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Solar energy is one of the most important sources of non-conventional energy. Solar energy is non-exhaustible, reliable, and pollution free. It may be utilised for water heaters, power generation devices, air-conditioning, space heating, development of pisci-culture, and multifarious uses of water and refrigeration.
The average amount of solar energy received in the earth’s atmosphere is about 1353 kW per sq metre. It is 1000 times the total consumption of the global energy. Being situated in the subtropical latitudes, India receives higher amount of solar energy. The greater part of the country has more than 300 solar days. The total amount of energy received from the Sun is about 5000 trillion kWh per year.
The Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) technology enables the conversion of solar radiation into electricity without involving any moving part like turbine. Over 650,000
solar PV systems have been installed in the country.
In many parts of the country, the solar energy programmes have been implemented. One such example is the Rural Energy Co-operative at Sagar Island in the Sundarban Delta of West Bengal. Similar programmes have been implemented in the other islands in the Bay of Bengal, the desert of Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Kalyanpur (Aligarh), and Coimbatore (Fig. 8.8).