Four New 1000 MW Solar Powerplants - Well Done, India!

It is encouraging to go to bed with this good news from The Economic Times. Rajasthanm Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, all states that receive high DNI, will receive new 1000 MW solar powerplants each. The government also plans to advance the deadline for 20,000 MW of solar power set by the previous government. I would hope, as a next step, that large government buildings and railway stations will see solar panels on their roofs. There is a lot of area that is currently wasted and that could be covered with solar PVs to generate power that is currently remotely generated at distant powerplants and fed in over long distance transmission lines. I hope that this is a beginning, and not an end in itself. It does look like the new government has got down to business fast. Here's wishing them success!

Dubai's Pioneering Example could be Replicated Across South Asia

Gulf News has this article about a pioneering new initiative to build solar powered sheltered bus stops in Dubai. While the wealthy Middle Eastern Emirate makes a lot of money from oil and gas, its Arab rulers have been smart enough to understand that the fierce sun that shines down on them, could be put to work making them comfortable. Typically, for a wealthy country, Dubai's "bus shelters" are airconditioned and designed to be like high end waiting rooms. Much positive inspiration could be derived from this, though, across South Asia, a region that sends millions of people to work in Dubai, its surrounding Emirates, and in other countries in the region. I'll bet that a majority of the laborers who set these bus shelters up, many of the site-managers and other professionals involved, were all South Asians. And, while South Asia might not get UAE levels of solar DNI except for some desert regions, the entire region still receives enough sunlight to run a lot of equipment. And, the bus shelters don't need to be as expensive or elaborate as in Dubai. Now, if only South Asian countries could put solar PVs on bus and train stop roofs, and use them to drive fans underneath to keep passengers warm when it gets hot (or possibly ceramic heaters to provide warmth in those spots where it gets cold) it just might make public transport more attractive. Let's hope that it happens!