Rhetoric & reality of solar electricity

By N N Sachitanand

Despite its limitations, the global growth rate of solar photo voltaic installations has spurted.

Those who dislike nuclear energy because of its safety problems strongly tout solar energy as a clean and renewable alternate for India. India experiences clear sunny weather for over 250 days a year, with the average daily solar energy incident over the country being as high as 5.8 kilowatt-hours per square metre, With a land area of roughly 3 million sq km, this translates to a total energy incidence of 6000 trillion units/year (1 unit = 1 kilowatt hour).