Energy transition goals should not be too rigid

Moving to cleaner electricity is a highly complex challenge that calls for optimal costs and a broadly equitable market. Some flexibility in target setting would ease the country’s path

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With rising solar and wind capacity in India’s electricity system, these clean sources have crossed the one-third mark. Given the vagaries of weather, however, a key challenge lies in ensuring the delivery of reliable supplies on schedule. In this context, the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, the central power regulator, recently proposed that electricity generation from wind and solar sources be treated at par with reliable conventional sources like coal and gas when it comes to departures from scheduled supplies. In its draft order, it has set out a soft escalation scale for deviation penalties.