Renewing renewables

With capacity exceeding demand and utilities worried, India’s renewable story calls for better forecasting and infrastructure to carry green energy

- S DINAKAR

India’s ambitious plans for renewables need a renewal.

Until yesterday, it was a problem of scarcity. Today, it isa case of excess, of demand not keeping pace with supply.

The devastating floods across northern India turned the spotlight on the fact that asurfeit of water is as disastrous asa scarcity of rain. Besides causing collateral damage by contracting India’s power demand in the first quarter of the current financial year (Q1FY26), for the first time since the pandemic, the floods brought to the fore an issue renewable developers, utilities, and policymakers have been grappling with: How to integrate large renewable capacities with India’s coal-fed generation mix amid volatile demand for electricity.

Tendering by central agencies for solar and wind power surged sixfold, to over 60 gigawatts (Gw) annually, inthe last two fiscals because New Delhi feared that the 10-12 Gwbids of the past were insufficient to meet the ambition of deploying 625 Gw of non-fossil fuel — including 125 Gw for green hydrogen production — by 2030.

But the inability to match the demand for renewables with capacity creation has utilities worried. The concernis that ifthe issue is left unaddressed, it may crimp installations, said the head of alarge solar developer. “Issuing tenders and completing auctionsalone is never the right solution,” he said. “It must be paired with demand and transmission.”

Stakeholders, industry experts, and government officials all point toa growing disconnect between ambitious renewable targetsand robust tendering, and the cables and substations needed to carry the power, besides customers keenon clean electricity.

Before we think of adding another 60 Gw of renewable capacity next year, ask where's the demand, said Ghanshyam Prasad, chairperson of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), an agency that charts the country’s electric future, on the sidelines ofa recent industry event.