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Noteworthy Regional Trends in India:  Renewables 2019 Global Status Report

Noteworthy Regional Trends in India: Renewables 2019 Global Status Report

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GLOBAL CONTEXT

  • In 2018, global energy demand increased an estimated 2.3%. India, along with China and the United States, accounted for almost 70% of the total increase
  • India ranks fourth globally for non-hydro renewable capacity
  • Total number of renewable energy jobs remained virtually unchanged, with most jobs in hydropower, followed by solar PV. By region, it is the 5th largest employer across all renewable energy technologies
  • India was one of many countries where the competition resulting from auctions caused bid levels for new solar PV and wind power to reach record lows
  • Several cities and municipalities in India are implementing renewable energy initiatives. Trains in New Delhi are partly powered by solar PV and Bangalore has implemented a solar water heating mandate
  • India is one of only five countries, that apply a fuel economy standard to heavy-duty vehicles.
  • Over half of India’s states have mandatory building energy codes
  • India has allocated USD 1.3 billion to incentives for EVs. Under its national e-mobility programme, the country aims to have more than 30% of new car sales come from EVs by 2030
  • In 2018, several renewable power contracts in India were annulled
  • The states of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh auctioned projects for floating solar PV to generate electricity on dam reservoirs
  • India ranked fourth globally for investment in renewable energy in 2018, representing 5% of the total, amounting to USD 15.4 billion, with significant investment in large onshore wind projects However, it decreased 16% compared with 2017
  • Investment in small-scale distributed capacity remained significant, at over USD 1 billion

DIGGING DEEPER

  • Market & Industry
    • Bioenergy
      • India is a large user of bioenergy for heat (1.6 EJ) and a large producer of bioelectricity
      • In 2018, biopower capacity increased 16% to 10.2 GW and generation rose by 14% to reach 91 TWh
      • Biofuels are being given greater priority, with a medium-term emphasis on advanced biofuels that can use the country’s widespread agricultural residues as feedstock
      • India is the sixth largest producer of ethanol. Production increased 70% in 2018, following changes in regulations surrounding feedstocks – allowing for greater use of molasses – which aims to reduce oil imports
      • In 2018, the Indian Air Force flew a military aircraft with blended biofuel for the first time, using a 10% biojet fuel based on jatropha oil
    • Hydropower
      • India ranks sixth globally for total hydropower capacity and increased its hydropower capacity by 0.5 GW in 2018, for a year-end total of 45.1 GW
      • The single-largest plant to come into service in India was the Kishanganga plant in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, comprising three 110 MW units
      • By year’s end, India had a pipeline of 37 additional hydropower projects (12 GW), although 16 of those (6 GW) were delayed for various reasons, including lack of funds and environmental concerns
      • Due to increasing shares of solar PV and wind, hydropower’s share of the country’s total installed capacity has decreased by half since 2008, to 13%

  • Solar PV
    • Additions were down relative to 2017 with 10.8 GW being added
    • The decline was due to several factors including land and transmission constraints, a 25% safeguard duty on imports from China and Malaysia, flaws in the tender scheme and tax uncertainties
    • Despite this decline, India’s total installed capacity, by end-2018, was almost 33 GW overtaking Italy, and rising to fifth in the global rankings for cumulative solar PV capacity
    • The Indian rooftop market continued to grow rapidly, up about two-thirds during 2018
    • More than 40 GW of additional large-scale solar projects was tendered in India during 2018. However, the gap expanded between tenders issued and auctions completed, with many auctions being cancelled or annulled
    • Two of the world’s largest coal mining companies announced a joint venture to invest more than USD 1.6 billion in 3 GW of solar power capacity in India
  • CSP
    • India was the only country in Asia to have CSP capacity under construction by the end of 2018
    • The 25 MW Gujarat Solar One facility is expected to enter operation in late 2019, and the 14 MW Dadri Integrated Solar Combined-Cycle plant is under construction
  • Solar Thermal Heating and Cooling
    • India ranked third for annual solar thermal installations and saw a 17% increase relative to 2017, bringing new installations to 1.3 GWth in 2018
    • Market development remained below expectations, due in part to the Indian government prioritising the deployment of solar power capacity during 2018
    • Vacuum tube collectors represented more than 80% of new installations in India.
    • India was the third largest market for solar heat for industrial processes (SHIP) with 10 installations
  • Wind Power
    • Following a record year for wind power in 2017, the Indian market contracted in 2018. Even though installations fell by almost 50%, India ranked fourth in global installations, adding 2.2 GW, for a year-end total of 35.1 GW
    • 2 GW was in the construction pipeline, but projects have been delayed by problems in obtaining land and accessing transmission lines
    • Average winning bids for onshore wind energy were close to USD 20 per MWh (down from around USD 30 per MWh in 2017)
  • Distributed Renewables for Energy Access
    • Between 2011 and 2017, India doubled its electrification rate
    • As of 2017, in India, 168 million people (13% of population) lack access to electricity and 703 million people (53% of population, down from 68%) lacked access to clean cooking facilities
    • Entrepreneurs, with the support of the government, lead efforts to promote distributed renewable energy access (DREA) systems in India. 177,000 solar pumps for irrigation and drinking water have been deployed, compared to around 11,500 in 2014
    • India is the main market for cash sales of affiliated off-grid solar products; with 2.5 million products sold in 2018
  • Energy Efficiency
    • Between 2010 and 2017, energy use for space cooling in India doubled, with cooling intensity rising 42%
    • Between 2010 and 2016, India experienced 4.7% average annual growth in industrial energy use, the highest of any country
    • Since 2000, two-thirds of the increased energy use in global passenger transport has been due to the rising demand for transport in emerging economies such as India
  • Systems Integration and Enabling Technologies
    • By the end of 2018, India’s stock of three-wheeled EVs had risen to 1.5 million
Source: worldmediawire
Anand Gupta Editor - EQ Int'l Media Network

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