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BHAT, K. S., BACHHIESL, U.
Practicality of Base Load Renewable Generation in India
KOMUNALNA ENERGETIKA / POWER ENGINERING, 61
India, among several other countries globally, now faces a unique situation where managing the energy transition process without hurting the economic development becomes the highlight of its policies. The Indian power sector is highly carbon intensive, with coal based power providing 70% of the total electricity generated. Renewable energy occupies around 15% of the capacity mix. Energy access along with several other challenges, pose an obstacle to the needed transition to clean energy. As the seasonal load variations in India are not prominent, cheap coal based power supplies most of the load profile, while gas power plants are used for peak loads. The myth that renewable energy sources cannot meet baseload demand has become widely accepted and wide-spread, given their fluctuating nature. Several studies demonstrate an optimistic transition to 100% renewable sources might just be possible in the coming decades. In a carbon-rich power sector like India, the ‘base load’ mind set is a pretty big and powerful hurdle, as ensuring base load generation becomes a major issue with implications directly affecting the country’s economy. In this study, an effort has been made to discuss whether base load renewable generation in India is feasible, and the challenges involved.
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