NEW DELHI: For India to meet its net-zero ambitions, the country’s power distribution companies (discoms) must significantly enhance renewable energy procurement to meet both short- and long-term renewable purchase obligations. On average, discoms are expected to procure at least 22 percent of their power from renewable sources, with this target increasing to 43 percent by 2035.
However, this can only be achieved if the cost of renewable energy is significantly lower than coal-based thermal power, which remains cheaper in many cases. The pricing issue is compounded by capacity constraints in India’s grid infrastructure, which makes the generation and transmission of renewable energy challenging.
Recently, discoms and Indian Railways have agreed on a competitive tariff for renewable energy procurement, which is complemented by battery-operated energy storage systems and “round-the-clock” agreements. This model allows for the generation of solar power during the day, while coal-based thermal power is used at night to ensure a continuous power supply, 24/7.
The combined use of solar energy during the day and stored thermal generation at night can prevent a decrease in the plant load factor of coal-based plants, which would otherwise drive up the cost of thermal power. One key milestone for India’s path to net-zero emissions is the addition of 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
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