Fossil fuels are deeply tied to electricity generation, industrial operations, and transportation among other crucial sectors and cannot be easily dissociated from energy use. CSTEP focuses on a greater integration of renewables and reduction of waste energy in such sectors. This includes working with utilities to improve rooftop solar penetration, mapping potential of various renewables across the country, and analysing energy usage of MSMEs to reduce their fossil fuel consumption.

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Progress of Renewables in India Since 2015

In February 2015, the Government of India announced the ambitious target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy (RE) by 2021-22. This target comprises 100 GW solar, 60 GW wind, 10 GW biomass and 5 GW small-hydro. Today, the total installed RE capacity is expected to cross 70 GW and account for around 20% of the country's power generation capacity.

Improved solar power yield: A silver lining in times of COVID-19

The novel coronavirus pandemic has brought the world to a standstill. It has created a lot of uncertainty for many businesses. The outbreak has affected the Indian solar industry, hampering manufacturing and project development. According to CRISIL, 3 GW-solar projects of ₹160 billion are likely to get affected due to delays. This is a matter of concern for Indian project developers. But, amid this gloom, there is a silver lining. There is a lot to discuss about how India has achieved new records in solar power generation.

CSP: A Long-Term Solar Technology

In the race to achieve India's National Solar Mission (NSM) targets, one important solar technology is slowly disappearing. Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), a solar thermal-based technology for power generation, which showed considerable technical potential, is being sidelined. It is losing out due to economics compared to its rival, solar photovoltaics (PV).

Bankability of Concentrated Solar Power in India: A Plant-Configuration Case Study in Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Mumbai

This study evaluates options for deployment configurations of current CSP technologies that may decrease the LCOE or exploit other attributes of the technology that could make it a more attractive investment in India (e.g., shift the time of availability).

Bolstering Rooftop Photovoltaic Uptake in Karnataka

The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) entered into a tripartite agreement with Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) and Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) to promote RTPV in Bengaluru. CSTEP is using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to obtain aerial images of the city. A helicopter, coupled with a LiDAR system, flew over the city to map the RTPV potential. The flights covered almost 1,100 sq. km and captured high-resolution images, including topography, buildings and trees.

Solar Energy Integration

This chapter covers the integrated analysis component of the program, which provided a critical resource to help define the optimal research agenda. This work includes assessing the solar resource across the various climate zones in India and a coupling of this to the technology roadmaps in India and the United States. The analysis was coupled with mapping optimal site selections for diverse applications of photovoltaics (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) from village power to national grid.