Abhrasnata Das
Solar energy is becoming more popular in India as renewable energy gets traction. India, which receives over 3,000 hours of sunlight and solar radiation every year, is perfectly positioned to capture the sun's power. The Government of India on the other hand has already come out with an ambitious renewable energy goal of 175 GW by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030, and solar will play the main role in this. And a collaborative approach to scaling innovative solar energy solutions is the need of the hour.

In the past few years, many startups have risen to prominence, striving to scale solar energy sources and reduce the usage of natural resources and their impact on the environment. They are also coming up with new innovations along with offering end-to-end solutions to the market and individuals.

Having said that, in this article let's dig into a few revolutionary innovations by the solar industry startups, that will lead India towards a sustainable future.

Integrated Photovoltaic System (PV)

Solar companies are integrating PV systems into every aspect of our environment, eliminating the need for further land usage. As a result, innovations like integrated PV, floatovoltaics, and agrivoltaics make sense. Entrepreneurs are also working on thin-film cells to make solar panels more flexible, cost-effective, lightweight, and ecologically friendly.

To improve PV performance, emerging companies are exploring technologies to concentrate solar power utilising mirrors and lenses. Advancements in PV materials, such as the use of perovskite, are increasing energy conversion by a factor of 10. These breakthroughs are supported with photovoltaic designs that maximise efficiency and productivity. When these solutions are integrated, they promote recycling, resource efficiency, and the use of alternative materials, all of which contribute to sustainability.

Renkube, a renewable energy firm that has developed an innovative glass that boosts photovoltaic solar panel efficiency by 20%. A simple illustration is a mirror that can redirect more sunlight to the solar panel.
Unlike mirrors, which may cause hotspots, this light diverting device is carefully designed to keep the panel's peak rating from being exceeded. The energy production of a solar panel follows a bell curve, with peak power around midday and underperformance for the rest of the day.

Artificial Intelligence

The energy grid is one of the most complicated infrastructures, and it necessitates real-time decision-making, which big data and AI algorithms allow utilities to do. AI's uses in the renewables sector go beyond grid analytics and management to include power demand predictions and predictive maintenance of renewable energy sources.

It also allows the internet of energy applications to estimate grid capacity levels and conduct time-based autonomous trading and pricing. Virtual power plants (VPP) complement utility-generated electricity thanks to advances in cloud computing. In addition, data analytics and machine learning are used by companies to build and analyse renewable energy models.

The Solar Labs, a Mandi-based firm, employs artificial intelligence to aid in the propagation of solar energy throughout the world. They're working on software to help solar companies figure out how much solar they can put in and create engineering designs that maximise solar energy output. For rooftop solar system design, AI is being utilised to save engineering time while increasing energy output.

Decentralized Energy Storage

DESS centralises renewable energy generation and storage, reducing output irregularities. Startups provide a variety of battery and batteryless options based on cost and other factors. Flow batteries, for example, make use of low, steady energy, but solid-state batteries are light and have a high energy density. Capacitors and supercapacitors are also utilised in applications that demand huge quantities of energy in a short period of time.

Startups are developing batteryless storage options like pumped hydro and compressed air technologies in response to concerns about discharge, safety, and environmental contamination. Surplus energy, on the other hand, is transformed to other types of energy, such as heat or methane, and then stored and reconverted using Power-to-X (P2X) technology.

Grid Integration Technology

Renewable energy transmission, distribution, and stabilisation are all part of grid integration technology. When variable renewable energy generation is scaled up distant from demand centres, transmission and distribution losses ensue. Grid electronic technologies such as Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) semiconductors are being used to address this.

In the End

In a country India, Startups is the step toward reaching the aim of renewable and clean energy. In the coming days, more and more startups are needed in India to effectively use energy and build a greener and cleaner environment. To contribute to the objective of renewable energy, India must employ artificial intelligence and other technology. The startup may make use of these technologies and become a major player in the area of renewable energy. This in turn will pave the way for a sustainable future and be a part to the global call of “Net Zero”.

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