Date: 24/08/2022

Relevance: GS-3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Key Phrases: Clean energy, Renewable energy, Weak transmission grid, Power Quality Issues, Cost Issue, Indian Panchamrits, PM KUSUM, National Clean Energy Fund, National Green Corridor Project, Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy, Energy efficiency programme, Emerging technologies

Why in News?

• Handled properly, the transition to clean energy is a question of opportunity, not a burden. For the sake of its own development, this is a future that India has chosen to embrace.

Status of clean energy in India:

• As of June 30th 2022, India's installed renewable energy capacity stood at 159 GW, representing 39.70 % of the overall installed power capacity.
• The following is the breakup of total installed capacity for Renewables, as of June 30th 2022:
  • Wind power: 40.1 GW
  • Solar Power: 57.9 GW
  • Bio Power: 10.61 GW
  • Small Hydro Power: 4.83 GW
  • Large Hydro: 46.51 GW
• India is blending 10 % of ethanol in its petrol and targets to take it to 20 by 2025.
• In world, India’s rank is
  • Fourth in wind power,
  • Fifth in solar power,
  • Fourth in renewable power installed capacity.

Challenges faced by Clean Energy Sector in India:

• Poor finances:
  • The most important challenge for further scaling up Clean Energy (renewables) in India is the poor financial condition of power distribution companies (discoms), most of which are owned by state governments.
  • Almost all renewable energy is purchased by such discoms, resulting in very long and unsustainable payment cycles.
• Weak transmission grid:
  • The weak transmission grid in the country has also been a challenge, especially in the case of RE projects, which are often set up in remote areas, and away from large cities and consumption centers.
  • For example, ambitious plans to build large solar projects in Leh were recently cancelled citing weak transmission infrastructure.
• Availability of Power:
  • One of the biggest concerns in the field of renewable energy is power generation depending on natural resources that are uncontrollable by humans.
  • For example, solar powered electricity is generated only when sunshine is available and turns off at night; wind energy also depends on the availability of wind, so if the wind speed is very low, the turbine will not turn, and this result in zero power flow to the grid.
• Power Quality Issues:
  • Consistently high power quality is needed to ensure stability and high efficiency of the network.
  • Power quality problems include frequency disorder, voltage/current harmonics, low power factor, voltage variation and transmission lines transits.
• Cost Issue:
  • The high initial cost of installation is one of the major hurdles in the development of clean energy.
  • In addition to this, storage systems of the generated energy are expensive and represent a real challenge in terms of megawatt production.
• Highly variable across states:
  • The penetration of renewable energy in India is highly variable across states.
  • The share of solar and wind in India’s 10 renewable-rich states is significantly higher than the national average of 8.2 per cent.
  • Solar and wind account for around 29 per cent of annual electricity generation in Karnataka. It is 20 per cent in Rajasthan; 18 per cent in Tamil Nadu; and 14 per cent in Gujarat in financial year 2020-21.

Some Government’s Initiatives for generating Cleaner Energy:

• PM KUSUM:
  • This scheme was launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to support installation of off-grid solar pumps in rural areas and reduce dependence on grid, in grid-connected areas.
• National Clean Energy Fund:
  • It is the fund created using the carbon tax for backing research and development of innovative eco-friendly technologies.
• National Green Corridor Project:
  • It aims at synchronizing the electricity produced from renewable resources, such as wind and solar, with the conventional power stations in the grid.
  • It aims to achieve the target of 450 GW installed RE capacity by 2030.
• National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy:
  • Through this policy, the government seeks to promote new renewable energy projects and hybridisation of the existing ones.
• Sustainable Rooftop Implementation for Solar Transfiguration of India (SRISTI) scheme:
  • This scheme provides financial aids to the beneficiaries who install a solar power plant at the rooftop within the country.
• Other Initiative:
  • National Offshore Wind Energy Policy
  • Biomass power & cogeneration programme
  • Akshay Urja Portal and India Renewable Idea Exchange (IRIX) Portal
  • National Biogas and Manure Management Programme
  • Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for High Efficiency Solar PV Modules
  • International Solar Alliance

Way Forward

• India already has numerous policy measures in place that – if fully implemented – could address some of these challenges by accelerating the shift to cleaner and more efficient technologies.
• Subsidies for petrol and diesel were removed in the early 2010s, and subsidies for electric vehicles were introduced in 2019.
• India’s robust energy efficiency programme has been successful in reducing energy use and emissions from buildings, transport and major industries. Government efforts to provide millions of households with fuel gas for cooking and heating are enabling a steady transition away from the use of traditional biomass such as burning wood.
• India is also laying the groundwork to scale up important emerging technologies such as hydrogen, battery storage, and low-carbon steel, cement and fertilisers.
• For more, India must accelerate and prioritise the transition to energy sources that are minimally perturbing to the natural balance.

Source: Live-Mint

Mains Question

Q. Discuss the Challenges faced by Clean Energy Sector in India. Suggest measure to overcome these challenges. (10 marks).