The solar sector has become a revolutionary call from a global point of view as the whole world is seeking a good renewable source of energy that can control carbon emissions or footprints. Solar power is widely considered mainly because of its abundance in nature which can fulfil the demand for energy for various purposes. India has played a vital role in this global practice and the government has allocated more than ₹ 7,000 crores to the solar sector and targeted to achieve 500 GW of renewable energy by the year 2030. Many governmental running programmes like PM-KUSUM, Solar Park Scheme, Rooftop Solar Scheme and International Solar Alliance are aiming to make India a “Solar Independent Nation”, achieving 90% of energy through renewable resources and creating 9 to 10 million jobs by the year 2047.
But in the journey of achieving all of these targets, we have to face several hurdles in India. Let’s have a look at all these hurdles that can stop or delay our sustainable future progress.
Hurdles in the way of solar future in India –

Lack of Research & Development
India is highly lacking in research & development (R&D), modern advancement of resources and latest infrastructure facilities as well which makes our practice quite old and leads us to rely on other modern technology-driven countries like Japan, China, Germany, etc. to meet the energy demands which eventually ends up increasing our costs.
Lack of Public Awareness
In recent years, we’ve seen good public awareness of solar power, but this awareness is largely seen in urban cities and the literate population. We also need to create awareness among the large section of the entire population that lives in rural areas and has no idea about sustainability and its practices like solar energy.

High Initial Investment Costs
Investment Costs are one of the most challenging hurdles that can come in the way of a sustainable future. As it requires huge amounts in its initial phase and has longer payback periods. These longer payback periods and recurring investments create a debt trap for people and discourage them from going further by adopting solar energy.
Geographic Constraints
The innovation to use solar energy works effectively in particular regions of India, essentially in regions that get bountiful daylight like Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Northern-Eastern districts of India with long winters like Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir might confront constraints in taking advantage of solar energy, making sun-oriented energy an unreliable source of the ability to depend on at last as an extensive means to fulfilling complete energy needs.

Intermittency and Variability of Supply
Intermittency and Variability of Supply are very much equivalent to the challenge of Geographic Constraints. As we probably are aware, the sun doesn’t appear consistently across all regions of India, and solar energy creation is highly affected by weather conditions. The intermittency and variability of daylight supply can cause a challenge for ceaseless energy creation, particularly in regions with unpredictable weather conditions.
Limited Storage Capabilities
Limited storage capability is a crucial challenge in the way of the solar future. As we know solar power is based on limited sun rays availability and so for that reason we have to rely on our storage capability, which is now limited. It makes solar power expensive, lower availability and unable to meet the public demands.
Negative pricing
You’ve heard about negative pricing in spot markets mainly but it also lies in the market of solar power as an obstacle. It occurs when demand for solar energy is low and supply suddenly increases. It can compel sustainable power plants to offer power or even compensation to distributors to take it. If the cost goes negative, developers can’t recover the expenses of building their solar projects and are in this way less inclined to build projects where negative pricing is plausible.
Parting Thoughts
As we’ve discussed several hurdles that can come our way in building a Solar Independent nation, we should focus on finding good solutions for the same. The Indian government is making great efforts by allocating good investment in the solar sector and introducing various schemes. India has got over $14,000 Mn in Foreign Direct Investment in the period between 2020-2023. This development flourishes our economy and gives us an edge over other nations in becoming a Solar superpower.