Yes, it’s high time we switched to solar energy for our basic lighting, and if possible, to other electrical appliances. In India, especially southern India, we’ve more than 320 days of bright sunlight, and most of the solar-driven appliances does not need direct sunlight to get charged.

In spite of the big advantage (Sun, of course!), very few people (including me!) have switched to solar energy. Why? Well, there are quite a few things that we must consider for this poor response to solar energy usage, such as very little or poor advertising by the state government, and more importantly, by the companies manufacturing such devices. One cannot wholly blame the manufacturing companies for this, but the government. The government holds a lot of responsibility in efficiently managing the power situation of the state, and find ways to conserve power (not by scheduled ‘power shutdowns’ during the hottest of summers!).

There are a lot of advertisements on private television channels on junk foods, drinks, face creams, body lotions, condoms, cars, petrol, air conditioners, refrigerators, televisions, etc., but not once have I seen an advertisement about solar appliances. Of course, the national channels (Doordarshan) do provide some information on the use of solar energy, but what the heck, I (most people) don’t watch those channels anymore!

What the government must do to increase penetration?

1. Frequently advertise about the advantages of solar energy and solar-driven appliances
2. Start using solar energy at a large scale for street lighting
3. Provide incentives to local solar products manufacturers, and for entrepreneurs
4. Provide concession for solar products in the market to enable faster adoption (solar torch lights are priced at around Rs. 750, and after government concession they can be sold at a competitive price of Rs. 600 including taxes!)

A responsible government would have distributed solar-driven products to the people living below poverty line, instead of color televisions. In developed countries, the government plays a pivotal role in educating the masses about the advantages of solar and other renewable energy appliances. When the whole world is concerned about global warming, we invent methods to accelerate them by producing ‘people’s cars’ that run on petrol and not on alternate energy, while there is an exception though.

The manufacturers must think out of the box, and must come forward to providing product-based solutions that could power an air conditioners at a house during the day time. If one progressive state, like Tamil Nadu, could adopt solar energy to a great extent, there will always be followers. If at least 50% of the states in India could switch to an alternative energy, we stand to gain a lot from the few thousand megawatt of energy we will save. That being said, responsible individuals like us should look out for manufacturers and install some solar-driven products at our home - as always, charity starts at home. I found a link, Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency, that lists some achievements, programs, solutions, etc. As usual, I never came across such achievements via general communications medium like televisions or newspapers.

I wouldn’t stop with writing this article, but will try to install a couple of solar-driven products at my home. I will give a detailed report on the costs and how it is to use them. If you guys come across solar products in Chennai, please drop me a comment.

So, let’s act now, and save the planet for our younger generations!