Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

India's commitment to the EV30@30 initiative that targets at least30% of vehicle sales to be electric by 2030 translates into adding24 million two-wheelers, 2.9 million three-wheelers, and 5.4 million four-wheelers to its EV fleet by 2035. To meet this demand and reduce its reliance on global EV-component markets, India requires around 3,400-4,100 GWh of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by2035, estimates the International Council on Clean Transportation.

So far in this series, we discussed different aspects of India’s solar PV sector, including taxation, policies, and the journey towards sustainability. In this concluding piece, we focus on popular technologies, innovations, challenges, and opportunities.

India’s solar photovoltaics (PV) market is rapidly growing. However, to reach the ambitious goal of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, there is a pressing need to increase installed capacity and generation targets. With only around 62 GW of installed solar capacity achieved by the end of 2022, India fell short of its 100 GW target for the year. Favourable policies, financial support, technological advancements, and a competitive market are essential for further advancing the growth of India’s solar PV sector.

In the previous article, we discussed the gaps in key areas that hamper the sustained growth of India’s solar PV market. In this article, we shift our focus to two critical aspects that are influencing the sector - ALMM and BCD.

India generates an enormous amount of waste, including municipal solid waste (MSW), industrial waste, hazardous waste, and biological waste. According to the State of India's Environment 2023 report, MSW generation in India is estimated to be around 150,000 tonne per day (TPD). To harness the energy potential of this waste and reduce reliance on landfills, waste-to-energy (WTE) processes are being explored across India.

India, a country highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, has witnessed the devastating impact of cyclones in recent years. The increasing frequency and intensity of cyclones have raised concerns about the resilience of India’s solar rooftop photovoltaic (RTPV) systems. As the nation strives to transition to renewable energy (RE) sources, the RTPV industry has gained significant momentum.

To meet its global commitments, India is planning to reduce fossil-fuel-based power generation by targeting 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. However, the increasing adoption of renewable and distributed energy resources is creating several technical and economic challenges in the Indian power system due to intermittency and lack of infrastructure.

India’s plans to add more than 200GW of solar PV capacity will include significant contribution of agriPV. Given the criticality of agriculture to the Indian economy and the diversity in crop production, there is need to understand in practical terms the impact of deploying agriPV on productivity, farmers incomes, linkages to foreign trade, domestic demand among other issues. This granular assessment must form the basis for developing clear guidelines, in consultation with stakeholders, on defining agriPV and parameters such as acceptable yield restriction.

Wind energy systems are expected to play a crucial role in meeting India’s ambitious goal of 450 GW of renewable energy installed capacity by 2030, which includes 140 GW of wind energy. In addition to large wind turbines, small wind turbines with less than 50 kW capacity can contribute to this goal. Further, small wind turbines generate decentralised power and reduce energy bills for consumers and power purchase costs for distribution companies, as well as help manage peak demand periods.