It is pitch dark as we near Nagwa village, 150 km from Varanasi. No lights emanate from any of the hamlets that we cross. Then, we see a bunch of barefoot boys and girls emerge from their dwellings carrying solar lamps in their hands. These are school-going children who have recently been given solar lamps under the 70 Lakh Solar Study Lamps Scheme. Nagwa is still waiting for its turn to get conventional electricity. Until recently, students had to either limit their study hours to the duration of natural light availability or strain their eyes in the dim light of kerosene lamps.
It takes more than two hours of a back-breaking drive of just 28 km on a bumpy, winding kuchha road from Rohtas to reach Rehal, situated at a height of 2,400 feet above sea level on Kaimur hill. Rehal, nearly 200 km from Patna in Pipardeeh panchayat in Nauhatta block in Bihar, is a remote village that falls under forest area. Hence, it is not connected to a conventional power grid. The groundwater level in the region is around 250 to 300 feet deep. There are no irrigation facilities. Cattle rearing is the main source of livelihood but for the most part of the year, people have to take their cattle down the hill to other places for grazing. The entire population is dependent on fuel wood for cooking. Life, until recently, had been tough for the people living in this far-flung village. Now, however, it seems that their woes are coming to an end, thanks to solar power.
Renewable resources emerged as the leading preference for new power generation technologies in 2017 as clean energy sources accounted for a 70 per cent share in net generation capacity additions worldwide, supplying an estimated 26.5 per cent of the global electricity. About 178 GW of capacity was added in 2017 and by the end of 2017, global renewable capacity stood at over 2,195 GW, a 9 per cent increase over 2016.
The progress of Germany’s energy transition policy, popularly known as Energiewende, has been sluggish. The country’s plan to completely phase out nuclear by 2022 and increase the share of renewables in power consumption to 65 per cent by 2030 is in danger due to the inordinate delays in the implementation of grid expansion plans. The federal government has taken several measures in the past to accelerate grid expansion to accommodate the rapid growth of renewable capacity, but they are yet to translate into real progress on the ground. Besides integrating renewable energy, the existing transmission network has also come under stress due to the opening of cross-border lines as part of the creation of the European internal market. During 2017, congestion management and redespatch costs amounted to Euro 1.4 billion. Importantly, these costs are allocated to consumers through network charges. These costs are expected to rise further as the existing networks are reaching their limits.
The Nordic power system is facing the twin challenges of integrating intermittent renewable power generation and decommissioning thermal plants. At the political level, there is a strong will to form a close-knit European energy union. To this end, three Nordic transmission system operators (TSOs) – Sweden’s Svenska kraftnat, Norway’s Statnett, Finland’s Fingrid – together launched the Nordic Grid Development Plan in 2017.
The North Sea has witnessed significant offshore wind power activity in the past few years. With 11.2 GW of offshore wind capacity, the North Sea accounted for 60 per cent of the global offshore wind installed base (18.8 GW) and over 70 per cent of the European offshore capacity (15.8 GW) at the end of 2017.
Europe continues to be a leader in energy transition, which gets reflected in its ambitious renewable energy and decarbonisation targets. By 2030, renewable energy will constitute 50 per cent of the continent’s total electricity generation and by 2050, Europe’s electricity system will be fully decarbonised. It has been widely acknowledged by several European heads of states that a well-interconnected and integrated trans-European energy grid is a fundamental prerequisite for achieving the European Union’s (EU) energy and climate objectives in a cost-effective way.
The demand for clean energy in several states of the US continues to present an economic opportunity for Canada to boost its electricity exports. Canada is already a net exporter of electricity to the, US. Between 2007 and 2016, Canada’s net exports to the US grew twofold to stand at 63.8 TWh, recording a net revenue of CAD 2.7 billion in 2016. Further, these exports are projected to grow threefold between 2020 and 2030. Canada has almost three dozen electricity interties with its southern neighbour. These interconnections are expected to increase as several new transmission projects are under development to transfer clean hydro or wind energy from Canada to the US.
The re-election of the Shinzo Abe government in October 2017 has reinforced support for Abenomics (Japan Revitalisation Strategy), which is the government’s signature economic revival strategy centred on monetary and fiscal policy measures accompanied by structural reforms (the three-arrow approach). As a key component of the third arrow, that is, structural reforms, the government has been working on an aggressive three-stage electricity system reform programme that was announced in April 2013.
The offshore wind energy industry in the US has finally gained a foothold in many Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, which have densely populated load centres and high electricity prices. Several states including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut and Rhode Island have already pledged or planned over 8 GW of offshore wind energy projects by 2030 in the waters of the Atlantic Sea. Other states including Delaware, Ohio, California, North Carolina, Virginia and Hawaii are also making swift progress on this front.
Historically, the utility-scale power plant design has been determined by scale economics, fuel availability and environmental impact. The world’s first 300 MW class, 100 per cent biomass-fired Tees renewable energy plant (Teesside) is being constructed based on these parameters.
Mobilising competitive finance has been a constant challenge for the Indian renewable energy industry even as it remains on an impressive growth trajectory. It has become even more difficult in the current market scenario where lower-for-longer tariffs are encouraged due to intense competition and ambitious targets, thereby reducing profit margins for stakeholders. Although achieving the short-term target of 175 GW by 2022 and long-term target of 350 GW by 2030 is a mammoth task, unsustainably low tariffs are likely to dampen investor interest. Further, emerging markets offering better returns to investors could divert funds coming into the country.
A solar project’s operations and maintenance (O&M) phase is the longest over its 25-year lifecycle and has a major impact on mitigating potential risks, improving the levellised cost of energy (LCoE) and power purchase agreement (PPA) prices, and the return on investment. Greater attention is therefore being given to this aspect of solar project operations by both developers and investors.
Distributed generation (DG) refers to a variety of technologies that generate electricity near the end users. Some of the DG technologies are solar panels, and combined heat and power (CHP). They may serve a single structure (such as a home or an industry), or a major industrial facility, a large hospital, or a college campus, as part of a microgrid (a smaller grid that is also tied into the larger electricity delivery system). These systems may or may not be connected to the electric grid. When connected to the electric utility’s low voltage distribution lines, DG systems can support the delivery of clean, reliable power to additional customers and help reduce transmission and distribution losses.
Due to the limited domestic production of petroleum products, India is compelled to import over 80 per cent of its fuel requirement. The country’s energy security cannot improve until alternative fuels are developed based on indigenously produced renewable feedstock. The government has therefore set an ambitious target to reduce the country’s crude oil import dependency by 10 per cent by 2022.
The absence of a hydropower policy that comprehensively addresses the woes of this segment has been one of the biggest areas of contention for the industry. As a result, growth in the segment has been sluggish in recent years. Private sector interest has been stagnating, and only 7 per cent of the total hydro capacity installed has been commissioned by private players since the segment was opened to private participation in 1991.
Although the majority of solar systems in India are deployed at a multi-MW scale in solar farms, cities like New Delhi have seen an upsurge in industrial rooftop PV facilities, especially in the suburbs and the surroundings of the city centre (within a 100 km radius). A recent paper, “Advanced Analyses of Loss Mechanisms for PV Systems in Delhi, India” presented at the 32nd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition, investigated two loss mechanisms that prevent PV systems in the Delhi area from achieving their maximum power output potential. These are soiling due to dust accumulation on the module surface, and air pollution. The paper found that the soiling rates in Delhi can lead to losses of 0.3-0.6 per cent per day. Meanwhile, air pollution-related blockage could lead to yield losses of about 6 per cent on an annual basis. Such information is crucial for PV system owners and developers alike for evaluating and maintaining PV asset deployments in Delhi. The highlights of the study are as follows.
From just about 9 MW in 2013, Punjab has increased its installed solar power capacity by almost 100 times in a span of five years. The small state in north India has 905 MW of installed solar power capacity, as of October 2018. This impressive growth in solar power capacity can be largely attributed to the state government’s initiatives to promote the ease of doing business. Apart from solar power, biopower and small-hydro power have seen significant investments in recent years. Punjab has installed 173.55 MW of small-hydro and 326.35 MW of biopower capacity as of October 2018.
The 2,000 MW ISTS-connected wind power projects (Tranche IV) are facing roadblocks in their implementation due to land acquisition issues.
Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited (MSPGCL) has invited Request for Selection bids for procurement of power from wind solar hybrid projects in the state.
The West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA) has invited bids for development of 11 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar PV power projects in the state.
Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited has invited Request for Quotation-cum-Request for Proposal bids for the 14 MW small hydro electric project (HEP) in Kamtoli, 15 MW small HEP in Muwani and 11.1 MW small HEP in Seraghat.
Global automakers are going all-out on vehicle electrification, with planned spends of $300 billion over the next decade, according to latest industry reports. The world’s largest automaker by sales, Volkswagen alone has announced plans to invest $34 billion on e-mobility initiatives and $57 billion on battery procurement. Alongside, massive plans have been drawn up by governments across the world to facilitate the setting up of supporting charging infrastructure.
The global need for energy is predicted to double by 2035 and the world needs innovative ideas for energy generation, distribution and financing to meet this demand. One of the most awaited tech innovations in the renewable energy space is blockchain. The industry is expecting that small, regional power producers will find it easier and cheaper to provide renewable energy thanks to the latest breakthroughs in blockchain-supported software and hardware. For example, a safe network of self-generated energy that allows communities to share access to power generated from renewable sources is being made easier to control by a Germany-based company, OLI. The OLI box, a product conceptualised by the German company, captures and optimises the use of electricity and heat, making it easier to share energy generated from solar or wind. Globally, there are several companies that are exploring the use of blockchain, not just for providing renewable energy to end users but also for managing renewable energy grids. An example is the Alternative Resource Group (ARG).
Setting up rooftop solar for residential and commercial consumers has been a challenge worldwide due to its high cost and the intermittency of the energy source in itself. While the costs have come down and net metering options enable faster returns on investments, incorporating energy storage to ensure power reliability is still quite expensive. As the industry is looking at technology innovation to cut down costs further, new business models are coming up that combine energy generation and consumption with artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT) to optimise the value chain and increase revenues. QBots is one such company that deploys AI to build and operate a virtual or federated power plant (FPP). An FPP aggregates prosumers (or distributed energy generators and consumers) and uses the flexibility in their energy demand to deploy renewables and battery energy storage systems, enabling localised trading and balancing of power.
