SOLAR POWER IN INDIA
SOLAR POWER IN INDIA
WHY IN
NEWS?
Solar
photovoltaics (PV) has driven India’s push towards the adoption of cleaner
energy generation technologies. From less than 10 MW in 2010, India has added
significant PV capacity over the past decade, achieving over 50 GW by 2022.
IMPORTANCE:
Background:
India’s Solar Policy
·
The
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), also known as the National
Solar Mission (NSM) was commenced in January 2010.
·
It
marked the first time the government focused on promoting and developing
solar power in India.
· Under the scheme, the total
installed capacity target was set as 20 GW by 2022.
· In 2015, the target was revised to
100 GW and in
August 2021, the government set a solar target of 300 GW by 2030.
·
Since
2011, India’s solar sector has grown at a compounded annual growth rate
(CAGR) of around 59% from 0.5 GW in 2011 to 55 GW in 2021.
Current
State of India Solar Power Capacity
·
India currently ranks fifth after China, U.S., Japan and Germany in terms
of installed solar power capacity.
· As of December 2021, the cumulative
solar installed capacity of India is 55 GW, which is roughly half the
renewable energy (RE) capacity (excluding large hydro power) and 14% of the overall
power generation capacity of India.
· Within the 55 GW, grid-connected
utility-scale projects contribute 77% and the rest comes from grid-connected
rooftop and off-grid projects.
What
does the Report say?
·
As of April, only about 50% of the 100GW target, consisting of 60GW of
utility-scale and 40GW of rooftop solar capacity, has been met.
· Nearly 19 GW of solar capacity is
expected to be added in 2022 — 8GW from utility-scale and 3.5GW from rooftop
solar.
· Even accounting for this capacity
would mean about 27% of India’s 100GW solar target would remain unmet,
according to the report.
· A 25GW shortfall in the 40GW rooftop
solar target, is expected compared to 1.8GW in the utility-scale solar target
by December 2022.
· Thus, it is in rooftop solar that the
challenges of India’s solar-adoption policy stick out.
About
India Grid-connected Rooftop Solar Programme:
In
December 2015, the government launched the first phase of the grid-connected
rooftop solar programme to incentivize its use in residential, institutional and social areas.
The
second phase, approved in February 2019, had a target of 40GW of cumulative
rooftop solar capacity by 2022, with incentives in the form of central financial assistance
(CFA).
As of
November 2021, of the phase 2 target of 4GW set for the residential sector, only 1.1GW had been installed.
Reasons
for Rooftop Solar Adoption not Meeting Targets
The
disruption in supply chains due to the pandemic was a key impediment to rooftop
solar adoption.
· Pandemic-induced supply chain
disruption to policy restrictions,
· Regulatory roadblocks
· lack of consumer awareness,
inconsistent policy frameworks of the Centre/ State governments and financing.
· Limits to net-metering (or paying
users who give back surplus electricity to the grid);
· Taxes on imported cells and modules,
· Unsigned power supply agreements
(PSAs) and banking restrictions;
· Financing issues plus delays in or
rejection of open access approval grants; and
· The unpredictability of future open
access charges.
Current
State of Solar Rooftop Progress
· Recently, however, there has been a
sharp rise in rooftop solar installations due to falling technology costs,
increasing grid tariffs, rising consumer awareness and the growing need for
cutting energy costs.
· These factors are expected to persist
giving a much-needed boost to this segment.
· Going ahead, rooftop solar adoption
is expected to proportionally increase as land and grid-connectivity for utility
solar projects are expected to be hard to come by.
How
important is Solar Power to India’s Commitment to Climate Change Mitigation?
· Solar power is a major prong of
India’s commitment to address global warming according to the terms of the
Paris Agreement, as well as achieving net zero carbon emissions, by 2070.
· PM Modi at the United Nations
Conference of Parties meeting in Glasgow, in November 2021, said that India
would be reaching a non-fossil fuel energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030 and meet
half its energy requirements via renewable energy by 2030.
· To boost the renewable energy
installation drive in the long term, the Centre in 2020 set a target of 450GW
of RE-based installed capacity to be achieved by 2030, within which the target
for solar was 300GW.
· According to the report, given the
challenge of integrating variable renewable energy into the grid, most of the
RE capacity installed in the latter half of this decade is likely to be based
on wind solar hybrid (WSH), RE-plus-storage and round-the-clock RE projects
rather than traditional solar/wind projects.
· On the current trajectory, the report
finds, India’s solar target of 300GW by 2030 will be off the mark by about
86GW, or nearly a third.
Way
Forward
The report
proposes short- and long-term measures to get India back on track to meet solar
targets.
Ø Short term Measures:
ü Uniform policies to apply nationally
for at least the next five years and
ü Consistent regulations for net
metering and banking facilities should also apply nationally.
Ø Long term Measures:
ü Stricter enforcement of the renewable
purchase obligation and
ü Improved financial health, and
ü Potentially privatization, of
distribution companies (DISCOMs).
· In rooftop solar, state-level efforts
such as Gujarat’s Surya Scheme need to be replicated by other states in the
short-term to help in boosting capacity
SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/experts-explain-what-it-will-take-to-fulfill-indias-solar-power-dream-8078876/
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