India embraces solar power as major focus for alternative energy goals

India embraces solar power as major focus for alternative energy goals

January 6, 2012 0 By Angie Bergenson

India has begun to embrace solar power.

The nation is aiming to become an alternative energy superpower by 2017, when it expects that solar-generated electricity will be the same price as that generated by fossil-fuel plants. Originally, India had plans to expand its use of solar power in 2022. The country is pushing the date forward due to the dropping costs of incorporating the energy thanks to new technologies. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy believes that prices will continue to plummet for several years, as solar energy systems become more efficient.

The government has also been focusing on hydrogen energy in an attempt to bring abundant electricity to rural parts of the country. Solar energy is a relatively new endeavor for the nation and work on an expansive solar energy system has yet to begin.

Currently, government officials are in talks with foreign solar power companies to build plans to incorporate solar energy into India existing infrastructure.

As part of its effort to adopt alternative energy, the nation has plans to reduce its dependence of nuclear power significantly by 2020. Currently, India is home to 18 nuclear power stations, which generate large amounts of electricity to the country. The goal is to reduce this number to zero and fill the gap with solar and hydrogen-generated electricity.

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