PV+Solar India Expo 2010 kicks off in Mumbai

MUMBAI, INDIA: Electronics Today, India's first Techno-Economic Electronics Monthly Journal, has launched the PV+Solar India Expo 2010, the International Conference and Exhibition of Photovoltaic, Solar Thermal, Solar Architecture, photovoltaic Equipment, Products, Materials and Systems, from March 4-6, 2010 in Mumbai.

PV+Solar India Expo 2010 was inaugurated and addressed by Chief Guest, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Hon'ble Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of India. The Expo was also addressed by Deepak Gupta, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of India, and Rabindra Satpathy, Conference Chairman & Vice President of Solar Energy Society of India, (SESI), President, Solar Energy, Reliance Industries.

PV+Solar India Expo 2010 is a joint initiative by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, Department of Information Technology (DIT), Ministry of Information and Communications, Government of India and Solar Energy Society of India (SESI).

PV+Solar India Expo 2010 aims to provide a common forum to all stakeholders in the field of photovoltaic and solar energy, i.e., central and state governments, local administrations, such as, municipalities, gram panchayats, industry, manufacturers, solution providers, financial and banking institutions, R&D and academic organizations and the users - to achieve these ambitious targets and goals.

It will also provide an ideal opportunity to players in Photovoltaic, Solar Thermal, Solar Architecture, photovoltaic Equipment, Products, Materials, and Systems, to display their products and capabilities to explore huge emerging Business Opportunities in India and South Asian countries.

Along with the Exhibition, Electronic Today, which is now in its 42nd year of publication, has also organised a two-day International Conference -"Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission - The Road Ahead and two Technical Workshops, in association with the Solar Energy Society of India (SESI).

The Government of India launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission with a twin objective - to contribute to India's long term energy security as well as its ecological security. The Mission's mandate is to establish India as a global leader in solar energy and to create an enabling policy framework for the deployment of 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022.

India is endowed with vast solar energy potential. About 5,000 trillion kWh per year energy is incident over India's land area with most parts receiving 4-7 kWh per sq. m per day. Hence, both technology routes for conversion of solar radiation into heat and electricity, namely, solar thermal and solar photovoltaic, can effectively be harnessed providing huge scalability for solar in India.

Currently, the bulk of India's Solar PV industry is dependent on imports of critical raw materials and components - including silicon wafers. Transforming India into a solar energy hub would include a leadership role in low-cost, high quality solar manufacturing, including balance of system components. Indigenous manufacturing of low temperature solar collectors is already available; however, manufacturing capacities for advanced solar collectors for low temperature and concentrating solar collectors and their components for medium and high temperature applications need to be built.

There are plans to promote programmes for off grid applications, reaching 1000 MW by 2017 and 2000 MW by 2022. The Government plans to achieve 15 million sq. meters solar thermal collector area by 2017 and 20 million by 2022; and to deploy 20 million solar lighting systems for rural areas by 2022.