India may miss its 2022 Renewable Energy Capacity Targets: GWEC Report 2021

According to ‘Global Wind Report 2021’ released by Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), India may miss its 2022 Renewable Energy Capacity Targets (175 GW RE by 2022 – 100 GW Solar, 60 GW Wind, 10 GW Bio-Energy, 5 GW Small Hydro) due to several constraints.

• The constraints range from things like Land Allocation, grid availability, the recurring financial instability of DISCOMs (Power Distribution Companies), tender design & PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) Sanctity and others.
• At the Global level, 2020 was the best year in history for the Global wind industry.  Around 93 GW of new capacity were installed (53% year-on-year increase).
• The world needs at least 180 GW of new wind energy every year to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
• Out of 93 GW of new Wind Power capacity installed in 2020, India’s share was just20% (1119 MW).
• The total wind power capacity across the world stands at 743 GW (US & China account for more than 50% of it).
• The Global Wind Report 2021 is GWEC’s 16th Annual flagship report.

2020 – Best Year for Global Wind Industry

• The report states that the 53% year-on-year increase achieved in 2020 is not enough to achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2050.
• The majority of Wind-energy Growth in 2020 was driven by World’s 2 largest wind power markets – the USA & China. Together they have installed 75% of the new installations in 2020.

Region-wise Growth of Wind Power Capacity during 2010-2020

During the last decade (2010-2020), the Asia-pacific region is increasingly driving the growth of global wind power industry

• Top 3 regions are – Europe (87, 153 MW), Asia (61, 111 MW) & North America (44, 307 MW).

Regarding India

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), India is the World’s 4th Largest energy consumer (behind China, the US, European Union).

• India is set to miss the 2022 targets, although it is on track to achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under Paris Agreement.
• As of February 2021, 39 GW of wind capacity have been installed in India, comprising 10.25 % of the power mix.
• India has not committed to Net Zero Target as it has a low per capita carbon use compared to developed nations & it also has ambitious renewables targets in place.

NDC Target of India

• India has pledged an NDC of 33-35% reduction in the carbon emissions intensity of its economy by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, apart from 40% non-fossil fuel-based power generation by 2030.

Recent Related News:

i.November 13, 2020, According to the IEA report, India’s Renewable Energy sector will see the largest growth after COVID-19. India will double its green energy capacity addition in 2021 compared to 2020 levels.

ii.February 10, 2021, As per IEA’s “India Energy Outlook 2021”, India will surpass European Union as the world’s third-biggest energy consumer by 2030.

About Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC):

CEO – Ben Backwell
Headquarters – Brussels, Belgium