Powering A Fair Transition

India is one of the fastest-growing markets for renewables, in particular solar, with a cumulative capacity of over 100GW installed in the past 10 years or so. India has also set itself an ambitious goal of reaching non-fossil capacity of 500GW by 2030, largely driven by solar.

- SAURABH KUMAR

India will need to instal 50-60GW per year from now till 2030 to reach this important milestone, which is the first step in our net-zero goal by 2070. While we have seen increase in auctions for solar, there is now a clear preference towards round-the-clock (which is a combination of wind, solar and storage) and firm and dispatchable renewable energy (FDRE), which eases grid integration and also provides renewable energy (RE) for the service evening peak (which solar alone is unable to).

This change in market demand may see a slight slowdown in the pace of RE, but it is pertinent to note that there is a massive potential of decentralised renewable energy (DRE) which is largely untapped and is now getting attention.

DRE provides power near (or at) the load centre and therefore is an attractive option for consumers to avail of reliable power at low cost. For utilities, the losses in DRE generation and consumption are negligible and the capital cost for grid extension is also minimised.

DRE also has very significant social and economic impacts on lives and livelihoods, particularly in rural areas, which are a major driver of energy demand. Just two examples of DRE—rooftop solar and agricultural solarisation—show its importance for the socioeconomic development of India and in making it energy secure.

Solar Secure