Analysis of International Policies In The Solar Electricity Sector: Lessons for India

Although solar costs are dropping rapidly, solar power is still more expensive than conventional and other renewable energy options. The solar sector still needs continuing government policy support. These policies are driven by objectives that go beyond the goal of achieving grid parity. The need to achieve multiple objectives and ensure sufficient political support for solar power makes it diffi cult for policy makers to design the optimal solar power policy. The dynamic and uncertain nature of the solar industry, combined with the constraints offered by broader economic, political and social conditions further complicates the task of policy making. This report presents an analysis of solar promotion policies in seven countries - Germany, Spain, the United States, Japan, China, Taiwan, and India - in terms of their outlook, objectives, policy mechanisms and outcomes. The report presents key insights, primarily in qualitative terms, and recommendations for two distinct audiences. The first audience consists of global policy makers who are exploring various mechanisms to increase the penetration of solar power in markets to mitigate climate change. The second audience consists of key Indian policy makers who are developing a long-term implementation plan under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission and various state initiatives

Clinical experience with insulin detemir, biphasic insulin aspart and insulin aspart in people with type 2 diabetes: Results from the Maharashtra cohort of the A 1 chieve study

Background: The A 1 chieve, a multicentric (28 countries), 24-week, non-interventional study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of insulin detemir, biphasic insulin aspart and insulin aspart in people with T2DM (n = 66,726) in routine clinical care across four continents. Materials and Methods: Data was collected at baseline, at 12 weeks and at 24 weeks. This short communication presents the results for patients enrolled from Maharashtra, India. Results: A total of 3069 patients were enrolled in the study. Four different insulin analogue regimens were used in the study. Patients had started on or were switched to biphasic insulin aspart (n = 2115), insulin detemir (n = 461), insulin aspart (n = 333), basal insulin plus insulin aspart (n = 92) and other insulin combinations (n = 61). At baseline glycaemic control was poor for both insulin naïve (mean HbA 1 c: 8.8) and insulin user (mean HbA 1 c: 9.1%) groups. After 24 weeks of treatment, both the groups showed improvement in HbA 1 c (insulin naïve: −1.4%, insulin users: −1.4%). SADRs including major hypoglycaemic events or episodes did not occur in any of the study patients. Conclusion: Starting or switching to insulin analogues was associated with improvement in glycaemic control with a low rate of hypoglycaemia

Least-cost targets and avoided fossil fuel capacity in India's pursuit of renewable energy.

India has set aggressive targets to install more than 400 GW of wind and solar electricity generation by 2030, with more than two-thirds of that capacity coming from solar. This paper examines the electricity and carbon mitigation costs to reliably operate India's grid in 2030 for a variety of wind and solar targets (200 GW to 600 GW) and the most promising options for reducing these costs. We find that systems where solar photovoltaic comprises only 25 to 50% of the total renewable target have the lowest carbon mitigation costs in most scenarios. This result invites a reexamination of India's proposed solar-majority targets. We also find that, compared to other regions and contrary to prevailing assumptions, meeting high renewable targets will avoid building very few new fossil fuel (coal and natural gas) power plants because of India's specific weather patterns and need to meet peak electricity demand. However, building 600 GW of renewable capacity, with the majority being wind plants, reduces how often fossil fuel power plants run, and this amount of capacity can hold India's 2030 emissions below 2018 levels for less than the social cost of carbon. With likely wind and solar cost declines and increases in coal energy costs, balanced or wind-majority high renewable energy systems (600 GW or ≈ 45% share by energy) could result in electricity costs similar to a fossil fuel-dominated system. As an alternative strategy for meeting peak electricity demand, battery storage can avert the need for new fossil fuel capacity but is cost effective only at low capital costs (≈ USD 150 per kWh)

Renewable Energy Zones for Balancing Siting Trade-offs in India: Multi-Criteria Analysis for Planning Renewable Energy (MapRE)

India’s targets of 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, and 40% generation capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 will require a rapid and dramatic increase in solar and wind capacity deployment and overcoming its associated economic, siting, and power system challenges. The objective of this study was to spatially identify the amount and quality of wind and utility-scale solar resource potential in India, and the possible siting-related constraints and opportunities for development of renewable resources. Using the Multi-criteria Analysis for Planning Renewable Energy (MapRE) methodological framework, we estimated several criteria valuable for the selection of sites for development for each identified potential "zone", such as the levelized cost of electricity, distance to nearest substation, capacity value (or the temporal matching of renewable energy generation to demand), and the type of land cover. We find that high quality resources are spatially heterogeneous across India, with most wind and solar resources concentrated in the southern and western states, and the northern state of Rajasthan. Assuming India's Central Electricity Regulatory Commission's norms, we find that the range of levelized costs of generation of wind and solar PV resources overlap, but concentrated solar power (CSP) resources can be approximately twice as expensive. Further, the levelized costs of generation vary much more across wind zones than those across solar zones because of greater heterogeneity in the quality of wind resources compared to that of solar resources. When considering transmission accessibility, we find that about half of all wind zones (47%) and two-thirds of all solar PV zones (66%) are more than 25 km from existing 220 kV and above substations, suggesting potential constraints in access to high voltage transmission infrastructure and opportunities for preemptive transmission planning to scale up RE development. Additionally and importantly, we find that about 84% of all wind zones are on agricultural land, which provide opportunities for multiple-uses of land but may also impose constraints on land availability. We find that only 29% of suitable solar PV sites and 15% of CSP sites are within 10 km of a surface water body suggesting water availability as a significant siting constraint for solar plants. Availability of groundwater resources was not analyzed as part of this study. Lastly, given the possible economic benefits of transmission extensions or upgrades that serve both wind and solar generators, we quantified the co-location opportunities between the two technologies and find that about a quarter (28%) of all solar PV zones overlap with wind zones. Using the planning tools made available as part of this study, these multiple siting constraints and opportunities can be systematically compared and weighted to prioritize development that achieves a particular technology target. Our results are limited by the uncertainties associated with the input datasets, in particular the geospatial wind and solar resource, transmission, and land use land cover datasets. As input datasets get updated and improved, the methodology and tools developed through this study can be easily adapted and applied to these new datasets to improve upon the results presented in this study. India is on a path to significantly decarbonize its electricity grid through wind and solar development. A stakeholder-driven, systematic, and integrated planning approach using data and tools such as those highlighted in this study is essential to not only meet the country's RE targets, but to meet them in a cost-effective, and socially and environmentally sustainable way

Renewable Energy Zones for Balancing Siting Trade-offs in India

India’s targets of 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, and 40% generation capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 will require a rapid and dramatic increase in solar and wind capacity deployment and overcoming its associated economic, siting, and power system challenges. The objective of this study was to spatially identify the amount and quality of wind and utility-scale solar resource potential in India, and the possible siting-related constraints and opportunities for development of renewable resources. Using the Multi-criteria Analysis for Planning Renewable Energy (MapRE) methodological framework, we estimated several criteria valuable for the selection of sites for development for each identified potential "zone", such as the levelized cost of electricity, distance to nearest substation, capacity value (or the temporal matching of renewable energy generation to demand), and the type of land cover. We find that high quality resources are spatially heterogeneous across India, with most wind and solar resources concentrated in the southern and western states, and the northern state of Rajasthan. Assuming India’s Central Electricity Regulatory Commission’s norms, we find that the range of levelized costs of generation of wind and solar PV resources overlap, but concentrated solar power (CSP) resources can be approximately twice as expensive. Further, the levelized costs of generation vary much more across wind zones than those across solar zones because of greater heterogeneity in the quality of wind resources compared to that of solar resources. When considering transmission accessibility, we find that about half of all wind zones (47%) and two-thirds of all solar PV zones (66%) are more than 25 km from existing 220 kV and above substations, suggesting potential constraints in access to high voltage transmission infrastructure and opportunities for preemptive transmission planning to scale up RE development. Additionally and importantly, we find that about 84% of all wind zones are on agricultural land, which provide opportunities for multiple-uses of land but may also impose constraints on land availability. We find that only 29% of suitable solar PV sites and 15% of CSP sites are within 10 km of a surface water body suggesting water availability as a significant siting constraint for solar plants. Availability of groundwater resources was not analyzed as part of this study. Lastly, given the possible economic benefits of transmission extensions or upgrades that serve both wind and solar generators, we quantified the co-location opportunities between the two technologies and find that about a quarter (28%) of all solar PV zones overlap with wind zones. Using the planning tools made available as part of this study, these multiple siting constraints and opportunities can be systematically compared and weighted to prioritize development that achieves a particular technology target. Our results are limited by the uncertainties associated with the input datasets, in particular the geospatial wind and solar resource, transmission, and land use land cover datasets. As input datasets get updated and improved, the methodology and tools developed through this study can be easily adapted and applied to these new datasets to improve upon the results presented in this study. India is on a path to significantly decarbonize its electricity grid through wind and solar development. A stakeholder-driven, systematic, and integrated planning approach using data and tools such as those highlighted in this study is essential to not only meet the country’s RE targets, but to meet them in a cost-effective, and socially and environmentally sustainable way

Least-cost targets and avoided fossil fuel capacity in India's pursuit of renewable energy.

India has set aggressive targets to install more than 400 GW of wind and solar electricity generation by 2030, with more than two-thirds of that capacity coming from solar. This paper examines the electricity and carbon mitigation costs to reliably operate India's grid in 2030 for a variety of wind and solar targets (200 GW to 600 GW) and the most promising options for reducing these costs. We find that systems where solar photovoltaic comprises only 25 to 50% of the total renewable target have the lowest carbon mitigation costs in most scenarios. This result invites a reexamination of India's proposed solar-majority targets. We also find that, compared to other regions and contrary to prevailing assumptions, meeting high renewable targets will avoid building very few new fossil fuel (coal and natural gas) power plants because of India's specific weather patterns and need to meet peak electricity demand. However, building 600 GW of renewable capacity, with the majority being wind plants, reduces how often fossil fuel power plants run, and this amount of capacity can hold India's 2030 emissions below 2018 levels for less than the social cost of carbon. With likely wind and solar cost declines and increases in coal energy costs, balanced or wind-majority high renewable energy systems (600 GW or ≈ 45% share by energy) could result in electricity costs similar to a fossil fuel-dominated system. As an alternative strategy for meeting peak electricity demand, battery storage can avert the need for new fossil fuel capacity but is cost effective only at low capital costs (≈ USD 150 per kWh)

Geospatial and techno-economic analysis of wind and solar resources in India

Using geospatial and economic analysis, we identify abundant renewable resources in India — 850–3400 GW for onshore wind, 1300–5200 GW for utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV), 160–620 GW for concentrated solar power (CSP, with 6 h-storage). However, these resources are concentrated in the western and southern regions. Deriving capital costs from India's 2017–18 auction prices, we estimate the 5th and 95th percentiles of levelized costs of energy generation ranging from USD 47–52 per MWh for solar PV and USD 42–62 per MWh for wind. Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana are the best states for access to high-voltage substations, but transmission investments in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh are needed to harness significant renewable resources. More than 80% of wind resources lie on agricultural lands where dual land use strategies could encourage wind development and avoid loss of agriculturally productive land. Approximately 90% of CSP resources and 80% of solar PV resources are in areas experiencing high water stress, which can severely restrict deployment unless water requirements are minimized. Finally, we find co-location potential of at least 110 GW of wind and 360 GW of solar PV, which together could meet 35% of electricity demand in 2030