According to statistics available with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), India receives solar energy equivalent of over 5,000 trillion kWh per year.

The daily average solar energy incident over India varies from 4-7 kWh per square metres, depending upon the location, but the high cost of equipment remains a constraint in its large-scale utilisation, officials said.

The estimated unit cost of electricity from grid connected solar energy plant is estimated at Rs.12-15 per unit, which is much higher compared to power available from other renewable energy sources like wind and biomass.

For now, solar energy systems are mainly being used for standalone applications such as lighting, telecommunication, small power requirements, battery charging, water heating and cooking.

So far, around 1.4 million solar photovoltaic systems aggregating to about 110 MW peak solar photovoltaic module capacity have been installed in the country.