Solar power for reliable ICT infrastructure and digital services

While for most people digital transformation was so far more of an abstract concept, something far off in future, the Covid 19 pandemic has brought it into sharp focus. ICT and digital platforms have ensured that the world does not come to a grinding halt and that some semblance of order remains in our daily lives. Reliable energy supply has a direct bearing on reliability and availability of ICT infrastructure and digital service delivery. While presently the country has surplus electricity generation capacity, challenges about quality and intermittency of power supply remain, particularly in smaller towns and rural areas. It is now eminently feasible to address this challenge in a cost-effective and environmentally benign manner, through use of renewable energy such as solar. These energy demand centres, typically, would be widely scattered and individually not require a very large quantum of electricity.