It is a known fact, that India’s power sector is still besieged with some shortcomings. Accumulated losses, debt, theft and loss of power are some of the problems hampering the development of this sector. At the same time, it cannot be denied that there has been no growth at all, encouragement of private sector participation and increase in conventional general capacity over the last two decades is seen; however, the growth made by this sector is just not sufficient enough to fulfil the tremendous power needs of the country.
The bottleneck area is the distribution segment which connects the power sector to the consumers. Lack of efficiency and co-ordination in its working, under-pricing, have largely contributed to their sorry state. There is a greater need today, to tap alternative sources of energy as well as discover new means of generating power so that electricity is made available to all, at all times.
Solar energy and wind power have to be tapped in earnest to enable widespread and continuous use of electricity. Going by the world developments in this field, harnessing solar power has become highly competitive with the power generated from conventional sources. Rapid strides in the microelectronics industry has led to major developments in technology related to crystalline silicon solar cells and this has reduced the cost of producing solar energy. This solar boom is being witnessed in almost all countries of the world and India is no exception. However, for this to take off on a large-scale it is very essential for the elimination of vested interests and necessary for all politicians to take greater interest and thorough follow-ups in this filed.
New technology for generation of 24 hour power supply has to be encouraged on all fronts. In fact, there is some testing done in four southern states of India on the use of such new technology which provides uninterrupted direct current (UDC) to the areas. As per reports, this method involves continuous provision of electricity from the grid to meet demands of basic household appliances even though the demand is high or at time of outage. In all, minimum supply of 100 watts of power would be made available on a daily basis to the homes with the installation of a simple equipment piece at the substations.
At the same time, it would also call for inclusion of a small device in front of the electric meter at home. Besides the regular supply of 100 watts from the grid, an additional 48 volts DC can be supplied through the second output of power. This minimal power supply will remain even in times of outage thus preventing a total blackout. LED lights which operate on direct current will be supplied power through this DC source.
Moreover, if the UDC unit is connected with a solar panel then there is great room for expansion of power lessening the dependence on the costly diesel fuel. This technology is still in the testing stage and hence, obtaining regulatory approvals and development of safety standards will be embarked on the completion of the pilot project.
If things go as planned, then very soon 24 hours power supply will no longer remain a dream.