By Solar Times Bureau
The Government has declared the trajectory of bidding 60 GW capacity of solar energy and 20 GW capacity of wind energy by March 2020,leaving two years’ time for execution of projects. Keeping in view our commitment to a healthy planet and our Nationally Determined Contributions as per the Paris Accord on Climate Change, India made a pledge that by 2030, 40% of installed power generation capacity shall be based on clean sources, it was determined that 175 GW of renewable energy capacity will be installed by 2022. This includes 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from bio-power and 5 GW from small hydro power.
A total of around 73.35 GW of renewable energy capacity has been installed in the country as on October, 2018 from all renewable energy sources which includes around 34.98 GW from Wind, 24.33 GW from solar, 4.5 GW from Small Hydro Power and 9.54 GW from Bio-power. Further, projects worth 46.75 GW capacity have been bid out/under installation. The Government has declared the trajectory of bidding 60 GW capacity of solar energy and 20 GW capacity of wind energy till 31.03.2020. Projects worth each 30 GW solar power and 10 GW wind power capacity would be bid out each in the year 2018-19 & 2019-20.
Registered lowest ever solar tariffs in India of Rs.2.44 per unit in reverse auctions carried out by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) in May 2017, for 200 MW and again in July, 2018, for 600 MW.Registered lowest ever wind tariff of Rs.2.43 per unit in a tender of 500 MW project by Gujarat Government in the month of December 2017.
The cumulative renewable energy installed capacity has increased from 35.51 GW as on 31.03.2014 to 73.35 GW as on 31.10.2018 (increase of around 106% during last four &a half years). The capacity addition of over 37.84 GW grid connected renewable power has been achieved during last four & half years (2014-15 to 2018-19) which includes 21.7 GW from Solar Power, 13.98 GW from Wind Power, 0.7 GW from Small Hydro Power and 1.5 GW from Bio-power. A total of 101.83 billion units of power were generated in the country during the year 2017-18 from all renewable energy sources as compared to 61.78 billion units generated in 2014-15 (increase of around 65% during last four years). Share of renewable energy in terms of overall power generation has reached to around 8% from 5.5% in 2014-15.
The Government has revised the target of Grid Connected Solar Power Projects from 20,000 MW by the year 2021-22 to 100,000 MW by the year 2021-22 under the National Solar Mission. The country currently has the fifth highest solar installed capacity in the world with total installed capacity of 24.33 GW as on October, 2018 against a target of 100 GW by 2022. Further, 22.8 GW capacity is under implementation or have been tendered out.