The energy that would be available from renewable sources, nuclear and gas plants, both existing and planned, would be enough to meet India's energy demand for the next 7-8 years, which means no new investment in coal is needed at least till then, as per a report by TERI.
The Transitions in Indian Electricity Sector report predicts that per capita annual power consumption will increase from the current 1,075 kWh to 1,490 kWh in 2021-22, 2,121 kWh in 2026-27 and 2,634 kWh in 2029-30.
Under the report’s ‘high renewables scenario’, the country’s renewable energy capacity is set to increase to the targeted 175 GW level by 2021-22 and further grow to 275 GW by 2025-26.
“The results indicate that the energy that would be available from RE (renewable energy) sources, storage hydro, nuclear and gas plants would suffice for meeting the remainder of the demand for electricity at the national level during the next 7-8 years,” TERI said. “This would in other words mean that no new coal plants would be needed and the plant load factor (PLF) of coal based plants would be in the range of 78-80% in 2024–25 and 2025–26.”
With the energy mix set to undergo a radical change in the coming years, TERI said the Centre would do well to take steps to strengthen the grid infrastructure and build storage capacity.
“The increasing penetration of solar and wind (which have inherent high intermittency and variability) would no doubt present a number of challenges in respect to planning and operation,” it said. “...ensuring requisite flexibility in ramping up and down, improved forecasting of RE power as well as demand, improved financial health of utilities would be key factors in this context.”
