Letter by Khushboo Goyal, Editorial Lead and Associate Director
We started our journey in 2010 when India’s total renewable energy capacity was barely 17 GW. It is quite heartening to see the country’s progress in these 13 years, during which we have become one of the global leaders in the renewable energy space, with 132 GW capacity installed as of date.
From 10 per cent share in the capacity mix in November 2010 to an impressive 31 per cent share as of today, this transition is nothing short of impressive. This 8X amplification of capacity would not have been possible without enabling support from the government with timely interventions according to the need of the hour. India’s transparent competitive bidding mechanism and government intent are a huge reason for making the country a top destination for drawing renewable energy investors from around the globe.
Equal credit goes to the country’s enterprising business houses as well as public sector organisations who took a chance on the then-fledgling and costly segment of solar power and helped scale it up to the levels we see today, with some of the most competitive tariffs in the world.
And now, we see this trend being replicated in the case of green hydrogen, energy storage and round-the-clock renewables, with cost declines and rapid scale-up foreseen for the future.
While the country missed the bus in the case of solar manufacturing and continues to rely very heavily on imports, this situation is now being rectified with significant focus on domestic manufacturing. There has been a slew of policy interventions as well as announcements of new facilities that will help enhance the country’s solar manufacturing capacity. The current geopolitics, concerns surrounding energy security and the supply chain woes of the pandemic all have a part to play in this move towards self-sustainability.
Gratefully, the country has learnt from the solar experience, and there has been adequate focus on domestic manufacturing of storage and electrolysers from early on.
We have also witnessed the renewable energy industry become more mature in these thirteen years with the introduction of customized clean power solutions for different consumer groups, and the growth of the group-captive and open access arrangements. There has been a noticeable shift from mainly discom-centric development to consumer-based uptake. As the commercial and industrial segment continues to switch to green power, we will further see the evolution and scale-up of virtual power purchase agreements.
Meanwhile, there has been promising growth in the residential rooftop solar space with greater awareness, and we are witnessing initial signs of “prosumer” centric development in India’s renewable energy sector.
Taking this aspect of inclusive growth a step further, a key reflection on our part this year, was regarding gender equity in renewable energy. For the first time, this year, we organized a roundtable on women in clean energy and took away both the successes as well as the learnings from women leaders in the renewables space. We are happy to report that, though a small percentage in terms of numbers, the role of women in India’s energy transition is now increasing day by day.
The issues regarding policy and regulatory flux, land and grid constraints, as well as concerns with lengthy approvals still continue to be key bottlenecks, and so does the lack of sync between central and state agendas. Renewable energy sector needs consistent regulatory frameworks, without constant flip-flops, and assured visibility for the future.
As we move ahead, we are expecting to see a more consistent, mature, inclusive, and sustainable renewable energy sector in India – with hopefully “all” positive things to report the next year.
P.S.: With this edition, we celebrate our thirteenth anniversary, and we take this opportunity to present a composite review of the renewable energy sector’s progress this year with detailed updates on various segments, perspective from industry leaders, as well as a comprehensive data and statistics section. We hope that we have done well in that regards. We are always grateful to our contributors, readers, and advertisers, who have continued to support us and motivate us through all these years.
