Which Is Better Windmill Or Solar Panels?
  • Environmental Pollution and Climate Change have become major topics of discussion and for good reasons.
  • Day by day, pollution is increasing, and its adverse effects are more evident than ever.
  • Air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, and others are affecting the earth in such a way that all forms of life will be in danger very soon.
  • The most adverse effect is that of climate change.
  • Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Sulphur Dioxide, and other greenhouse gases are causing a temperature rise.
  • This will hurt our ecosystem and will destroy life on earth.
  • The consequences of climate change are:
  • Melting of glaciers, which will not only destroy the habitat of several species but also cause a rise in sea levels.
  • The rise in Sea Levels, which will cause floods and destroy settlements and life.
  • Rising minimum and maximum temperatures.
  • The rise in Ocean Temperature
  • Will cause an unprecedented water and hunger crisis, especially in developing countries.
  • Rising temperatures and heat waves will cause health hazards.
  • Impact on biodiversity due to the limited or slow adaptability of flora and fauna.
  • The economic cost of dealing with the effects of global warming.
  • As you can see, if climate change is not tackled, it will cause serious problems for our environment and our planet.
  • The good news is, there are renewable sources of energy.
  • Renewable energy comes from natural sources that can be constantly replenished.
  • They are a better alternative to conventional sources of energy such as coal, oil, and gas.
  • Some of them are:
  1. Solar Energy
  2. Wind Energy
  3. Thermal Energy
  4. Hydroelectric Energy
  5. Biomass Energy
  6. Geothermal Energy
  7. Tidal and Wave Energy
  • The most popular of them are Solar Energy and Wind Energy.
  • The best part about them is you can harness them into business opportunities.
  • They are one of the emerging industries and quite a lucrative one too.
  • Let us discuss both Solar Energy and Wind Energy in India.

Solar Energy

  • Solar Energy is the most abundant form of renewable energy, as the sun has been providing energy to our planet for billions of years and will keep on providing us for as long as it exists.
  • Humans have been using Solar Energy since the beginning.
  • Agriculture is dependent on solar energy, as well as other important biological processes such as photosynthesis and evaporation.
  • It also makes our planet warm enough for it to sustain life.
  • In fact, without solar energy, life will not exist.
  • Today, with the development of Solar Energy technology, solar energy can be harnessed for multiple purposes:
  1. Providing electricity to home and businesses
  2. Warming up Homes and Businesses
  3. Warming up water
  4. Powering various devices
  5. Providing power to lamps.
  • Solar energy is harnessed through solar panels.
  • They consist of solar or Photovoltaic (PV) cells.
  • They are made up of Silicon and other materials that directly transform sunlight into electricity, which can be used for various purposes.
  • The solar energy systems distributed in different places generate electricity locally for homes and businesses.
  • The electricity is generated either through rooftop panels or community projects that provide electricity to an entire locality.
  • Solar power can generate a lot of energy for a lot of homes.
  • This can be done by using mirrors to divert and concentrate energy towards solar farms.
  • Solar energy does not produce greenhouse gases and air pollutants.
  • As long as it is sited and handled responsibly, it will have considerably less environmental impact compared to fossil fuels.

Solar Energy In India

  1. Solar power in India is a fast developing industry.
  2. India’s solar capacity was 35,739 MW as of 31st August 2020.
  3. The Government of India aims to raise the solar power capacity to 100 GW by 2020.
  4. India has 300 sunny days.
  5. The solar energy incidence on India’s land area is calculated to be 5000 trillion kilowatt-hours per year.

Investment

  • To set up a solar business in India, you will need a huge investment.
  • There is no limit as such.
  • This is true, especially if you want to be a manufacturer of solar panels or solar inverters.
  • If you want to become a manufacturer, you can start with mounting structures.
  • This does not require a lot of investment.
  • If you want to be a solar installer, this will require less investment, but you will need a team with you.
  • However, you will require at least ₹50,000 to start any business.
  • You will need ₹10,000 if you want to get your company registered as a Private Limited, Partnership, or One Person Company.
  • You will need ₹20,000 for setting up your office and additional costs for marketing and advertising.