NITI Aayog and IEA launch ‘Renewables Integration in India 2021’

What is the News?

The International Energy Agency(IEA) in association with NITI Aayog has released a report titled “Renewables Integration in India 2021”.

About Renewables Integration in India 2021 Report:

India’s Demand For Energy:

• India is the third largest energy-consuming country in the world.
• Also, India has made significant progress towards its universal electrification target for residential users.  100 million people gained electricity access in 2018 alone.
• Per capita electricity consumption across the 28 Indian states and eight union territories is still around a third of the world average and is expected to continue increasing.

Renewable Energy Penetration in India:

• Renewable energy penetration is highly variable by the state in India.
• The share of solar and wind in India’s ten renewables-rich states (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, and Kerala) is significantly higher than the national average of 8.2%.
• Solar and wind account for around 29% of annual electricity generation in Karnataka, 20% in Rajasthan, 18% in Tamil Nadu, and 14% in Gujarat.

Future Prospects of Renewable Energy:

• The report highlights that India’s power system can efficiently integrate renewables (175 GW by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030).
• But this would require identification of resources, proper planning, policy and institutional support, energy storage, and advanced technology initiatives.

What the Indian States should do?

Indian states need to employ a wide range of flexible options, such as:

• Demand response
• More flexible operation of coal-based power plants
• Grid improvements to transition to cleaner electricity systems.
• Larger shares of renewables can be better managed by shifting the time of use in agriculture.
• Time of Use(ToU) tariffs will be an effective tool to incentivise demand-side management and encourage flexible consumption.