Opinion & Analysis

The global steel industry is poised to shift from coal to hydrogen. With enough high-quality iron ore and low prices for hydrogen, India could play a pivotal role in global steel decarbonisation given its large and growing economy.

Residential-based energy storage will become the new ‘Boiler 2.0’ and could form part of a virtual power plant, providing a viable solution to the global energy crisis and helping us to achieve our net-zero goals.

All stakeholders are expecting the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) to expedite and issue letters of award to balance companies that have bid under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for solar. Most players have already acquired land and some have even done the land development work and basic construction in anticipation of the award pending for the last three months. 

For real estate developers, now is the best time to install a solar energy system in their projects because solar rebates, tax credits, and incentives are at all-time highs. At the same time, a solar energy system may help them prepare for tomorrow’s specific difficulties while also saving money now.

With solar water pumps, farmers have access to high-quality power available for irrigation. These systems are portable and can be assembled at any preferred location. With the growing utilization of these systems, the costs have decreased substantially, making them an efficient, convenient, and cost-effective solution for grid-isolated rural areas. 

As India ramps up renewable capacity, there will be a higher requirement for substations, transmission corridors as well as battery energy storage. There is tremendous potential in technology localization in areas such as remote power monitoring, predictive maintenance, EV charging, green hydrogen, and energy storage.

The core objective of renewable energy deployment in India is to promote economic growth, enhance energy security, increase energy access, and reduce climate change. Sustainable development is possible by the use of clean energy and by ensuring access to affordable and reliable energy for every citizen.

Amid the troubles of the coal-dominated grid, variable renewable energy has a place in ensuring reliable supply

Microgrids that use on-site renewables such as rooftop solar can help relieve peak demand on the grid during afternoons, and later in the evenings through battery storage. This can help power distribution companies (discoms) avoid buying expensive power to meet peak demand.

Berkeley Lab report finds historic lows in clean energy prices position India to transform electric system