Solar Energy is the Way Forward for India-Korea Cooperation

“I believe that Korea will create a space for herself in the near future as a top exporter in the global market in the field of solar energy.”

In an interview with the Asia-Pacific Business and Technology Report, Ramchandra Pode, assistant professor of Physics at Kyung Hee University, said Koreans’ achievement, hard work and vision to invest in science and technology are very admirable.

“As a part of undergraduate course work in Kyung Hee, I asked the students to collect information about the solar cell activities in Korea in recent years. Many students said that big conglomerates have shown interest in solar cells and industries are prepared to start solar cell activities on a large scale and will achieve amazing result soon.”

He was fascinated by the high level of confidence of the people and especially of the younger generation to overcome any barrier.

“Korea was one of the poorest countries in the 1960’s with US$80 per capita GDP, which has since grown to over $20,000 in 2008.”

That was not all he was deeply impressed by.

“Students were so sure about the success of these industries. The confidence they have shown was really incredible. Perceptions and the confidence I have seen here made me also believe that Korea will be a top exporter in the solar energy field,” he said.

Asked why solar energy is one of the best alternative energies, he stressed that solar energy has the potential to change the world economies and politics, not just the Korean economy, since solar energy is fair to everyone.

“Solar radiation is free, natural and an abundantly available source of energy; there is no investment in receiving sunlight and no nation has the ability to solely control it. Both poor and rich nations equally receive the solar radiation emitted by the sun.”

Solar energy is critical for those people who do not have access to the electric grid. About 45 percent of Indian households use kerosene lanterns for lighting, the cause of many serious health problems. Replacing kerosene lanterns with solar energy can reduce air pollution, improve studying conditions for children, and also lower the cost of kerosene. Overall, quality of life is improved.

According to his explanation, the total amount of energy received on the earth’s surface everyday is 10,000 times more than the total global energy consumption per day. A 0.1 percent coverage of the total earth’s surface with solar cells with 10 percent efficiency is sufficient to supply all of our energy needs.

“Conventional energy resources such as oil, coal and natural gas are depleting fast. The use of combustible fossil energy sources emits carbon dioxide, pollutes the environment and contributes to global warming.”

He added, “When photovoltaic modules are used to convert solar radiation energy into electric energy, no carbon dioxide is emitted during this conversion.”

That’s why he suggests solar energy as a future alternative energy, a clean and green source of energy that neither pollutes the environment nor contributes to global warming.

“Thin film solar cells, flexible solar cells, and organic solar cells will be the next generation solar cell technology. In my opinion, the investment in renewable energy is the investment for the future and for a better world.”

At the recent India-Korea IT Business Forum, Professor Pode suggested Korea and India join forces since the two countries have common and favorable features for collaboration in developing solar energy.

Regarding the size and the population of the two nations, Korea and India have different features. India is a very big country with a population of over 1 billion people, plenty of natural resources and some advantages regarding its geographical location. Although Korea is a small nation area-wise with almost no natural resources, it has the potential to contribute to the world’s civilization, science and technology, he added.

“Korea has a strong base of infrastructure in displays and semiconductor fabrications, which makes it possible for Korea to readily adopt and implement solar-cell technology. However, the Korean domestic market for renewable energy is minimal and may saturate in the near future. On the other hand, the Indian domestic market for renewable energy is growing at an annual rate of more than 15 percent, but India doesn’t have the basic infrastructure to adopt photovoltaic technology and to produce solar cells.”

Although in its nascent stage, the Indian solar industry has huge potential. The lack of adequate investment in solar/ photovoltaic manufacturing and R&D makes the growth rate slow. However, it is believed that the high demand for energy and India’s tremendous rate of economic growth will act as a catalyst that will see this industry rapidly grow in the near future.

With the different features of the two countries, India and Korea can work to develop technology to convert solar radiation into energy that will be affordable by all, Pode said. In terms of solar radiation, both countries receive about 4~5 hours a day of solar radiation for about 300 days a year. “This way, both India and Korea will benefit from cooperation in this sector.”

He also mentioned the two key ingredients to develop future solar technology.

“Having the knowledge of both countries’ civilizations is very vital to understand the people better. To be successful in any field of cooperation from culture, science and technology, to innovations between two countries, it is extremely important to understand the people from two different civilizations.”

In this regard, Prof. Pode proposed that more Korean literature should be made available in the languages of the people of the Indian subcontinent and vice versa.

This solar energy expert also pointed out that the interaction between the global scientific community, research institutions and the multicultural scientific workforce will be the driving force in having a strong sense of competitiveness in scientific and technological innovations.

“At present, the United States leads the world in scientific discovery and innovation by drawing the best scientists to universities, industries and laboratories from around the world. I believe that the multicultural workforce of the U.S. is the essence of competitiveness in scientific and technological innovations.”

He added that favorable rules, regulations and strong support by the government will help to grow the solar cell and photovoltaic module industries.

The Korean-German Cooperation Forum on solar energy was founded by the Korea Energy Management Corporation in order to promote the development of the country’s domestic solar industry. Korean conglomerates such as LG Electronics and Hyundai Heavy Industries have joint ventures with German companies.

However, collaborations between Korean conglomerates and German companies are limited to the production and manufacturing of solar cells and photovoltaic modules in Korea, Pode said.

He strongly recommends looking beyond scientific cooperation in technology development and innovations.

“Until now, the current cooperation between India and Korea has been limited to the exchange of scientists and scientific research. This cooperation is more scientific than technological. Its functioning is more personal than institutionally based.”

He went on say, “Instead of limiting themselves to only this first step, India and Korea must avail themselves of the potential and infrastructure available to them to work on technological innovation and development. They must set up procedures and rules, as well as adopt conceptual models and policies that could facilitate and improve their areas of cooperation.”

He discussed the EU countries’ co-project, OLLA – Organic LEDs for ICT and Lighting Applications – as a successful example.

“Under this cooperation, several universities, research institutes and companies from different European countries are encouraged to work on the development of next generation technology of energy efficient and eco-friendly organic lighting sources.”

Although Korea has many famous electronic companies like Samsung and LG, it has shown little interest in the solar cell industry until recently. There were no domestic manufacturers of solar cells as recently as 2001. By 2005, South Korea tapped German expertise in order to help grow its own solar industry. Also, the Korean government has provided strong political support through an increase in trade and heavy R&D investment. Furthermore, the government has committed $210 million to R&D in the renewable energy field.

In 2008, South Korea emerged as the fourth largest photovoltaic market in the world after growth took off spectacularly in 2005. Domestic photovoltaic installations grew from 1MW of installed capacity in 2005 to 100MW in 2008. Korea is investing heavily in its photovoltaic energy production capacity; forecasts project that Korea will become the third largest manufacturer of photovoltaic modules by 2012, with a 10 percent share of the global market. Korea aims to deliver solar modules worth more than $8 billion and generate 2.67GW of energy by 2013.

While India has become one of the most rapidly emerging solar energy markets, it is also a favorite investment destination for both local and global players, thanks to the country’s geographical location, large population, and government support.

The Indian government aims to make India a global leader in solar energy and envisions an installed solar generation capacity of 20,000 MW by 2020, 100,000MW by 2030 and 200,000MW by 2050. The average growth rate of photovoltaic manufacturing in India has been an astounding 35 percent during the past three years and the Indian photovoltaic market is expected to represent up to 600 MW by 2013.

“It is a radical change from the past. Truly, in today’s competitive world, new discoveries and technological innovations in the field of solar energy are imperative in order to have an edge. A partnership between South Korea and India will help to develop competitive solar technology in both countries.”

Unfortunately there are still many obstacles inhibiting the widespread adoption of solar energy systems. Affordability is a serious issue that must be overcome before the use of solar can become widespread.

“It is true that the initial costs of solar photovoltaic systems are very high and beyond the reach of common people. However, there is no further investment after the installation of the solar system. So, the solar energy system is beneficial in the long term and also does not contribute to global warming.”

Pode said that the durability and reliability of the solar system are the most important for end users; they must provide reliable, uninterrupted electricity. “Of course, consumers must be assured that they will get electricity throughout the day,” he added.

Professor Pode studied at the Nagpur University (India) and earned his Ph.D. in 1984. He worked as a faculty member at the same university until 2007 and is currently an assistant professor of Physics at Kyung Hee University, Seoul. He is teaching courses on Energy Efficient Lighting Sources Technology and Photovoltaic Solar Cells.

 

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