Cheapest solar energy in India

INDIA is the most cost-effective country for generating rooftop solar energy at $66 (£47.83) per megawatt-hour, while in China it is marginally higher at $68 (£49.28) per megawatthour, a global study has shown.

The corresponding figures for the US are $238 (£172.48) per megawatt-hour and $251 (£181.90) per megawatt-hour in England.

In the past decade, there has been a rapid uptake of rooftop solar photovoltaics (RTSPV) technology, such as roofmounted solar panels used in homes, and commercial and industrial buildings.

Between 2006 and 2018, the installed capacity of the RTSPV grew from 2.5 gigawatts (GW) to 213 GW.

According to the global study, this is projected to fulfil up to 49 per cent of the global electricity demand by 2050.

RTSPVs account for 40 per cent of the global solar photovoltaics installed capacity and one-fourth of the total renewable capacity additions.

According to the study, India has a significant solar rooftop potential of 1.7 petawatthour per year. This is against the country’s current electricity demand of 1.3 petawatthour per annum, it said.

The study was co-authored by Priyadarshi Shukla, a professor at Ahmedabad University and director of the institution’s global centre for environment and energy; Shivika Mittal from the Imperial College, London; and James Glynn from Columbia University.

In India, Maharashtra, with 181 terawatt-hour per year and Uttar Pradesh with 168.07 terawatt-hour per year, have the highest solar rooftop potential among states.

The findings have an important implication for sustainable development and climate change mitigation efforts.

The International Solar Alliance, a joint initiative launched by India and France, is planning to mobilise $1 trillion in investments by 2030 in order to increase penetration of solar energy.