A media report has highlighted that even though India was one of the first industrialising countries to show interest in CSP technology, it has failed to keep up the momentum.

According to Deccan Herald, covering just one percent of the world's deserts with CSP systems would generate more energy than the current global energy demands, and for India, the potential stands at six million terawatt hours (tWh) per year. In 2006-07, India generated 662.5 tWh, it added.

For its part, with a view to develop and demonstrate grid interactive solar power generation, last year the Indian government had come up with a generation-based incentive of a maximum of Rs.12/kWh for Electricity generated from solar photovoltaic power plants and a maximum of 10/kWh for electricity generated from solar thermal power plants.

This incentive will be provided at a fixed rate for a period of 10 years and will be applicable to plants of capacity 1 MW (Peak hrs) and above. As per the information available, by June last year, the government had received applications to set up 500 megawatts (mw) of solar thermal plants. 

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy says the amount of solar energy incident over the land area of the country is around five trillion kilowatt hour. However, the high initial cost of solar energy systems is currently a barrier in large scale utilisation. The National Action Plan on Climate Change has proposed to develop solar energy in the country by setting up a Solar Mission. The details of the solar mission have not been finalised as yet.