!-- Start Alexa Certify Javascript --> !-- Start Alexa Certify Javascript --> !-- Start Alexa Certify Javascript --> INFRASTRUCTURE: Lighting Up India: The Renewable Energy Push | SILICONEER | DECEMBER 2014

A General Interest Monthly Magazine for South Asians in the U.S.

Northern California:
SF Bay Area | San Jose | Fremont | Santa Clara
Silicon Valley | Sacramento Area
Southern California: Los Angeles | Artesia | San Diego | Inland Empire

Web siliconeer.com
Advertise in Siliconeer | Home | Subscribe Print Issue | About Us (FAQs) | Contact | Locations | Staff Login | Site Map |

ADVERTISEMENTS


PREMIUM

CLASSIFIEDS

MULTIMEDIA VIDEO


INFRASTRUCTURE:
Lighting Up India: The Renewable Energy Push

After six months of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in office, it is clear that renewable energy will form a crucial element in the government’s efforts to deliver power for all 24/7. This is apart from the push to reform India’s generation sector using conventional coal to produce thermal power. There are also indications that the government may go slow on nuclear energy that was being aggressively promoted by the previous regime under Manmohan Singh, writes Siddharth Srivastava.


(Above): Solar Panels like the ones seen here can absorb energy from sunlight to create electricity.

India’s power, coal and renewable energy minister, Piyush Goyal, recently said that New Delhi wants to ramp up India’s solar capacity target to 100,000 MW from 20,000 MW by 2022 under the National Solar Mission. “Renewable energy may seem expensive, but in the long run, it scores over conventional energy. The subsidy regime needs to be more robust, targeted and sustainable,” Goyal said. New Delhi has also announced plans to add 10,000 MW of wind capacity every year over next five years. Thermal power will continue to be the mainstay of India’s energy policy.

In August, India’s Supreme Court declared over 200 coal block licenses awarded by the government since 1993 as illegal. This has stoked fears that India’s dependence on coal imports will rise.

The government, however, has been keen to push power sector reforms. There is thus hope that matters will turn for the better. New Delhi has said it will allow private and possibly foreign players into commercial mining ending state-owned Coal India Limited’s monopoly in the field.

New Delhi has approved three major projects in the power sector targeting improvement of transmission and distribution to plug theft and pilferage. “The recently announced power sector reforms by the Indian government are a step in the right direction as easier and assured access to power will help boost productivity of the manufacturing sector,” Japanese financial services major Nomura has said in a report. Recent reports suggest that India’s peak power deficit has substantially declined due to better grid management.

Goyal has said the government continues to be “cautious” about tapping nuclear power for electricity generation despite its potential as a clean energy source. Speaking at the India Economic Summit in New Delhi recently, Goyal underlined that America and several European countries no longer set up atomic plants.

“I am told even America hasn’t set up a nuclear plant in the last 30 years. Many European countries are discontinuing (use of nuclear energy). This government would like to be cautious so that we are not saddled with something only under the garb of clean energy or alternate energy; something which the West has discarded and is sought to be brought to India,” he said.

Goyal’s comments highlight the uncertainty linked to India’s pursuit of nuclear energy under the Modi government given the misgivings about safety, technology and land acquisition problems.

Concerns about these issues have resulted in violent protests by local populations in Maharashtra, Haryana and Tamil Nadu where new projects are planned.



(Above): Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal delivering the inaugural address at the Global Energy Technology Summit (GETS) organized by NTPC Limited in New Delhi, Nov. 7. (Press Information Bureau)

Renewable Push

Government and industry are no doubt emboldened by falling costs of solar power production. Solar prices in India are now quoting under Rs. 7 per kWhr which is almost at par with price of electricity produced by thermal power plants fired by imported coal in the country. According to a recent report published by Tata Power Solar and Bridge to India, commercial rooftop solar installations will reach cost parity with imported coal next year and complete parity by 2024.

Analysts attribute several reasons for steep fall in solar tariffs in India, including economies of large-scale production even as the industry heads towards maturity. This has translated into better project execution and signing of long-term supply agreements. Policy backing by state and central governments, including refusal to impose anti-dumping duties on imported solar equipment that would have hiked costs and support for mega solar projects has helped.

Overall, projections for wind power are bright in India. According to latest estimates by Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), India’s wind energy capacity could double over the next five years due to re-introduction of the crucial Accelerated Depreciation tax benefit in September 2014 with retrospective effect in addition to extension of generation-based financial incentive till 2017. Apart from the tariff advantage, new technologies also permit electricity to be generated in states where wind speeds are not as high as coastal states such as Tamil Nadu.

States such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are emerging as new and hot destinations for wind power installations due to attractive policies and high tariffs, as per latest data released by the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (IWTMA).

Till now, wind power installations in India have been focused in the states of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra followed by Gujarat. According to GWEC, India’s installed wind capacity could rise to 50,000 MW by 2020 and 25,000 MW by end of next year. The present capacity is 21,600 MW. The contours of India’s energy policy focus under Modi are becoming apparent – thermal and renewable energy will need to power India.


Siddharth Srivastava is India correspondent Siliconeer. He is author of "An Offbeat Story," a reality fiction novel. He lives in New Delhi.

EMAIL US: info (at) siliconeer.com | SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ONLINE BELOW

Click here to read the Current Issue in Magazine format

COVER STORY
Courting Nations:
Redrawing the Strategic Calculus

PM Modi has occupied global center stage as he continues to exalt India’s power-profile among the big economies, writes Priyanka Bhardwaj.


IMMIGRATION
Obama’s Plan for Reform:
What You Need to Know

President Obama announced his intent to shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation. Elena Shore presents some questions raised by the ethnic media.


SOCIETY
The Kiss of Love Protests:
Indian Youth Kiss for Freedom

For those hitting middle-age, intimacy in public areas is either not priority or not possible, writes Siddharth Srivastava.


OTHER STORIES
EDITORIAL: Courting Nations
INFRASTRUCTURE: Renewable Energy Push
OPINION: Designing Data Systems for Skilling India
GOVERNANCE: Tourist Visa on Arrival
ENVIRONMENT: India’s Cold Choking Smog
HEALTH CARE: For Dual Eligibles Healthcare Starts with the Blue Envelop
YOUTH: Washington Leadership Program
AUTO REVIEW: 2015 VW Passat SE
TRAVEL: Mission District Murals of San Francisco
RECIPE: Kashmiri Dum Aloo
EXPO: San Francisco Auto Show
BOLLYWOOD: Guftugu
FICTION: The Clue
HOROSCOPE: December

NEW! The Siliconeer App






ENTERTAINMENT
IIFA Awards 2014: TAMPA
Siliconeer Exclusive




ENTERTAINMENT
IIFA Awards 2013: MACAU
Siliconeer Exclusive




ENTERTAINMENT
IIFA Awards 2012: SINGAPORE
Siliconeer Exclusive




ENTERTAINMENT
IIFA Awards 2011: TORONTO
Siliconeer Exclusive




ENTERTAINMENT
IIFA Awards 2010: SRI LANKA: JUNE 2010



ENTERTAINMENT
IIFA Awards 2009
A Siliconeer Exclusive Photo Essay



ENTERTAINMENT
81st Annual Academy Awards
A Siliconeer Exclusive Photo Essay




ENTERTAINMENT
IIFA Awards 2008
A Siliconeer Exclusive Photo Essay




Advertise in Siliconeer | Home | Subscribe PRINT Issue | About Us (FAQs) | Contact | Locations | Staff Login | Site Map
© Copyright 2000-2014 Siliconeer • All Rights Reserved • For Comments and Questions: info (AT) siliconeer.com