Nanotechnology in Solar PhotoVoltaic Cells

In a few years, with the use of nanotechnology, the cost of setting up a solar power plant will be reduced by half, thereby negating the argument that mass producing solar power is cost prohibitive.

At present, capital investment in a solar plant is Rs 15-18 crore per mega watt - four times that of thermal energy at Rs 4-5 crore/ MW. The cost is expected to be slashed by half and efficiency doubled when nano technology is integrated in solar cells in 4-5 years.

Even though conventional solar cells are expensive and cannot yet achieve high efficiency, it may be possible to lower the manufacturing costs using nanotechnology. Institutions such as the University of California Berkeley and Konarka Technologies are actively pursuing ways to make this happen. Although solar cells are not efficient enough to replace large-scale electric grids, there are many opportunities for them to be used for low power devices. The effects that a low cost, reasonably efficient (low power) solar cell would have on society are tremendous. It would help preserve the environment, protect soldiers, provide rural areas with electricity, and transform the electronics industry. These dramatic effects, which would all be a result of nanotechnology, would greatly change and even improve society.

A huge fillip to India’s renewable energy ambitions

An abandoned thermal power plant in Asansol has been converted into a mega solar power generating station - perhaps the only
instance in the world where a high-carbon power unit has been replaced by a zero-carbon one.

What’s more, the 2-MW project marks the first time in India that a solar project has crossed the megawatt threshold and is poised to give a huge fillip to India’s renewable energy ambitions.

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Roof Top Solar PhotoVoltaic(SPV) Systems - Financial Assistance

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has announced a Special Scheme aiming to reduce the diesel fuel consumption.
Under the scheme come all various commercial institutions like Hotels, Nursing Homes, Govt Buildings, Shopping Malls, Hospitals, Industry & Housing Complexes facing power shortage.

Govt will provide financial assistance to install the SPV systems in these institutions. The Financial Asst. will be between 30 - 40 % of project cost for profit making or non-profit making organisation respectively.

This scheme is for plants generating 25-100 kWp power from SPV module. If there is plant with lesser capacity that can be also considered on case by case basis.

If such a plant is institutionalised then it can start saving after 5-6 yrs of installation. The life of such systems is around 25-30 years.

in my view people should go for this without fail, as this is a good opportunity extended from govt.

more can be read at Ministry web site: www.mnre.gov.in