<p> The Rs 900 crore project will involve more than 100 scientists from eight laboratories under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and big time industrialists like Reliance, Tata and Moserbaer who have business interests in solar energy.<br /><br />The innovative products could range from building paints that absorbs and store solar energy for use in computers, and mobile phone chargers to efficient roof tiles that does away with the traditional photo-voltaic cell panels and mirrors that can focus solar energy to generate hot water and steam. <br /><br />Other technological challenges facing the scientists are developing futuristic rapid-charge, rapid-discharge batteries for storing solar energy, improving the efficiency of solar photo voltaic cells from existing 17 per cent to 22 per cent and reuse the PV material lost in wafer manufacturing. <br /><br />“Some of these products are low hanging fruits, which can be realised within the next 3-4 years. Others can be achieved within the next 5 years,” S Sivaram, director of National Chemicals Laboratory in Pune and coordinator for solar programme at CSIR told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />The last meeting to give the final touches to the programme document will be held on Thursday after which it would be submitted to the Union ministry for new and renewable energy, which had promised substantial financial support.<br /><br />On Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission that seeks to generate 20,000 MW of electricity from solar energy by 2022. <br />Launching the mission Singh stated that technological innovations ranging from nanotechnology to cost effective storage as well as hybrid solutions would be critical in ensuring the success of the mission. The objective would be to reduce the space intensity of current solar applications. <br /><br />CSIR began working on the solar R&D programme in October, 2008 after the PM’s council on climate change endorsed the government’s ambitious plans on solar energy. <br /><br />“In the last two decades, investment in solar energy was sub-optimal and the research was in bits and pieces. There was no connecting of the dots,” admitted Sivaram.<br />Through 12 research clusters, the CSIR programme not only seeks to connect the dots but also extend it to pre-commercialisation stage. The industrial houses too are interested in putting in money. <br /><br />A major focus of the programme would be on non-grid applications as the road-map on solar energy makes it aptly clear that only a portion of the 20,000 MW planned capacity, would be added to the grid. <br /><br />The council has already Rs 80 crore from its own budget to kickstart the research and expects a major push in the upcoming budget.</p>
<p> The Rs 900 crore project will involve more than 100 scientists from eight laboratories under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and big time industrialists like Reliance, Tata and Moserbaer who have business interests in solar energy.<br /><br />The innovative products could range from building paints that absorbs and store solar energy for use in computers, and mobile phone chargers to efficient roof tiles that does away with the traditional photo-voltaic cell panels and mirrors that can focus solar energy to generate hot water and steam. <br /><br />Other technological challenges facing the scientists are developing futuristic rapid-charge, rapid-discharge batteries for storing solar energy, improving the efficiency of solar photo voltaic cells from existing 17 per cent to 22 per cent and reuse the PV material lost in wafer manufacturing. <br /><br />“Some of these products are low hanging fruits, which can be realised within the next 3-4 years. Others can be achieved within the next 5 years,” S Sivaram, director of National Chemicals Laboratory in Pune and coordinator for solar programme at CSIR told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />The last meeting to give the final touches to the programme document will be held on Thursday after which it would be submitted to the Union ministry for new and renewable energy, which had promised substantial financial support.<br /><br />On Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission that seeks to generate 20,000 MW of electricity from solar energy by 2022. <br />Launching the mission Singh stated that technological innovations ranging from nanotechnology to cost effective storage as well as hybrid solutions would be critical in ensuring the success of the mission. The objective would be to reduce the space intensity of current solar applications. <br /><br />CSIR began working on the solar R&D programme in October, 2008 after the PM’s council on climate change endorsed the government’s ambitious plans on solar energy. <br /><br />“In the last two decades, investment in solar energy was sub-optimal and the research was in bits and pieces. There was no connecting of the dots,” admitted Sivaram.<br />Through 12 research clusters, the CSIR programme not only seeks to connect the dots but also extend it to pre-commercialisation stage. The industrial houses too are interested in putting in money. <br /><br />A major focus of the programme would be on non-grid applications as the road-map on solar energy makes it aptly clear that only a portion of the 20,000 MW planned capacity, would be added to the grid. <br /><br />The council has already Rs 80 crore from its own budget to kickstart the research and expects a major push in the upcoming budget.</p>
