All 12 major domestic ports will soon switch to renewable energy to meet their entire power requirements, making India the first country to have all government-owned ports running on solar and wind energy. The government plans to install almost 200 megawatt solar and wind power generation capacity at the ports by 2019, officials said.

Almost 150 mw of this will be solar power and 50 mw wind power generation capacity. The capacity could be ramped up to 500 mw in the next few years.

On Tuesday, a high-level conference attended by shipping minister Nitin Gadkari, top officials and chairmen of several port trusts was held at JNPT in Mumbai to discuss the road map of implementing the green ports project. “Total initial investment in the project is expected to be Rs 500 crore.

These renewable energy projects will help in reduction of carbon emission and lead to improvement of environment around the ports,” said a senior government official, who did not wish to be identified.

The government has also decided to meet the power requirements of smart port industrial cities coming up at Kandla Port and Paradip Port to be met though green renewable power sources.

“All our ports are cash-rich and we made total profit of Rs 5,000 crore in the last fiscal. The ports have started the process of setting up renewable energy projects from profits,” the official said.

The wind energy projects will be executed at three major ports – Kandla, VO Chidambaranar Port and Kamarajar Port. The total capacity of the wind energy projects is estimated to be 70 mw. “These projects will also help reduce cost of power purchased by utilisation of renewable energy for power generations,” the official said.

A total of 7 mw of solar projects has already been commissioned at Vishakhapatnam Port, Kolkata Port, New Mangalore Port, VO Chidambaranar Port and Mumbai Port. The remaining solar power projects will be commissioned in phases and are expected to be completed by 2019. These projects are part of the green port initiative launched by the shipping ministry.

Separately, Indian Railways has sharpened its focus on undertaking renewable power projects. The national transporter plans to install 1,000 mw of solar plants, which will be installed on signalling panels and rooftops of rail stations. There’s another plan to install 200 mw of wind energy in the next five years.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/shipping-/-transport/india-to-be-first-in-world-to-run-all-government-ports-on-green-energy/articleshow/58917369.cms

The state’s first grid-connected 30kW rooftop solar power plant was inaugurated at Raj Bhavan on Wednesday by Goa governor Mridula Sinha.
Grid connectivity ensures that surplus solar power generated by the plant is fed to the power grid, allowing the consumer to sell surplus solar power to the power grid in the long run.

The 30kW (kilowatt) power plant was installed four years ago and was connected to the electricity grid only on May 17 this year. The project was commissioned in 2013 under the special area demonstration project scheme of the ministry for new and renewable energy.

The 30kW solar power plant was used for street lighting and in the garden within the Raj Bhavan premises before it was shifted from the battery operated system to the grid connected systems by Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA), after approval from Goa electricity department.

Grid connectivity was granted after the state government approved the power purchase agreement and provided net metering grid connection to the plant.

The plant has a capacity of generating 30,000 units per year and is expected to bring down the power bills of the entire Raj Bhavan complex. Once the solar policy is finalised, the solar tariff rate for buying surplus solar power from consumers whose plants are connected to the grid, would be fixed by the electricity department.

GEDA, public works department (PWD) works division IV, Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) and the National Institute of Technology (NIT) had recently connected their solar installations to the grid system in the state.

On the occasion, Sinha spoke of a solar revolution and highlighted the importance of generating green renewable energy in the state, adding that collaboration with GEDA would encourage other parts of the state to replicate such green projects.

Chief secretary Dharmendra Sharma said that Raj Bhavan’s solar installation is a pilot demonstration of the progress Goa will achieve in terms of generating solar energy. The solar policy will ensure that clusters of housing as well as industries could take to this renewable form of energy. Power secretary Sanjay Goel said that in 2010, India had a total installed capacity of solar energy of only 10 megawatts, which has now increased to 12,000 megawatts, he added.
In its latest order the joint electricity regulatory commission (JERC) directed the electricity department to submit details regarding the finalisation of the policy within one month of the issuance of the order. Principal secretary environment and forests Dr Ranbir Singh and secretary to governor Rupeshkumar Thakur were also present.

Solar policy in public domain for a week

The state’s draft solar power policy will be put in public domain this week for suggestions and comments from all stakeholders, said power secretary Sanjay Goel. The final draft of the policy is expected to be ready by June 30, after taking public comments into consideration. Many proposals for grid connectivity received by the government are pending till the solar policy sets clear guidelines.

Source:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/raj-bhavan-gets-goas-first-grid-connected-rooftop-solar-power-plant/articleshow/58934839.cms

The Narendra Modi- government on Wednesday said that the energy shortage in the country had come down to 0.7 per cent in 2016-17. The Ministry of Power, in a statement, said, “Energy Shortage reduced from 4.2 per cent in 2013-14 to 0.7 per cent in 2016-17”. The statement also informed that the energy shortage in the year 2014, when Narendra Modi had taken the oath as the Prime Minister was 42,428 million units (4.2%). This has come down to 7,595 million units in the Financial year 2017 (0.7%), it added. According to PTI, this statement was one of the 3 achievements of the PM Narendra Modi-led NDA government.

The power ministry also said, “peak energy shortage in 2014 was 6,103 mw (4.5 per cent) which came down to 2,608 mw (1.6 per cent) in 2017.” PTI also quoted the power ministry as saying that India had turned the tables in matters of being a net importer of electricity to being a net exporter. According to the report, India had become a net exporter by exporting electricity of around 6,444 million units to neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar in the year 2016-17. The power ministry statement also informed that India’s total power capacity had increased by almost a third from the 243 gigawatts in March 2014 to 320 Gigawatts in March 2017.

The total installed capacity of the country had increased by 33.3% to 3,26,849Megawats till 2016-17, the power ministry said. According to the statement, India has also seen an increase of 40 per cent, which is more than one-third, from the capacity of 5,30,546 MVA in March 2014 to 7,40,765 MVA in March 2017. It was also reported that 26 states and one union territory had joined the UDAY (Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana) which seeks to turn around discoms. The power ministry reflected on the same and said, “Almost 85 per cent UDAY bonds have already been issued (Rs 2.32 lakh crore out of total Rs 2.72 lakh crore) leading to less rate of interest for DISCOMs. This has led to savings of nearly Rs 12,000 crore”.

Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/how-narendra-modi-government-powered-up-india-energy-shortage-drops-from-4-2-pct-in-2013-14-to-0-7-pct-in-2016-17/684125/

केंद्र सरकार के तीन साल के शासनकाल में ऊर्जा के क्षेत्र में काफी बदलाव हुए हैं। कभी जरुरत भर की बिजली नहीं थी आज हिंदुस्तान खपत से ज्यादा बिजली का उत्पादन कर रहा है।अब बिजली उत्पादन के क्षेत्र में मांग और उत्पादन का अंतर करीब-करीब खत्म हो चुका है। पीयूष गोयल के नेतृत्व में ऊर्जा मंत्रालय ने गांव से लेकर शहरों तक हर जगह को रौशन किया है।
पिछले तीन साल में क्या बदला?

पिछले तीन साल में क्या बदला?
टोटल पॉवर क्षमता में 31 प्रतिशत का इजाफा हुआ
कंवेशनल पॉवर क्षमता में 26 प्रतिशत की बढ़ोतरी हुई

ट्रांसमिशन सेक्टर में काफी विकास हुआ, देश वन प्राइस, वन ग्रीड की तरफ बढ़ रहा है। ग्रामीण विद्युतीकरण के क्षेत्र में बेहतर काम हुआ, अगले साल तक हर गांव में होगी बिजली शहरी विद्युतीकरण की दिशा में क्रांति, शहरों को दिए जा रहे हैं 24 घंटे बिजली ।

दीन दयाल उपाध्याय ग्राम ज्योति योजना के तहत 23 मार्च, 2017 तक बिजली से वंचित 18,452 गांवों में से 12,699 गांवों में बिजली पहुंचा दी गई है। 1 मई, 2018 से पहले बाकी बचे गांवों को भी रौशन करने का काम तेजी से चल रहा है। काम की गति का अंदाजा इसी से लगाया जा सकता है कि उत्तर प्रदेश जैसे विशाल राज्य में अब मात्र 9 गांव ही बचे हैं जहां बिजली पहुंचाने का काम आखिरी चरण में है।

उदय, उजाला और एसएनएलपी योजना के तहत घर से लेकर सड़कों तक को रौशन किया गया । तीन साल के भीतर देश में ऊर्जा सेक्टर का कायाकल्प हो चुका है।

ऊर्जा मंत्रालय ने स्पष्टता लाने और जिम्मेदारी तय करने की मंशा से कई ऐप लॉन्च किए जिससे चीजे काफी आसान हो गई। गांवो के बिजलीकरण के लिए गर्व ऐप,एलईबी बल्व के लिए उजाला, बिजली दरों के लिए विद्युत प्रवाह, शहरी बिजली के लिए ऊर्जा ऐप, ट्रांसमिशन के लिए तरंग, साथ ही उदय और ऊर्जा मित्र जैसे ऐप लॉन्च किए गए। जिससे चीजे काफी आसान हुईं।

Source: http://hindi.oneindia.com/news/india/achievement-power-minisry-last-three-years-408828.html

Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

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19-May-2017 17:58 IST

Commissioning a Study on Common Risk Mitigation Mechanism for Solar Power Generation Projects in Solar Resource Rich Countries Under Aegis of ISA.

Argentina, Burkina-Faso, Chad, France, India, Ivory Coast, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sénégal, Uganda and Yemen have jointly supported commissioning of a study to define and structure a Common Risk Mitigation Mechanism (CRMM) for solar power generation projects in solar rich countries today . This is a major step in the implementation of the Paris Declaration of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) adopted on 30 November 2015 and of the ISA Programme aimed at mobilising “Affordable finance at scale”. This instrument will dramatically lower the cost of finance for renewable energy and the overall price of electricity.

Today, the cost of capital represents a substantial amount of the final costs of renewable energy, in particular solar PV. The Council on Energy, Environment and Water calculates that in India it represents 70% of the total cost of solar power. The proposed CRMM will offer a simple and affordable tool that will create a secure environment for private institutional investment in solar assets. The instrument will help diversify and pool risks on mutualized public resources and unlock significant investments.

The study was entrusted by the Interim Secretariat to a task force chaired by Terrawatt Initiative (TWI), the World Bank Group, the Currency Exchange Fund (TCX), the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and also the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). Public and private stakeholders and partners will be consulted to contribute to the initiative and to ensure collective buy-in and validation. Participating countries may each appoint a qualified representative who will liaise with the task force and convey information regarding countries’ specific expectations, experience and needs. They call all other countries lying fully or partially between the Tropics to join them and support this initiative to attract investments into the solar sector.

Background on ISA:

The International Solar Alliance is an initiative jointly launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on 30 November 2015 at Paris, in the presence of the Secretary General of the UN, on the side lines of COP21. Under the ISA, solar rich countries lying fully or partially between the Tropics are invited to share and aggregate data regarding their needs and objectives; emulate successful practices; and set up common mechanisms and instruments, in order to address obstacles to deployment at scale of solar energy.

RM/VM

While President Trump wants to revive America’s coal industry, India is embracing renewables, LED lighting, electric cars, and more.

India is in the midst of the “largest energy transformation project in the world” organizers of the Vienna Energy Forum declared, while introducing the keynote speaker, India’s Energy Minister Piyush Goyal on May 11.

“Everything changed in 2015 with the Paris climate agreement. We must decouple economic growth from environmental impacts and leave a better world,” said Goyal, to loud applause from the 1650 energy experts and government officials in Vienna. “Every moment counts.”

“I’ve never heard such visionary and progressive remarks from a world-leading country,” the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Enele Sopoaga, told me afterwards. The small Pacific island country is barely ten feet above sea level and rising water levels resulting from climate change have forced thousands to leave the country already.

“India sees the urgency of climate action,” said Sopoaga.

India is in a big hurry to green its energy system to create jobs, improve the quality of life for its citizens, clean the air and water and, yes, tackle climate change, its leaders say. Keep in mind this is a country with 1.3 billion people, nearly 300 million of whom do not have access to electricity and where the average income is $1,600 a year.

Now mainly powered by coal, India is adding 50 percent more solar and wind than the U.S. currently has installed. It is replacing 770 million street and household lights with energy-saving and long-lasting LEDs and bringing electric access for the first time to tens of thousands of poor rural villages. And India is already doing all of this faster than anyone believed possible.

Coal, Electricity and Climate Change in India
“India is the poster boy for clean energy… showing this is not a burden, just the opposite,” said Vivien Foster, an energy economist at the World Bank. “It’s a great opportunity.”

A Lighting Revolution
The LED lighting replacement for the entire country is hoped to be finished by 2019—just four years after the program was announced in 2015, shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi was elected. Prior to that India was committed to using coal to develop its economy, just as China had done 25 years ago. But now Modi is trying to hitch India’s future to 21st century technologies.

The energy savings from replacing 770 million household and street lights will cut India’s peak electricity demand by 20,000 megawatts (MW) and slash emissions of climate-heating CO2 by nearly 80 million tonnes annually. That’s almost as much as Chile’s CO2 emissions in 2015. This drastically reduces the need to build more energy plants and will save $7 billion a year.

And all of this has been accomplished without government funding.

India is a leader in a type of business called an Energy Service Company (ESCO), which makes money only on energy costs they manage to save their customers. Government power utilities set up an ESCO company called Energy Efficiency Services Limited, which has made nothing but profits since its inception. This company has worked with LED manufacturers to drive the costs of these lights down 85 percent in less than three years. Now India gets the world’s lowest price, Goyal said in an interview.

Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) has been so successful it just announced a three-year, $130 million investment in the United Kingdom, to tap into the estimated $8 to 10 billion energy efficiency market there. EESL aims to capture much of this by promoting and implementing low-carbon, energy efficiency, and renewable energy solutions along with LEDs.

There is nothing like a national LED conversion program in the U.S. However, many U.S. cities are converting streetlights to LEDs to save millions in energy costs—but it has been slow going. Chicago’s Smart Lighting Project to replace 270,000 light fixtures just launched in April and won’t be completed until 2021. In Washington, D.C., 71,000 streetlights may be replaced under the “Streetlight Modernization Project,” but it will only start in 2018.

Surging Solar
India’s renewable energy sector is also growing at lightning speed. At the December 2015 Paris climate conference, Modi astonished many by announcing India would add 160 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar by 2022 to the existing 26 GW. The U.S. currently has just over 100 GW in total. One GW can power 100 million LED lightbulbs used in homes.

“This is an ambitious goal,” says energy expert Niklas Höhne, a founder of NewClimate Institute, a European research center. “There is significant momentum and now two Indian states are considering 100 percent renewable energy, which is remarkable.”

“Green energy is no longer expensive or difficult to build and it is well-suited to our needs,” said Goyal. Given all the benefits, every country should be taking the same path, he said.

India’s solar and wind boom has pushed costs off a cliff, falling from 12 cents a kW/hr to just 4 cents a kW/hr for solar. This is cheaper than coal. As a result, Goyal hope that no new coal power will be needed after 2022. One analysis suggests some of India’s existing coal energy is more expensive to generate than building new solar. India may soon end all imports of thermal coal, Goyal believes.

This gains are especially impressive given India’s substantial economic and social challenges, says Höhne.

As for those 300 million with no access to electricity, that too is changing. The last household will be connected by 2019, Goyal believes, three years before India’s 2022 target.

“Prime Minister Modi grew up poor. He knows what it is like to not have electrical power. He is completely committed to making this happen,” Goyal said.

India’s energy revolution may soon transform the country but it is also creating “solutions that other countries across the world can replicate and use to support their own sustainable energy transition,” said Rachel Kyte, CEO for Sustainable Energy for All and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General.

Driving Electric
Electric cars are the next big thing India hopes to jump on. It commissioned a study on how the country’s entire fleet of vehicles could be 100 percent electric powered by 2030. This is not an official government target yet.

But by that date, Goyal believes electric cars will be the only vehicles sold because of low operating costs, little maintenance or repairs needed, along with a long life. The batteries will also work very well with solar and wind as energy storage devices. No subsidies will be needed, he said, since India already taxes gasoline at about the world average—50 percent higher than the U.S. does.

“We are doing all of this even if no one else is. We have a big role to play in the fight against climate change,” Goyal said.

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/05/india-solar-wind-renewable-power-electric-cars-leds/

This is primarily due to a combination of strong government support and increasingly attractive economics, EY said in a statement.

India has moved up to the second spot from third position in this year’s ‘Renewable energy country attractiveness index’ released by EY.

This is primarily due to a combination of strong government support and increasingly attractive economics, EY said in a statement.

According to the statement, India continued its upward trend in the index to second position with the government’s programme to build 175 GW in renewable energy generation by 2022 and to have renewable energy account for 40 per cent of installed capacity by 2040.

The country has added more than 10GW of solar capacity in the last three years – starting from a low base of 2.6 GW in 2014, it said.

“In the medium term, as renewable energy penetration rates increase, the government will have to turn its attention to the ability of India’s grid to manage intermittent renewables, especially around the evening peak, when solar availability falls away,” Somesh Kumar, Partner & Leader, Power & Utilities, EY India, said in the statement.

The cost and availability of energy storage technology could dictate how close India gets to meeting its renewable targets. Meanwhile, India’s regulators must be mindful of the erosion of electricity market peaks caused by growing volumes of renewables and storage – this can undermine the economics of thermal power plants, risking the stability of the system as a whole, he added.

The report also noted that the Indian government needs to increase compliance with the Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) as well as ensure that India’s distribution companies, many of which are financially distressed, have the capacity to continue to purchase renewable electricity, especially if bid prices level off or rise.

As the availability of capital remains a concern, the government could ease rules around tapping foreign debt. Also, the government’s additional emphasis on photo voltaic (PV) parks will help to plug the gap, but it needs to do more to encourage rooftop solar installations, it said.

The report cites that China, which has been ranked first in the index, and India have surpassed the US, which fell for the first time since 2015 to third place in the ranking of top 40 countries, follows a marked shift in the US policy under the new administration.

The report identifies the US government’s executive orders to rollback many of the past administration’s climate change policies, revive its coal industry and review the Clean Power Plan as key downward pressures on renewable investment attractiveness.

Economically viable renewable energy alternatives coupled with security of supply concerns are encouraging more countries to support a clean energy future. Kazakhstan (37), Panama (38) and the Dominican Republic (39) have all entered the index for the first time, it added.

Source: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/current-affairs-trends/india-ranked-2nd-in-ey-renewable-energy-attractiveness-index-2280751.html