable way of meeting their demands for electricity.
- The central and state governments have become increasingly aware of the energy problems and have framed favourable policies for the promotion and use of rooftop solar. Almost all states have a detailed and standalone policy revolving around the installation of solar panels – the State of Haryana, for example has swiftly executed a mandate that requires all government buildings, housing societies, and bungalows built on 500sq yards and more to install solar panels. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has mandated that all new buildings must install rooftop solar panels and the State of Gujarat is creating solar cities, with rooftop solar in focus. The government at the Centre, Delhi, which is the most polluted city in the country, is currently in the process of putting together a detailed strategy to ensure the increase of rooftop solar installations. Shopping malls, hospitals, educational institutes, and other commercial establishments have also increased the acquisition and installation of rooftop solar panels to meet their energy demands.