Against All Odds: Prioritizing Green Energy Generation in 2024

The Warren Buffet quote goes, “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” Though this quote usually implies the need for timely investments, this is also so true about so many other things in the world, including the time spent to read this article, and if it makes a meaningful contribution to the world, through even a single person or few!?

This is also very true about renewable energy in the context of today’s world. When you ‘invest your time and resources’ in renewable energy, you are not only creating a pollution-free world that will sustain itself well into the future but also depending on energy sources that are perennial and will last you a very long time, if efficient solutions are created.?

India’s Renewable Energy Standing is Strong?

India’s renewable energy capacity is around 200 GW in 2024 . This puts India fourth in the world in terms of renewable energy capacity. In a decade, the renewable energy capacity has grown by 165%. The reasons for the growth are good governance, focus on meeting SDGs, advancements in technology, discovery of new sources, and most importantly a sense of awareness of the environment and the ecological balance around us.??

India’s Renewable Energy Commitment is Stronger?

The Indian Government’s plans for the future of renewable energy are very ambitious. “Viksit Bharat is our aim, Urja Vikas is our mission”, said Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy. ‘Urja’ means energy in Sanskrit. In a recent summit, India also said that it is promoting eco clubs in schools and taking steps for clean energy job creation.?

India wants to reach 500 GW of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuels, which would allow India to overtake Brazil and become the country with the third-largest renewable energy capacity. However, it is still behind the US which would be nearing 1000 GW, with China still ranking first.?

Here are the 5 things that India must manage well to achieve this capacity by 2030 and make it meaningful and good for the nation to depend on renewable energy in the long run -

1. Green Hydrogen Mission?

When people think about clean energy, everyone thinks about EVs. However, they overlook the fact that EVs also need an energy source to generate electricity from. Burdening other locations with fossil fuel burning and electricity generation, so that urban and developed centers can use clean energy is not an Earth-friendly idea. If we say, ‘One World, One Love’, we must really stand by what it's all about.??

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The National Green Hydrogen Mission could be the solution we are looking for as a country and what the world can learn from, too. India wants to accelerate the deployment of green hydrogen as a clean energy source and develop supply chains that can efficiently transport and distribute hydrogen. With the development of prototype hydrogen fuel cells for cars by companies like Stellantis and Hyundai charting a course, India might have chosen the right green path.?

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2. Offshore Wind Power Development:?

Plans are in place to develop offshore wind power capacity, with the aim to reach 30 GW by 2030 . Did you know that the estimate of offshore wind potential is very high, reaching 3,941 GW? This is more than five times the potential for solar energy, which is only 748 GW at its peak, according to the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE). India’s hydropower potential is still lower at 145 GW , with bioenergy being the lowest at 50 GW .??

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All this means that wind power is the renewable energy source with the greatest potential in India. But does this mean that wind power is the energy source that must be utilized more? The answer to this will depend on other factors too such as the technical expertise required to install the windmills and maintain them, the infrastructure necessary to set up the locations for wind energy generation, presence of market enablers, and so on.?

3. Rooftop Solar Promotion and Solar Parks:?

The government actively encourages rooftop solar installations through financial incentives and policy support. Many households in India are already generating ample solar energy to maintain even a building with two floors and up to 4 rooms and even support the energy requirements of EV vehicles. But these are generalized numbers and do not apply for locations that do not receive ample sunlight throughout the year, given the unpredictability of the Indian monsoon and the lack of sunlight in snowy areas.??

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Despite this obstacle to solar energy power generation, the drop in prices of solar energy panels and increasing efficiency should really help boost the share of solar energy’s contribution in India reaching the target of 500 GW by 2030. Several large solar parks are also being established across the country which will again help facilitate large-scale solar power generation.??

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4. Grid Infrastructure Improvement?

Apart from increasing the contribution of renewable energy sources and putting the right systems for extracting and generating energy, it is also important to strengthen the transmission system. Strengthening the interstate transmission system is important to efficiently integrate large amounts of renewable energy back into the grid. Apart from this, it is to be noted that merely generating 500 GW of energy is not enough.??

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This needs to be distributed well, too. The National Grid was made of five separate power grids, the northern, southern, north-eastern, western and eastern, with the southern being the last to join the national power grid in 2013. The current interregional power transfer capacity is only 116.5 MW . Since renewable energy generation will vary from place to place, having a larger power transfer capacity could be the key to transfer from an area of surplus energy to one that is facing stress.???

5. State Level Participation?

Indian states are actively participating in the green energy transition by committing to specific renewable energy targets. To achieve the ambitious targets set by the center, it is necessary that states have the preparedness to further the goals set and have robust market enablers to further the generation and proliferation of clean energy. According to the SET report, Gujarat and Karnataka stand out as the frontrunners in the energy transition for the years 2023 and 2024.??

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Karnataka ranks first in decarbonization efforts by any state, thanks to its outperformance in the State Energy Efficiency Index, 2023. States like Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh also showed significant progress, but the growth has not been uniform across all dimensions. The dimensions under consideration were decarbonization, readiness, and performance of power ecosystem, and market enablers, with each dimension also having separate parameters for scoring under them.?

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Why We Must Act Now?

Boosting the use of renewable energy sources is a bold commitment that must receive more attention from all the stakeholders involved. This is because given India’s increasing population and the stress on the resources available, we must plan the available resources in a better manner, so our country achieves the goal of “Swachh Bharat” and possibly even “Urjit Bharat” (Energetic India) on time. The best brains in the country must come together to devise a strategy to achieve these goals by 2030. There is potential and there is hope, a little motivation can do wonders!?