Despite the recent slowdown in capacity addition in the renewable energy capacity in India, and doubts related to future investments in the sector, the share of fossil fuel-based capacity in the country’s installed mix continues to contract.
Renewable energy technologies, especially wind and solar power, continued to lead all other technologies in new capacity added in the first half of 2019.
For three consecutive days earlier this month, the state of Karnataka satisfied more than 50% of its energy demand from solar and wind energy projects.
The share of India’s non-fossil fuel power generation technology continues to grow with the rapid rise in solar and wind energy capacity over the last few years.
For the first time in India’s history solar power generation cross the milestone of 10 terawatt hours in a quarter. The milestone is a testament to the rapid increase in India’s solar power capacity over the last few years given the strong emphasis of the government on promotion of renewable energy technologies.
India’s coal-heavy thermal power generation sector left solar and wind energy sector behind in terms of new capacity added in the first quarter of this year. The decline in new capacity added in the renewable energy segment should ring alarm bells for the government as it seems to be falling behind its ambitious capacity targets for 2022.
India’s renewable energy sector achieved yet another major milestone. The country’s wind energy capacity crossed the 10% share mark in the overall installed base in the last quarter of 2018.
A record 50% of the new power generation capacity added in India in 2018 was based on solar power.
Along with the auctions, India’s rate of adding new solar and wind energy capacity also declined during the third quarter of 2018, and the trend may continue and extend to the entire second half of 2018.
India has recorded perhaps its highest-ever renewable energy penetration in overall energy generation in the quarter of July-September 2018. The event is on expected lines after the country reported a historically high monthly share of renewable energy generation in July and August 2018.
