ICCK

India has made big strides in the green energy sector over the last decade with renewable power constituting 43% of the total installed power capacity in 2022-23, up from 31% in 2014-15, data from the Central Electricity Authority showed.

The total renewable energy installed capacity has reached 180 gigawatt (GW) in 2023 against 75.5 GW in 2014, as per data. The percentage of fossil fuel-based power has reduced to 57% from 69% in 2014-15.

The government has now set a target to triple its renewable energy share to 500 GW by 2030, aiming to add 50 GW of renewable energy capacity every year.

On their part, government agencies like Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), SJVN and NHPC have actively been tendering out contracts for solar, wind and hydro capacity additions in recent months to work on this front.

The government is also targeting to address the lagging pace of addition of transmission lines as the installed renewable energy capacity will only be viable if it has a proper channel to be distributed.

The interregional transmission capacity added during 2017-22 (up to March 31, 2022) was 37,200 MW. As of March 2023, the inter-regional transmission capacity in the country was 112,250 MW, data from CEA’s annual report showed.

India’s total transmission lines in the year 2022-23 stood at 471,341 circuit kilometre (ckm) against 313,437 ckm in 2014-15. For the current financial year, the government has targeted an addition of 16,602 ckm of transmission lines compared with 14,625 ckm added in FY23.

However, experts do believe that tripling RE capacity to 500 GW by 2030 is a stiff target. The peaking and subsequent phasing out of coal-fired power may get delayed. This is because of a sharper-than-expected rise in domestic demand for power, and the realisation that renewable capacity addition could lag the tall targets.

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