SOLAR ROOFTOP (SRT) SYSTEM

>>Recently, the government has issued advisory on Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Programme (Phase-II) as some vendors are charging more price than the rates decided by DISCOMs from domestic consumers.

About the Solar Rooftop (SRT) System::

>>In an SRT the solar panels are installed in the roof of any residential, commercial, institutional and industrial buildings to produce electricity.

>>SRT System can be of two types o SRT System with storage facility: The solar electricity is stored in the battery and can be utilized during night also when the sun is not available. 

Grid Connected SRT System: 

>>In these systems the DC power generated from SPV panel is converted to AC power using power conditioning units. This AC power is utilized fully by powering captive loads and feeding excess power to the grid. In case, where solar power is not sufficient due to cloud cover etc., the captive loads are served by drawing power from the grid.

>>National Solar Mission has set a target to achieve 100 GW of installed capacity of solar energy by the end of 2022. Out of this, 40 GW is the target set for the SRT System.  At present the SRT systems account only for 12% of solar power generation.  The installed capacity of the SRT system augmented from 117 MW in 2013 to 5.9GW in 2020.

Significance of enhancing share of the SRT System in total solar energy installed capacity::

>>Increasing the accessibility to electricity: Only 87% of Households have access to grid-connect electricity. 13% Indian households are either using non-grid sources for power or "do not use any electricity at all." SRT systems could be game changers for these households. 

More efficient: There is no transmission loss in utilization of electricity generated through the SRT system. Further, maintenance cost of SRT System is also less as compared to the maintenance of solar parks. Since solar parks are mostly located in arid and semi-arid ecosystems, more water is needed to keep them dust free. 

No additional space required for installation: One of the biggest advantages of rooftop solar panels is that they can be installed on any type of roof. So, people don’t need to vacate a land or invest in buying additional land. 

Environment friendly: SRT system could be used as a clean back up for compensating power outages in urban areas. 

India’s renewable energy generation capacity is the fourth largest in the world (currently 136 GW which is 36% of total capacity). By 2022, the share of renewable capacity will increase to 220 GW. India’s demand for solar energy is creating a market opportunity worth $20 billion annually. Demand for locally-produced panels will also grow to 36 GW over three years. Therefore, it is need of the hour to streamline all the schemes for encouraging adoption as well as sustainable growth of solar module and solar PV manufacturing units.