Mitigating Heatwave Effects with RE Innovations – Ratul Puri

Introduction

As is widely known, summer in India is an ordeal. Recently, the country has gone through its longest as well as the most severe heat wave in history, with some regions’ temperatures reaching a scorching fifty degrees Centigrade.

Examining Heatwaves In The Indian Context

A heatwave in India usually occurs from March to June and its peak intensity is during the month of May. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) uses the 40 degrees Celsius as the threshold on the plains and 37 degrees Celsius on the coastal regions and 30 degrees Celsius in the hills, stating a worsening divergence from temperatures considered normal. When this divergence hits 6.5 degrees or above, it is termed as a “severe heat wave”.

Healthcare Consequences

Looking at such extremes of heat, it’s easy to see their repercussions on public health. Particularly with stroke, dehydration, and heat exhaustion becoming the order of the day as more people with underlying conditions such as heart collapse, head to critical regions, like heart ailments and respiratory complications. The masses that are more vulnerable are children, elderly people, and women who are working outside. Heat waves disturb the food chain as well as the habitat of animals. Drought harms livestock through heat stress and reduces the quantity and quality of the milk manufactured.

The Effect of Climate Change

Global warming has not only brought an increase in mean temperature but has also created an environment which is conducive for extreme weather events. On the other hand heatwaves which are the end product of global warming increases the demand for electricity adding a burden to the already overstrained electricity systems. 

In emphasizing this point the 2022 report cited above by the World Meteorological Organization clearly indicated the vicious cycle: emissions from the electricity generated through combustion of fossil fuels leads to heatwaves which in turn aggravates the power demand thus straining the already stretched fossil fueled resources thereby aggravating the climate crisis. This situation clearly illustrates the importance of large scale adoption of renewable energy sources as a matter of utmost urgency. 

India’s Renewable Energy Goals

On the other hand countries like India are setting up higher targets for renewable energy sources such as achieving a target of 500 GW capacity by 2030. But the very same heat waves which renewable energy aims to overcome acts as threats especially so for the solar energy industry. Because photovoltaic solar panels are specially designed to work best on an optimal temperature range of 15- 35 degrees Celsius, high temperatures drive down their functionality. As temperatures exceed this range and increase, solar performance can drop by 10- 25%, since prolonged exposure to heat increases electron agitation and subsequently affects the circuits.

Revolutionary Approaches for Solar Panel Optimization

As a result of these obstacles, some problems are present offering answers along with the following innovations: 

  • Monocrystalline Panels: A higher price point may dissuade some consumers, but monocrystalline panels are still a good option in areas that experience heatwaves while maintaining exceptional performance under strain.
  • TOPCon Technology: It sounds promising, particularly for the completion and performance of solar components construction since research and development in tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) was introduced. 
  • Advanced Cooling Systems: Mechanical systems that embed heat-exchange mechanisms internally, such as vents in panels, should also be included to aid serve in overheating.
  • Heat-Resistant Materials: Applying materials meant for high temperatures, for example polymers, would assist in reducing the efficiency degradation.

The Path Forward

Though it has been said countless times, let me repeat, it is the truth – the heating waves hitting throughout the organism India fast instruments the currents of how required slow and acute climate action is. In addition, the renewable energy sector should focus on ceaseless innovation aiming at the creation of reliable and inexpensive solar panels able to fit India’s weather conditions such as extreme heating waves and strong signs. And localisation of geographical conditions should also be involved in plan and implementation designs.

Conclusion

The country’s renewable energy sector must be able to meet the requirements by developing robust technologies that will be able to endure extreme temperatures such as heat waves. Tangential thinking is an iterative process wherein efforts ought to be made to fast-track the creation of heat- tolerant solar technologies. Emphasis on PPPs may promote the adoption of these innovations at a large scale and make them cost effective. Only then can a country like India’s aim to provide a clean and green world for the coming generations be fulfilled.

 (The author, Ratul Puri, is the Chairman, Hindustan Power Group; the views are personal) 

The article would appear for the first time in Pioneer.

Leave A Comment