Job opportunities in solar sector in India

India has a massive need for energy. Its per capita consumption of electricity is less than one third the world averages. Indian Government has set a target of achieving 100 GW (gigawatt) of solar power by 2022. This target will principally comprise of 40 GW Rooftop and 60 GW through Large and Medium Scale Grid Connected Solar Power Projects, out of the total 175 GW the country plans to produce from renewable sources. This ambitious target of 175 GW of Renewable by 2022 includes 100 gigawatts of solar energy, 60 GW of wind energy, 10 GW of bioenergy and 5 GW of small hydro.

As part of its efforts under the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, India, the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in absolute terms, has committed to cutting its emissions by a third by 2030 from 2005 levels. To meet this goal, the contribution of renewable energy to India's electricity capacity should double to 40% by 2030.

India represents a reliable, fast growing, diversified and financially viable market opportunity for development of renewable energy. The country faced with the challenge of a growing population, provision of rural electrification and deep energy shortages, simply has to add other generation sources. India's need to promote and provide stimulus to new and renewable energy sources arises from the fact that primary fuels i.e. crude and coal account for our single largest import. During high commodity price cycles, the country has faced constrained supplies of primary fuel, high budgetary deficit and resultant inflation. Another important consideration for a rapidly developing economy like India, to promote renewable energy is climate change with coal as a fuel contributing to 55% of generated energy mix. Higher usage of fossil fuels for energy generation would account to higher emission of carbon contributing to unsustainable development.

Solar is expected to become a crucial energy source in India's energy portfolio in the next decade. One of the major reasons for development of solar energy stems from the fact that it can be set up in the shortest duration compared to other energy sources. The UN Environment Program's (UNEP) 'Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2016' report ranked India among the top ten countries in the world investing in renewable energy. Globally India is ranked 4th when it comes to capacity addition of renewable energy resources, which is led by United States, China and Japan.

Solar energy potential estimated by National Institute of Solar Energy is about 750 Giga Watt (GW). This is spread across a number of states namely Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. Endowed with more than 300 days of sunshine a year, India is making strides towards becoming a global solar superpower. Since 2009, when the country first launched the National Solar Mission, it has installed solar parks on large tracts of unused land across the country.

Solar energy is extremely critical for world economies because of the number of methods in which the sun's radiation is put to use in a vast array of solar products ranging from solar panels, solar street lights, to solar inverters, solar UPSs, solar mobile chargers, solar fans, solar cables, solar mobile chargers, solar home systems, and even solar CCTV cameras. Just think about the number of people who would be employed in the manufacturing, sales or installation of so many products. Today, jobs in clean energy become more available and well-paid because, according to European Defence Fund (EDF), solar energy supply companies are able to offer more jobs per dollar invested. It develops 12 times faster than the whole US economy.