The Rising Popularity of Solar Power in India’s Building Sector
Solar energy has the potential to help decarbonize the building sector in India. As electricity plays a prominent role in building energy use, solar energy can play a similarly prominent role in decarbonization efforts. Solar can help decarbonize the remaining fuel-based sectors, such as HVAC, DG Power in the near term by blending solar-based fuels into existing building operations. Eventually, solar can supply hydrogen to hydrogen-based power generation systems.
Furthermore, solar deployment could accelerate building electrification, especially as solar costs decline. Low-cost solar electricity will increasingly compete with natural gas as the primary fuel source for building space and water heating. Over time, more building owners will find that electrified heating powered by low-cost solar electricity is cheaper than fuel-based heating powered by natural gas.
Distributed solar deployment could also accelerate building electrification by improving the economics of converting from fuel-based to electrified infrastructure. This will not only help reduce emissions but also enable the broader utilization of flexible loads and the deployment of distributed storage.
Long-term contribution of solar to fuel-based building loads is still being studied. The unique characteristics of solar could accelerate building electrification while enabling the broader utilization of flexible loads, the broader deployment of distributed storage, and a more substantial role for solar in fuel-based sectors. Solar deployment could accelerate building electrification. As solar costs decline, low-cost solar electricity will increasingly compete with natural gas as the primary fuel source for building space and water heating. Over time, more building owners will find that electrified heating powered by low-cost solar electricity is cheaper than fuel-based heating powered by natural gas. Distributed solar deployment could accelerate building electrification by improving the economics of converting from fuel-based to electrified infrastructure. Given that electrified alternatives, especially electric heat pumps, are often several times more efficient than fuel-based devices, the solar-driven acceleration
