TC Web Desk
A number of steps were being taken by India to ramp up renewable energy capacity and that manufacturing capacity for the most advanced solar cells and panels is coming up, Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R. K. Singh said during his meeting with Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President, European Green Deal, European Union (EU).
He said that by 2030, total manufacturing capacity of 80 GW will come up which will meet India’s requirements and provide surplus for exports. This will address the supply chain issues of the world.
The Minister stated that storage is needed in order to provide round-the-clock renewable energy and the transition to Net Zero. He informed that recognizing the need to add storage capacity, the government is coming up with bids for more storage. India has already come up with a bid for Production Linked Incentive for energy storage and it is planning to have one more bid. He sought the cooperation of the EU in encouraging other countries too to add manufacturing facilities for energy storage so that the price of storage comes down.
The meeting was held to discuss cooperation under the EU – India Clean Energy and Climate Partnership. The discussion touched upon energy efficiency; renewable energy, including solar and offshore wind, green hydrogen; energy storage, diversification of global supply chain for energy sector, the International Solar Alliance, India’s presidency of the G20 and how India and EU can partner each other on the clean energy transition.
The Minister informed the visiting EU delegation that as India is growing, the power demand is accelerating. While the established capacity in India is 416 GW, it is going to double by 2030. India is accordingly adding rapidly to its power generation capacity. He pointed out that despite India’s per capita and cumulative emissions being one of the lowest in the world it has emerged as a leader in Energy Transition and Climate Action.
Speaking of the need for alternative chemistries such as sodium ion, the Minister suggested that India and the EU do joint pilots, in areas such as green steel and other frontier technologies. The Minister informed that India is doing a pilot for round-the-clock renewables, using hydrogen and ammonia as storage. A construct across the world in this respect will help.
The Minister observed that the industry is switching to green hydrogen and that if the journey is to continue, it will have to be on the basis of free and open trade, without barriers. He told the EU delegation that we should guard against protectionism. He also said that we need to increase electrolyser manufacturing capacity if we need to increase use of green hydrogen. India is going to come up with a PLI bid on that, he informed.
Timmermans appreciated India for its leadership in Renewable energy and energy efficiency and suggested that the two sides find ways to bring the agenda of energy efficiency to the global stage, and help set global energy efficiency targets.
He spoke of the need for global targets in introduction of renewables and said that we need to look at developing industrial ecosystems which promote renewables. He said that the EU is developing new generations of solar panels and that green hydrogen is also taking off and Europe will become a truly global market. Given the high costs of transporting green hydrogen, he opined that the places producing green hydrogen will attract industrial investment.
