Solar energy is the energy received by the earth from the sun.

This
energy is in the form of solar radiation, which makes the production of
solar electricity possible.
Solar electricity relies upon man-made devices such as solar panels or
solar cells in order to provide a source of clean, and low cost
renewable energy.

Solar energy is also partly responsible for wind energy, as wind

patterns are greatly influenced by the sun. Also, the sun is responsible
for heating the ground beneath our feet to a significant degree to
support the use of geothermal, ground source heat pumps.

India is blessed with an abundance of sunlight, water and biomass.

Government created the Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources
(DNES) in 1982. In 1992 a full fledged Ministry of Non-conventional Energy
Sources was established under the overall charge of the Prime Minister.

35,000 km2 area of the Thar Desert has been set aside for solar power projects,
sufficient to generate 700 GW to 2,100 GW.
The amount of solar energy produced in India is less than 1% of the total energy
demand.

India is in the sunny regions of the world with most parts of the country
receiving 4-7wh (kilowatt-hour) of solar radiation per square meter per day
250-300 sunny days in a year. Rajasthan receives the highest annual solar
radiation and North-eastern parts of the country receive the least. This solar
energy can be made use of in two ways the Thermal route i.e. using heat for
drying, heating cooking or generation of electricity or through
thePhotovoltaic route which converts light in solar energy in to electricity
which can be used for a myriad purposes such as lighting, communication,
pumping and generation of electricity. With its pollution free nature, virtually
inexhaustible supply and global distribution makes solar energy very
attractive.

Solar water heaters have proved the most popular so far and solar
photovoltaics for decentralized power supply are fast becoming popular in
rural and remote areas. More than 700000 PV systems generating 44 MW
have been installed all over India. Under the water pumping programme
more than 3000 systems have been installed so far and the market for solar
lighting and solar pumping is far from saturated. Solar drying is one area
which offers very good prospects in food, agricultural and chemical products
drying applications.

As of 2004 there are about 80,000 unelectrified villages in the country. Of these
villages, 18,000 could not be electrified through extension of the conventional
grid. A target for electrifying 5,000 such villages was set for the Tenth National
Five Year Plan (2002–2007). As of 2004, more than 2,700 villages and hamlets
had been electrified, mainly using solar photovoltaic systems.

Solar photovoltaic’s (SPV) are in the process of converting solar radiation

(sunlight) into electricity using a device called solar cell. A solar cell is a semi-
conducting device made of silicon or other materials, which, when exposed to
sunlight, generates electricity. The magnitude of the electric current
generated depends on the intensity of the solar radiation, exposed area of
the solar cell, the type of material used in fabricating the solar cell, and
ambient temperature. Solar cells are connected in series and parallel
combinations to form modules that provide the required power.