ENERGY ALTERNATIVES: RENEWABLE
ENERGY AND ENERGY CONSERVATION
TECHNOLOGIES
Solar Energy
The empirical relationships between global radiation (GR) and
climatological parameters such as sunshine , mean daily
temperature, relative humidity, specific humidity, minimum
and maximum temperature and rainfall (based on data at
Bangalore) are used to compute global radiation (GR-kWh/Sq.m.)
for Kolar. Kolar has GR range of 5.2-6.77 during January-May
and is in range of 4.6 - 5.1 during monsoon months, July-
September.
Table 4: Global Radiation (monthwise) in Kolar, kWh/day
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr
| May | Jun | July | Aug
| Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| GR | 5.28 | 6.69 | 6.77
| 6.80 | 6.41 | 5.43 | 4.64
| 4.96 | 5.16 | 5.48 | 5.20
| 4.70 |
Amount of solar energy that could be harnessed by utilising
5% of present waste land available in Kolar district as
solar collector area, is found to be of the order of 169
million units(mkWh). Cost of electricity generated from Solar-
Thermal technology ranges from Rs. 6.85 (at 30% efficiency,
0.45 load factor), Rs. 4.74 (at 30% efficiency, load factor
0.65) and Rs. 3.62 (at 30% efficiency and load factor 0.85).
The abundance of the solar resource can be illustrated by
comparing the land requirements of solar (thermal or PV) with
those of hydro or energy plantation projects. Except for run-
of-river projects and for high head sites in deep gorges, the
land requirements for hydro electric projects at today's
conversion efficiencies, averaging around 25 to 45 times.
This means that solar energy is capable, in supplying 5 to 10
times electricity demand of our state while occupying land
areas less than currently used by hydro electric projects.