India registered an increase in power generation from renewable sources with major contribution coming from solar plants as the country strides towards improving energy security.
During the first quarter of FY23, power generation from renewable energy jumped 28% y-o-y to 55,487 million units (MU) compared to 43,255 MU in Q1 FY22.
In this period, generation from solar plants was registered highest at 25,411 MU ahead of wind energy whose output was marked 24,009 MU. The remaining output came from bagasse, bio mass, small hydro plants and other sources.
Source: Power Ministry | Quantity in Million Units
However, despite the growth, contribution from renewables was at best insufficient in catering the elevated power demand, thereby necessitating the thermal plants to scale-up their generation schedule.
Notably, share of renewables in total energy mix saw a minor increment from 12% in Q1 FY22 to 13% in Q1FY23.
Uptick in renewable capacity addition
As on 30 June 2022, installed capacity of renewable sources (excluding big hydro plants) has reached to 114.06 Giga Watt (GW), of which solar plants accounted half of the capacity.
Led by government’s initiative to shift towards cleaner energy and reducing dependence on coal-based power, a significant jump has been recorded for capacity addition in the renewable segment.
Net capacity addition in renewable was 4.18 GW during Q1 FY23, rising 66% y-o-y compared to 2.52 GW in the corresponding period of last fiscal. The government has set target of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.
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