Renewable energy in India
[1][2] Ernst & Young's (EY) 2021 Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) ranked India 3rd behind USA and China.
[6] In 2016, Paris Agreement's Intended Nationally Determined Contributions targets, India made commitment of producing 50% of its total electricity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.
Solar and wind power with 4-hour battery storage systems, as a source of dispatchable generation compared with new coal and new gas plants, is already cost-competitive in India without subsidy.
[17] The government has announced that no new coal-based capacity addition is required beyond the 50 GW under different stages of construction likely to come online between 2017 and 2022.
[38] On 30 November 2015, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and the President of France Francois Hollande launched the International Solar Alliance.
Solar power in India has been growing at a rate of 113% yoy[41] and now dropped to around ₹4.34 (5.0¢ US) per kWh, which is around 18% lower than the average price for electricity generated by coal-fired plants.
India's first and the largest floating solar power plant was constructed at Banasura Sagar reservoir in Wayanad, Kerala.
Over three years more than 16,000 solar home systems have been financed through 2,000 bank branches, particularly in rural areas of South India where the electricity grid does not yet extend.
The country's vast agricultural potential provides agro-residues which can be used to meet energy needs, both in heat and power applications.
[13] Synthetic methane (SNG) generated using electricity from carbon neutral renewable power or Bio CNG can be used to produce protein rich feed for cattle, poultry and fish economically by cultivating Methylococcus capsulatus bacteria culture with tiny land and water foot print.
[57][58][59] The carbon dioxide gas produced as by product from these bio protein plants can be recycled in the generation of SNG.
Similarly, oxygen gas produced as by product from the electrolysis of water and the methanation process can be consumed in the cultivation of bacteria culture.
With these integrated plants, the abundant renewable power potential in India can be converted in to high value food products without any water pollution or green house gas (GHG) emissions for achieving food security at a faster pace with lesser people deployment in agriculture / animal husbandry sector.
As more people migrate to urban areas and as incomes increase, consumption levels are likely to rise, as are rates of waste generation.
This has significant impacts on the amount of land that is and will be needed for disposal, economic costs of collecting and transporting waste, and the environmental consequences of increased MSW generation levels.
Waste water treatment plants in the country have been established which produce renewable energy from sewage gas.
[62] Also wastes from the distillery sector are on some sites converted into biogas to run in a gas engine to generate onsite power.
[67] The market for biodiesel remains at an early stage in India with the country achieving a minimal blend rate with diesel of 0.001% in 2016.
Some Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies have shown India's potential for production of low carbon Jatropha and Algae based biodiesel.
