Why India can’t afford to lose the new solar race

Sunlight has become the fastest-growing and mature energy source with global investments exceeding two trillion dollars in the past ten years. It now makes the cheapest electricity beating coal, natural gas, and petroleum crude by wide margins.

But current solar technology has a few limitations that restrict its potential to replace fossil fuels. For example, current solar technology cannot generate the high temperatures required for melting steel or making cement. This prevents solar’s industrial use. But there is good news. Multiple solar research startups have reported breakthroughs in generating higher temperatures and other areas. Research in three critical areas has the potential to make solar the dominant energy source in less than a decade.