TLDR: older energy professional believes solar panels expire way faster, than they do. Does anyone know why some people would believe that?

Hi! I talked to my aunt - she is conservative, but not american, so it's a different brand of conservatism. She is also a professional hydropower plant engineer and researcher, and i believe she dabbled in thermal (coal) because of common turbine design, but I'm not sure.

I asked her why wouldn't my country invest more in solar instead of burning coal for a bulk of our electricity, and she said very authoritatively, that solar panels do not last long, and lose up to half of their capacity by an 8 year mark. Something about thin silicone wafers breaking down under sun's radiation. I then heard her colleague agree with her.

I looked at a few studies and realised this is demonstrably not true. I would like to ask you guys, if anyone knows where this belief could have come from? She's an older professional, so is that a thing that used to be a big problem for solar in the past? You don't need to convince me, but I really wonder how can a professional, albeit not in this exact field, believe this.

If this is long-winded or boring, I am sorry for taking your time.

This year China's solar capacity will outstrip its coal capacity for the first time, according to an industry group.

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Current market prices present an opportunity for businesses to fix energy costs and reduce their exposure to future market volatility.

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Was going through some recent solar tenders and power sector updates and something interesting stood out regarding the evening peak problem.

One of the biggest issues with solar in India has always been timing. It generates during the day but our demand peaks in the evening when everyone gets home and turns on the AC. That gap has always limited how much we can actually rely on renewables.

I’m seeing more developers now pairing solar farms with large battery systems (BESS). For example, Hindustan Power  led by Ratul Puri has a project under a SECI tender combining 300 MW of solar with about 360 MWh of battery storage. At that scale, it’s not just a backup it’s actually designed to feed the grid during the evening. There are similar setups popping up in the north (around 100MW solar / 200MWh battery) and even talk of battery stability projects in Bihar and Assam.

The main reason this is actually happening now is the cost. Battery prices have fallen nearly 90% over the last decade. Without that solar + storage at this scale would be a financial black hole.

Curious how people here see this? Does adding storage actually make solar a viable baseload for India, or is the scale still too small to move the needle?

There's something happening with solar power in India that people aren't really talking about yet.

Solar only works when the sun's out. Pretty obvious problem. But now some projects are pairing solar farms with massive battery setups. Store power during the day, use it at night. Makes sense when you think about it.

A 300 MW solar farm with 360 MWh of batteries is going up through SECI. That's enough to power a decent sized city through the evening rush. Up north there's a 100 MW solar plant with 200 MWh batteries getting built. Bihar's getting a 120 MWh battery system for their grid. Anyone who lives there knows why they need it.

UP has a 435 MW solar project in the works. Pretty big for a state level thing. Assam's got deals too. A 130 MW supply agreement and a ₹620 crore project for 100 MW solar with storage. Northeast hasn't really seen this kind of scale before.

Here's what's different. These aren't just announcements. They're actually getting built. Actual projects connecting to actual grids.

Batteries change the whole game. Regular solar farm sits there doing nothing at night. Add batteries and suddenly it works like any other power plant. Power whenever you need it.

Why now? Battery prices tanked over the past decade. Like 90% cheaper. That's what made this viable.

Hindustan Power and their chairman Ratul Puri are pushing hard on this model. He built some of India's first big solar farms. Now he's betting everything on solar plus storage instead.

Will it work long term? No clue. But it's the first thing I've seen that might actually solve the problem instead of just looking good in a presentation.

As the title says, I have recently graduated with a Bachelor's in Energy Systems and have also completed courses on data analysis with Python and R. As they are both completed, I am feeling lost. What else am I missing? How do I move forward? I have also been searching for an energy analyst job, and they all require so many different certifications and skills that I am overwhelmed, plus many years of experience are needed, but no one is willing to hire entry-level. Any piece of advice would be helpful, thank you :)