Dr. Rakesh Sarwal, Additional Secretary of NITI Aayog & Keisuke Sadamori, Director of Energy Markets and Security, International Energy Agency (IEA) jointly launched the ‘Renewables Integration in India 2021’ prepared by NITI Aayog & IEA.
- The report is based on the outcome of Workshops held with State Governments of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat. The workshops were held to understand the specific energy transition challenges faced by the renewable-rich states.
- The joint report uses IEA modelling results to show the effects of different flexibility options on the power system.
- The report provides suggestions for states to manage the integration of renewable energy sources.
Highlights from the report
i.It states that India’s power system is capable of efficiently integrating renewables (175 GW by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030).
- The efficient integration will require identification of resources and proper planning, regulatory, policy and institutional support, energy storage and advanced technology initiatives.
ii.To accelerate transition to clean electricity systems, Indian states must employ a wide range of flexibility options such as demand response, flexible operation of coal based power plants, storage, and grid improvements.
iii.Larger shares of renewables can be better managed by utilizing Time of Use (ToU) metering in agriculture.
- ToU tariffs will be an effective tool to incentivise demand side management and boost flexible consumption.
- ToU metering is a method of measuring and charging a utility customer’s energy consumption based on when the energy is used.
India’s growing Energy demand
India is the 3rd largest energy-consuming country in the world (1st being China). India has set a target to increase renewable generating capacity to 175 GW in 2022 & to 450 GW by 2030.
- Renewable energy penetration varies from state to state in India.
- The share of solar and wind in India’s 10 renewables-rich states (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab and Kerala) is higher than the national average of 8.2 percent.
- Solar & Wind account for ~29% of annual electricity generation in Karnataka, 20% in Rajasthan, 18% in Tamil Nadu & 14% in Gujarat (during FY 2020-21).
Recent Related News:
November 13, 2020, According to the IEA report, Renewables 2020 – Analysis and Forecast to 2025, India’s Renewable Energy sector will see the largest growth after COVID-19.
About NITI Aayog
CEO – Amitabh Kant
Headquarters – New Delhi
About International Energy Agency (IEA)
Executive Director – Dr Fatih Birol
Headquarters – Paris, France
