Is Renewable Energy the Future for India?



The University of Technology, Finland conducted research that concluded India to operate at full capacity on a renewable energy system by the year 2050. While this is a big claim for a nation of more than a billion people, there is data to support the potential of our country to make this a reality. Let us understand what it would take to make this happen.

India is among the largest producers of energy from renewable sources all over the world.  Renewable energy accounts for 34.6% of the total installed capacity in the electricity sector. Large hydro installed capacity was 45.399 GW as of 31 March 2019, contributing to 13% of the total power capacity. The remaining renewable energy sources accounted for 22% of the total installed power capacity (77.641 GW) as of 31 March 2019.

We are also the fourth largest producer of wind-power in the world at a grand 36,625 MW. This is due the strong manufacturing base with 20 manufacturers with 53 different turbine models of international standards with up to 3 MW in size with exports to Europe, the USA, and other countries. country has a strong manufacturing base in wind power with 20 manufactures of 53 different wind turbine models of international quality up to 3 MW in size with exports to Europe, the United States and other countries. Wind or Solar PV paired with four-hour battery storage systems is already cost competitive, without subsidy, as a source of dispatchable generation compared with new coal and new gas plants in India.
The government target of installing 20 GW of solar power by 2022 was achieved four years ahead of schedule in January 2018, through both solar parks as well as roof-top solar panels.[3] India has set a new target of achieving 100 GW of solar power by 2022.

The University of Technology, Finland conducted research that concluded India to operate at full capacity on a renewable energy system by the year 2050. While this is a big claim for a nation of more than a billion people, there is data to support the potential of our country to make this a reality. Let us understand what it would take to make this happen.

India is among the largest producers of energy from renewable sources all over the world.  Renewable energy accounts for 34.6% of the total installed capacity in the electricity sector. As of March 2019, the hydro installed capacity was 45.399 GW, which is 13% of the total power capacity.

We are also the fourth largest producer of wind-power in the world at a grand 36,625 MW. This is due to the strong manufacturing base with 20 manufacturers with 53 different turbine models of international standards with up to 3 MW in size with exports to Europe, the USA, and other countries.

Out of the seven largest solar parks in the world four are located in India, with the second largest at a capacity of 1000 MW being in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.

India was the first country to set up a ministry of non-conventional energy resources in the 1908s. The renewable energy sector since then has been under the purview of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

We run one of the largest and most ambitious renewable energy capacity programs in the world.  By 2022 we are expected to be at double our current wind capacity, and a 15 fold increase in our solar power levels. These targets clearly place us among the world leaders for the use of renewable sources of energy.

Other promising facts include the government's initiatives to reduce the impacts of climate change on the country. We have pledged to cut down carbon emissions by 35% by the year 2030 as compared to 2005.

Owing to the significant place we occupy in the use of renewable energy sources, India is a key player in global energy research and studies and our steps to limit global warming will be closely observed by the rest of the world.

While there are significant challenges for India to overcome in the process of transitioning to a totally renewable energy system, the encouraging numbers of power generation companies in India are promising towards this effort. An added benefit to this transition is the improved health conditions as a result of this shift as well as the new job opportunities it would create.

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