Renewable Energy: Covid may impact installed capacity target
Covid-19 related disruptions are likely to affect the Government’s plan of achieving its renewable energy installed capacity target of 175 Gega Watt (GW) by the year 2022, as till January 31, 2021 only 92.5 GW of capacity has been installed across the country.
Top officials of the New and Renewable Energy Ministry have clearly indicated that disruptions caused due to Corona virus may affect the achievement of renewable energy targets in time.
Out of the 175 GW renewable energy installed capacity envisioned by the Government by 2022, 100 GW was to come from solar energy, out of which till January 31, 2021 only 38.7 GW has been installed. Similarly, wind energy installed capacity was to be 60 GW, but out of this only 38.6 GW has been installed.
Only bio energy and small hydro energy installation targets have been met somewhat.
Out of 10 GW capacity to be installed under bio energy, 10.31 GW has been installed till January 2021, which is more than the target set for it. Under small hydro energy, 5 GW capacity was to be installed, out of which 4.7 GW has been installed.
Under the provision of the Paris Accord on Climate Change in December 2015, India had pledged that by 2030, 40% of its installed power generation capacity shall be from clean energy sources.
Subsequently it was decided by the Centre that 175 GW of renewable energy capacity will be installed by 2022.
The NDA Government has been bullish on greater usage of renewable energy sources and since 2014, several public buildings across the country have seen installation of solar panels on their rooftops.
The Prime Minister in his address at the Climate Action Summit in 2019 had said that India’s renewable energy capacity would be increased to much beyond 175 GW to up to 450 GW.
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