Solar energy development in India

India is endowed with very good solar energy resource. The average intensity of solar radiation received on India is 200 MW/km 2 . Even if 10% ofthe available area can be used, the available solar energy would be 8 million MW, which is equivalent to 5909 mtoe (million tons of oil equivalent) per year. Considering the ever increasing energy demands ofthe country, this resource can be gainfully utilized, especially for meeting the electrical needs of rural poor, who are not likely to be served by the grid; and for meeting thermal energy requirements of domestic, industrial, and commercial sectors. In last three decades, a lot of developmental work has been done in India, in the fields of solar thermal and solar photovoltaic technologies. Presently, the country has a basket of technologies/products that are at various stages of commercialization or R&D. However, there is scope of achieving even higher goals, especially in view of the available potential. This paper reviews the status in some key areas of solar energy utilisation. Some of the major barriers to greater penetration of solar energy in to the conventional energy markets are also discussed.