India’s electricity grid is expanding at a slower pace than the boom in renewable energy installations, leading to increased share of clean energy curtailments and threatening to slow the solar and wind boom in the world’s most populous country.
Grid and transmission constraints accounted for nearly two-thirds of all renewable energy curtailment at 300 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in the first quarter of the year, clean energy think tank Ember said in a report on Tuesday.
“This growing mismatch between fast-moving solar projects and slower-moving transmission infrastructure is now the most critical operational risk to the country’s 2030 target of 500 gigawatts (GW) of non-fossil electricity,” Ember’s analysts wrote.
While India’s solar and wind power installations have been outpacing government targets in recent years, India has delivered only about 80% of its annual transmission targets in the past five years, according to Ember’s analysis.
Currently, one in four Inter-State Transmission System schemes nationwide faces a delay of a year or more, due to right-of-way disputes, fragmented land ownership, forest and biodiversity clearances, and a thin global supplier base for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) components, Ember notes.
India expects to nearly quadruple its solar power capacity and triple wind power-generating assets within ten years, according to the new Generation Adequacy Plan published by the country’s Central Electricity Authority earlier this year.
In 2025, India boasted achieving five years ahead of schedule its target to have 50% of its installed electricity capacity coming from non-fossil fuel sources.
Despite booming renewable capacity additions, India continues to rely on coal to meet most of its power demand as authorities also look to avoid blackouts in cases of severe heat waves.
Coal-fired power generation and capacity installations in India continue to rise, and coal remains a key pillar of India’s electricity mix, with about 60% share of total power output.
This jump in installed renewable capacity does not mean renewable power generation will soon replace coal in India, especially if grid constraints and battery and transmission delays persist.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
- Germany Launches Formal Sale Process for Uniper
- Iran’s Floating Oil Stockpile Jumps 65% as U.S. Naval Blockade Bites
- Iran Lays Out Sweeping Demands as U.S. Weighs Military Strike Pause
