NITI Aayog and IEA launch ‘Renewables Integration in India 2021’

Published: 2nd Aug, 2021

Context

A report is released on “Renewables Integration in India 2021” by NITI Aayog and IEA.

About

About the ‘Renewables Integration in India 2021’ Report

The report is based on the outcome of three states workshops held with the Governments of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat.
It was released to understand the specific energy transition challenges which were faced by these renewable-rich states.
The joint report underscores IEA’s commitment to providing support to India’s clean energy transition agenda.
The report uses IEA modeling results to show the effects of different flexibility options on the power system.
The report highlights that India’s power sector can efficiently integrate renewables (175 GW by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030), but it requires the identification of the resources and proper planning, regulatory, policy and institutional support, energy storage, and advance technology initiatives.
The report suggested a wide range of flexible options by Indian states.
Larger shares of renewables can be better managed by the shifting time of use in agriculture.
Time of Use (ToU) tariffs will be an effective tool for incentivizing demand-side management and encourage flexible consumption.

Time-of-Use or TOU

It is commonly referred to as the segregation of energy rates which are based on the time in which the energy is being consumed.

For example, State has shifted 70% -80% of agriculture load to the daytime that provides incentives to the industrial consumers for consuming more electricity and increasing State share in Green Energy Trading.

The report gives useful suggestions to the states to consider their integration challenge.

Renewable Energy Integration

Renewable Energy Integration is the incorporation of renewable energy, distributed generation, thermally activated technologies, energy storage, and demand response into the electric distribution and transmission system.
It aims to advance system design, planning, and operation of the electric grid to reduce the carbon emissions and other air pollutants through increased use of renewable energy and by other clean distributed generation.

Significance of the RE integration

The report on renewables integration will serve as a repository of vast knowledge for stakeholders in India.
RE integration can provide with the proper resources planning and better implementation of the technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, base power system management, and smart grid intervention.

IEA

The International Energy Agency is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organisation.
It was established in 1974 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis.
IEA was formed under the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The IEA acts as a policy adviser to its member states, but also works with non-member countries, especially China, India, and Russia.
The Agency's mandate has broadened to focus on the "3Es" of effectual energy policy: energy security, economic development, and environmental protection.
IEA member countries are required to maintain total oil stock levels equivalent to at least 90 days of the previous year's net imports.
The IEA has also been criticized for failing to create a 1.5°C scenario and place it centrally in its annual World Energy Outlook report.

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