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An Energy Conundrum: On India Betting Big On Solar power

Solar power is important for India, but it will not serve every energy need

At the core of India’s energy transformation is its bet on solar power. Based on a commitment to address the global climate crisis, India has promised to source nearly half its energy from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 and, in the shorter term, source at least 60% of its renewable energy from solar power. However, a disclosure in Parliament by the Minister for Power, New and Renewable Energy suggests that India faces significant headwind in this quest.

 

Energy - Solar Source

A key central policy to source solar power is facilitating the establishment of large solar parks; small solar power projects usually translate to higher per-unit production costs. And so, in 2014, the Centre announced the ‘Solar Parks and Ultra-Mega Solar Power Projects’ policy to facilitate the creation of large parks. The initial plan was to set up 25 parks capable of generating at least 20,000 MW by 2019. In 2017, the Government scaled this to 61 parks with a target of 40,000 MW. It emerges, however, as of 2022, that only a fourth of the capacity has been achieved, that is, projects worth 10,000 MW have been commissioned. Four projects have been cancelled, by the Centre’s own admission, due to tardy progress.

 

Challenge In Achieving The Goal Of Solar Energy

The roadblocks, in the Centre’s estimate, have been challenges in acquiring land with a clear title, setting up infrastructure necessary to transmit power produced at these parks to the grid and, in an unusual disclosure, “environmental issues” in Rajasthan and Gujarat, where projects have been halted because their transmission lines encroach upon the habitat of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard.

 

India – Aiming To Get Renewable Energy

Notwithstanding its claims on international podia that it is on track to meeting renewable energy targets, it is no secret that India is lagging behind. By the end of 2022, India had committed to having in place 1,75,000 MW of renewable energy capacity, with 1,00,000 MW from solar power. However, only around 61,000 MW of such capacity has actually been installed.

 

Then Why Was The Data Presented So Exaggerated

For a few years now, there has been considerable hype around solar power achieving grid parity in India — meaning power companies are able to sell it at a price lower or as much as conventional sources — but this does not account for the subsidies or concessions front-loaded by the Government.

 

Now What Next?

While India should continue to expand its economy on the back of renewable energy, the Government must take a hard look at whether renewable power, solar, wind or nuclear, meets standards of economic viability and environmental sustainability. Solar power may be a valuable tool in India’s energy transformation story, but it cannot be the panacea for every need.

 

Renewable energy

• Renewable energy is energy that is produced from natural processes. The reserves of this energy are unlimited, they cannot be exhausted, this energy can be generated continuously, that is why it is called renewable energy.
• When alternative energy is mentioned, it means that renewable energy is also being talked about there. Alternative energy is the term used for energy sources that are used in place of fossil fuels.
• Keeping in view the Sustainable Development Goals, India's electricity generation mix is rapidly moving towards a more significant share of renewable energy. Today, India is the world's third largest producer of renewable energy, with 40% of its installed electricity capacity coming from non-fossil fuel sources.

 

Five alternative or renewable sources of energy

Solar Energy: Sunlight is one of the most abundant and freely available energy resources on our planet. The amount of solar energy that reaches Earth's surface in one hour exceeds the total energy demand of the planet for an entire year. But all of this solar energy cannot be harnessed as it varies according to the time of day and season of the year as well as geographical location.

Wind Energy: Wind is the most abundant source of clean energy on earth. To extract energy from it, the wind rotates the blades of a turbine and that energy is coupled to an electric generator to generate electricity.

Hydroelectric power: By building dams on large reservoirs, a controlled flow of water is diverted to turbines and electricity is generated from it. This energy source is more reliable than solar or wind energy sources.

Tidal Energy: It is in a way another form of hydroelectricity. In this, tidal currents are used to drive a turbine generator.

Geothermal Energy: Earth's core is as hot as the Sun's due to the slow decay of radioactive particles in the rocks of the planet's center. Geothermal energy harnesses this natural heat from beneath the Earth's surface to generate electricity.

Biomass Energy: Biomass is the organic matter obtained from the decay of plants and crops, waste wood and trees etc. On burning biomass, chemical energy is released in the form of heat, which is used to generate electricity with the help of a steam turbine.

 

India presented five elixirs (Panchamrit) at COP-26

• Reach 500 GW of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030.
• 50 percent of its energy needs from renewable energy by 2030.
• Reduction of one billion tonnes in total projected carbon emissions between now and 2030.
• 45 percent reduction in the carbon intensity of the economy from 2005 levels by 2030.
• Achieving the goal of net zero emissions by 2070.

 

International Solar Alliance

• The International Solar Alliance is an international organization with 109 member and signatory countries. Most of which are the Sunshine Countries, lying either fully or partially between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. It was formed on 30 November 2015 in Paris, France.
• The Government of India is supporting the ISA by providing training to master trainers in the field of solar energy through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) scheme.
• One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) is an initiative to start an international electricity grid that supplies electricity worldwide. The idea of this initiative was first proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the International Solar Alliance (ISA) 2018 gathering.

 

INDCs (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions)

• It aims to install 100 GW grid connected solar power plants by the year 2022.
• It aims to have about 40% of cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources.

 

Other Government Schemes

• Grid-Connected Solar Rooftop Scheme
• Solar Park Scheme
• PM Kusum Yojana
• Canal Top End Bank Solar PV Scheme

 

India has set a target of achieving net zero emissions by 2070 which includes-

• Increase renewable energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030,
• meeting 50% of energy requirements from renewable energy,
• reducing cumulative emissions by one billion tonnes by 2030, and
• To reduce the emission intensity of India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 45% by 2030.

 

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