India’s progress on the Solar Power deployment front – The Times of India

Introduction

As per a Report by the Global Energy Think Tank Ember Climate, in 2015 India ranked 9^th in Solar Energy Deployment. Rapid Solar Energy Deployment since then has pushed the country past Japan to become the world’s 3^rd largest Solar Power Generator in 2023.

According to the Report, in 2023, Solar produced a record 5.5 % of Global Electricity, whereas, in line with the Global Trend, India in 2023 generated 5.8 % of its electricity from solar as reported in the Ember’s Global Electricity Review.

Global Situation as regards the Status of Solar energy

Solar maintained its status as the world’s fastest-growing source of electricity for the 19^th consecutive year, adding more than twice as much new electricity worldwide, as coal in 2023. Together, the top four Solar Growth Countries reportedly accounted for 75 % of the growth in 2023, with each contributing as follows:

1. China (+156 TWh)
2. The United States (+33 TWh)
3. Brazil (+22 TWh), and;
4. India (+18 Terawatt hour, or TWh)

Ember’s Asia Programme director Aditya Lolla opines that, increasing clean electricity is needed not just for reducing carbon emissions in the power sector, but also:

1. To meet the rising electricity demand in an increasingly electrified economy, and;
2. To decouple economic growth from emissions, crucial for tackling climate change.

According to Ember, Global Solar Generation in 2023 was more than 6 times higher than in 2015. According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Net Zero Emissions Scenario, the contribution of Solar would contribute 22 % of the Global Electricity Generation by 2030.

At the United Nations’ COP28 Climate Change Conference held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates from 30^th November to 13^th December 2023, world leaders arrived at a historic agreement to triple the Global Renewable Energy Capacity by 2030.

According to the IEA, tripling the Global Renewable Energy Capacity, and doubling energy efficiency are crucial to limiting the average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a political target set in 2015 to prevent further worsening of Climate Impacts.

India’s position

With electricity generation accounting for nearly half of India’s annual carbon dioxide emissions, being 1.18 gigatonnes in 2023, accelerating the transition to cleaner generation sources is imperative for the country to meet both its developmental and climate goals.

As part of its National Plan to fight Climate Change, India has committed to achieving 50 % Cumulative Electric Power Installed Capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.

India is one of the few countries planning to triple renewable capacity by 2030. According to Ember’s analysis, India needs to significantly increase its annual capacity additions to meet this capacity target.

India currently has a total installed capacity of 125 GW (Gigawatt) in renewable energy. Among the sources, Solar Power accounts for 53 % of the overall capacity followed by Wind Power at 34 %, Bio Power at 9 %, and Small Hydro at 4 %.

Contribution by Solar Energy at present in India

Solar’s contribution to electricity generation in India increased from 0.5 % in 2015 to 5.8 % in 2023, amounting to a 1060 % increase over the period.

The Union Minister for New & Renewable Energy and Power had informed in a Press Release on 9^th August, 2023 that as on 30.06.2023, a Cumulative Solar Power Capacity of 70,096 MW (Megawatt) had been installed in the country & the Electricity generated through Solar Energy in the country during 2022-23 amounted to 102014.23 million units.

Informing that the country has an estimated Solar Power Potential of 7,48,990 MW, he had said, the potential of solar energy has not been fully tapped so far. However, the Government is making efforts to harness the available potential through various schemes and programs. Accordingly, several steps have been taken by the Government to promote renewable energy, including solar energy, by Permitting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) up to 100 % under the automatic route, among others.

The Interim Budget has also allocated for Solar Power a substantial increase, Rs 10,000 crore for 2024-25, amounting a 110% rise from the earlier estimate of Rs 4,757 crore.

Various Schemes to be implemented to provide benefits of Solar Energy to the citizens/farmers of the country include:

1. Solar Park Scheme for setting up at least 50 Solar Parks targeting 40,000 MW of solar power projects;
2. Scheme for setting up 12,000 MW of Grid-Connected Solar PV Power Projects by the Government producers with Viability Gap Funding (VGF);
3. Installation of Grid-Connected Solar Rooftop Power Plants;
4. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM);
5. Production-linked incentive scheme under National Programme on high efficiency Solar PV Modules;
6. Green Energy Corridor Scheme for Intra-State Transmission System.

Government as Central Financial Assistance (CFA) has released following sums for implementation of various schemes during last five years:

(Rs. in Crores)

Financial Year	Sum Released
2018-19	2169.37
2019-20	1591.15
2020-21	1854.28
2021-22	2629.23
2022-23	2722.32

Epilogue

The year 2024 marks the introduction of the Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana by PM Shri Narendra Modi aimed at facilitating the widespread adoption of Solar Rooftop Installations by residential consumers across all states. The PM envisions reaching approximately 1 crore families for the installation of Rooftop Solar Panels under this Scheme. The move is intended to reduce electricity bills, fostering self-reliance in meeting the electricity needs of individuals.

The scheme is also anticipated to generate long-term investment opportunities, particularly in businesses related to Solar Panel Infrastructure.

As of June 30, 2023, the country has commissioned Solar Projects with a Cumulative capacity of 70.10 GW, including:

1. 57.22 GW from ground-mounted projects;
2. 10.37 GW from rooftop projects, and;
3. 2.51GW from off-grid projects.

Cumulative Physical Progress as on March, 2024 in case of Solar Power was reportedly 81813.60 Megawatt (MW).

India wants to achieve 40 GW rooftop solar panel installations by 2026. As of 2023, India has achieved 25% of this target, indicating that a lot needs to be done in achieving this target.

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