Decline Trend in Solar Power Potential in India: IMD study

Context

Recently, A study published in the Journal ‘Mausam’ by India Meteorological Department has revealed a significantly decreasing trend in solar power generation potential in the country and has suggested use of more efficient equipment to deal with the situation.

Solar Power Potential in India: IMD Study

The study titled “Understanding the climatology and long-term trends in solar radiation using ground based in-situ observations in India,” published by IMD.

• The quantity of solar radiation available that can be economically converted by solar panels to electricity is showing an “alarming decreasing trend” in several locations in India.
  • Solar power potential in India has decreased over the last three decades.
• Decreasing Solar Radiation Due to:
  • Increased aerosol load. 
    • Causative factors behind increased aerosol load :  fine particles from carbon emissions, fossil fuel burning and dust  and clouding.
    • Aerosols absorb the sunlight and deflect it away from the ground and they can also precipitate the formation of dense clouds that again block sunlight. 

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• The efficiency of solar panels are significantly influenced by the amount of sunlight incident on them. 
  • Therefore it highlighted the need for installing more efficient solar panels & need for wide use of solar panels with better efficiency to meet the energy requirements from solar resources.
• Study  based on the climatology and global radiation (GR) trends, diffuse radiation (DR), bright sunshine hours (BHS), and technical potential of solar power (solar photovoltaic potential/SPV) using in-situ data procured from the IMD between 1985 and 2019.
• Global radiation (GR) trends: 
  • Maximum over north-west India and inland areas of peninsular India.
  • Minimum over the extreme north and north-east India. 
  • Reduction in GR is due to :  Increased atmospheric turbidity and cloudiness. 
  • However, The declining trend of the average GR over the country has been reduced in the recent decade.
• Diffuse Radiation (DR) : 
  • DR is high over coastal stations, including the extreme northern parts of the country. 
  • A significant increase in DR has been observed in more than 50 percent of the stations, especially in the northwest and some parts of peninsular India,
  • Reduction in DR is due to : increased atmospheric turbidity and cloudiness.
  • The rate of increase of average DR over the country has escalated in the recent decade.
• Bright Sunshine Hours (BHS) : 
  • Annual BHS is high in northwest India  & Low in north, north-east and southern peninsular India. 
  • BHS has significantly decreased in 75 percent of the selected stations,
    • Most of the stations exhibit maximum BHS during the pre-monsoon and minimum during the monsoon season. 
• Technical Potential of Solar Power (Solar photovoltaic Potential) : SPV is the amount of radiation that may be practically available to be converted to electricity by panels.
  • The country has vast SPV potential, in the range of 1800–3400 Wm-2, though with substantial regional variations.
  • Data from in house stations to compute the changes in solar photovoltaic (SPV) potential showed a general decline in all stations.
    • India’s largest solar parks are located in the north-west, particularly Gujarat and Rajasthan, and cities in both these States are also showing a decrease in SPV potential.
• Therefore, Study Highlighted that Understanding the variations of solar power potential over the country is essential for the optimum utilization of solar energy in power generation, which demands accurate information of solar radiation and its variations.