India’s RE Sector Looks Bright and Manufacturing is Picking Up, Says Pralhad Joshi
Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy, says that the country's next target is to touch around 292GW of solar power capacity by 2030. Edited excerpts
After 100GW, what next?
India has achieved a significant milestone of 100GW in solar energy under the able guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Our next target is to touch around 292GW of solar power capacity by 2030, for achieving 500GW of non-fossil fuel-based generation capacity in the country. Currently, about 125GW of solar/hybrid capacity are under implementation and additional 70GW of solar/hybrid capacity are under tendering stage. Therefore, about 297GW of solar/hybrid capacity are either installed or in the pipeline.
Additionally, we will achieve around 60GW of solar-cell manufacturing in the coming two years. So, things are bright as far as I look at it, and manufacturing capacity is also picking up in India.
What policy interventions is the ministry looking at to accelerate rooftop-solar deployment?
Rooftop solar has just started, and achieving 10 lakh [installations] in six or seven months is not bad. The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana has received 47.3 lakh applications and around 6.13 lakh beneficiaries have successfully received subsidies, amounting to Rs 4,770 crore.
A major challenge for larger solar installations is the mindset shift required, especially for big consumers like manufacturing units. Some state governments restrict large customers from installing solar because they rely on their high electricity bills for cross-subsidisation.
However, efforts are being made to convince state governments that this approach won’t work in the long term.
What policies arebeing planned for battery storage and hybrid renewable projects?
Advance chemistry cell–PLI [production-linked incentive] scheme for the manufacturing of 50GWh capacity of battery cells with the financial outlay of Rs 18,100 crore will boost the cell-manufacturing ecosystem in the country. Also, 10GWh capacity out of 50GWh capacity have been earmarked specifically for grid scale stationary storage applications for which bidding documents are being finalised.
The tenders of round-the-clock, and firm and dispatchable renewable energy are encouraging the deployment of battery storage to meet peak power demands and providing a demand-side push for battery storage.
Additionally, 13 Renewable Energy Management Centres [REMCs] are being set up for real-time monitoring and better forecasting of renewable generation.
The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana has received 47.3 lakh applications and around 6.13 lakh beneficiaries have successfully received subsidies, amounting to Rs 4,770 crore
Is the government looking at any policy reforms to boost manufacturing of solar modules and cells?
Currently, the government is implementing the PLI Scheme for high-efficiency solar PV [photovoltaic] modules with an outlay of Rs 24,000 crore and under this scheme, letters of award have been issued for setting up of 48,337MW of fully/partially integrated solar PV module-manufacturing units.
Some segments of the awarded projects have even started production, which includes around 16GW of solar PV module manufacturing including fully integrated thin-film solar-module manufacturing, around 6GW of solar PV cell manufacturing and around 2GW of ingot-wafer manufacturing.
Additionally, we have also introduced waivers on import duties for capital goods and raw materials, imposed basic customs duties on solar PV cells, modules and glass, and anti-dumping duties on imports like anodised-aluminium frames and solar glass.
The government is also focused on ensuring the quality of the solar products through the issuance of revised Quality Control Order for Solar Modules, implementation of ALMM [Approved List of Models and Manufacturers] for solar cells and modules, launch of Standards and Labelling programme for grid connected solar inverters.
With solar penetration increasing, how does the government plan to ensure grid stability?
Apart from REMCs and load-dispatch centres, we have also installed Statcoms [static synchronous compensators] to improve the grid reliability and voltage stability limit. A Statcom basically works as a voltage controller for the electricity grid, quickly adding or removing extra power to keep the system running smoothly.
Additionally, the Central Electricity Authority (Technical Standards for Connectivity to the Grid) Regulations also lay down the minimum technical requirements for RE [renewable energy]-generating plants to ensure the safe, secure and reliable operation of the grid.
What steps are you taking to strengthen collaboration that come under the International Solar Alliance (ISA)?
As ISA's president, we support and advocate the member countries to utilise various programmes launched by the alliance’s secretariat for energy transition. India, under the visionary leadership of PM Modi, has also been collaborating with other countries in the RE sector through various mechanisms which include memorandums of understanding, letters of intent, joint declarations of intent, energy dialogues and partnerships.
The modalities of collaboration under these include exchanging policies, personnel for training and capacity building.