Ready to tap sun in fight against global warming

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wants the country to have solar valleys on lines of ‘silicon valleys’ to harness the benefits of this non-conventional energy resource.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wants the country to have solar valleys on lines of ‘silicon valleys’ to harness the benefits of this non-conventional energy resource.

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Launching India’s first climate change programme ‘Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission’ on Monday, Singh asked industrial houses to view the solar mission as a huge business opportunity. He added that the mission’s success will also contribute to national and global efforts to combat climate change.

The solar mission has set an ambitious target to generate 20,000 MW of solar generating capacity by the end of 13th Five Year Plan, would be critical.

“Eventually, if the ambitious roll-out of the mission is to become a reality, we will have to create many solar valleys on the lines of the silicon valleys that are spurring our IT industry across the four corners of the country,” Singh said.

The prime minister noted that these valleys would become hubs for solar science, engineering, fabrication and manufacturing.

Referring to Jawarharlal Nehru’s vision to create world-class scientific and technological capabilities in the atomic energy and space sectors, he said it was these strengths that created the Information Technology revolution in India.

“I am convinced that solar energy can be the next scientific and industrial frontier in India after atomic energy, space and IT,” he said.