The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Recession-triggered slump in prices may help solar energy sector to grow’

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Monday, Jun 08, 2009
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‘Recession-triggered slump in prices may help solar energy sector to grow’

Special Correspondent

Raw material cost has dropped by 15 per cent due to fall in demand: expert

‘There is more supply and less demand’
‘Europe using technology to set up wind turbines’

BANGALORE: Even as the country’s economy is feeling the heat of global recession, the solar energy industry feels that recession will trigger growth in this sector, especially the grid connected solar power plants, as the cost of raw material has reduced due to a fall in global demand.

Speaking to presspersons on the sidelines of a seminar on “Grid connected solar power plants” organised by the Electrical Consultants’ Association of India (ELCA) at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, Sun Technics Energy Systems Director and CEO Rajeshwara Bhat said the prices of raw material for the solar power plants had dropped by 15 to 20 per cent.

“Recession has created a situation of more supply and less demand with respect to raw material for solar power plants. The world is looking at India and China as prospective consumers of these raw material,” he said.

He said that the reduction in prices was expected to pave the way for competition among various players within the industry leading to a drop in project cost.

At present, it would cost about Rs. 20 crore to Rs. 22 crore for setting up a grid-connected solar power plant with a capacity of one MW, he noted. Normally, it is possible to generate about 1.5 million units of energy annually at a plant load factor of 15 per cent from the one-MW solar plant.

He was also of the view that the high cost of generation of solar power which stood at Rs. 15 a unit may drop after two or three years when the ongoing research on increasing the energy conversion efficiency of solar plants is expected to yield results.

The reduction in prices and the competition among players would make the solar power industry to target those using diesel-generator sets, especially the rural branches of banks and mobile towers in villages, he said.

Wind energy expert Balaraman, who spoke on wind energy, noted that European countries were now using modern technology to set up “deep water wind turbines” also known as floating turbines in deep sea.

While the turbine would be above the water, the foundation will be on the sea bed with a depth of nearly 200 metres. This would lead to increased generation of energy besides helping in increasing the capacity of wind mills to 7 MW as against the conventional ones which have a capacity of two to 2.5 MW, he said.

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