Making it happen: Balance between solar and thermal energy
POWER & RENEWABLE ENERGY

Making it happen: Balance between solar and thermal energy

India’s strides in recent years to achieve its renewable goals should be accompanied by fair questions about costs and other disproportionate impacts. Tariffs of solar energy have plummeted to Rs 1.99 per unit from the high of Rs 14 per unit a few years ago. The overall energy sector is under stress but the demand for solar energy seems to be on the rise.

However, to say that renewable energy has already become cheaper than coal-based thermal energy, as Rahul Tongia from Brookings India put it, “masks…system-level costs as well as the disproportionate impact (it had) on selected States’ generators and stakeholders”. Accordingly, before blowing the victory bugle there is a critical need to examine the implications of what was happening.

What are the direct and indirect costs incurred due to shifting of focus on renewable energy?
Who is bearing this cost?
Is the manner in which the renewable energy mission was being rolled out in the country sustainable?

As former head of the Project Monitoring Group and Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Anil Swarup explains why it is imprudent to instal renewable plants at the cost of thermal energy.

Read the article here

India’s strides in recent years to achieve its renewable goals should be accompanied by fair questions about costs and other disproportionate impacts. Tariffs of solar energy have plummeted to Rs 1.99 per unit from the high of Rs 14 per unit a few years ago. The overall energy sector is under stress but the demand for solar energy seems to be on the rise. However, to say that renewable energy has already become cheaper than coal-based thermal energy, as Rahul Tongia from Brookings India put it, “masks…system-level costs as well as the disproportionate impact (it had) on selected States’ generators and stakeholders”. Accordingly, before blowing the victory bugle there is a critical need to examine the implications of what was happening. What are the direct and indirect costs incurred due to shifting of focus on renewable energy? Who is bearing this cost? Is the manner in which the renewable energy mission was being rolled out in the country sustainable? As former head of the Project Monitoring Group and Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Anil Swarup explains why it is imprudent to instal renewable plants at the cost of thermal energy.Read the article here

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

KONE Opens India's First Digital Experience Centre in Pune

KONE, a global elevator and escalator manufacturer, has inaugurated its first Digital Experience Centre (DEC) in India, located in Pune. The facility aims to showcase how artificial intelligence (AI), connectivity and data-driven technologies can enhance customer experiences and improve building operations.The centre was inaugurated by Jussi Herlin, Executive Vice Chair, KONE Corporation; Philippe Delorme, President and CEO, KONE; and Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board, Infosys.Designed as an interactive customer environment, the facility demonstrates digital solutions cover..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

CII GreenCo Launches Circularity Guidelines for Indian Industry

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) GreenCo Council has launched the CII GreenCo Circularity Guidelines – Pilot Version at the 17th CII GreenCo Waste & Resource Management Summit 2026 in Chennai. The initiative aims to strengthen resource efficiency, waste reduction and circular economy practices across Indian manufacturing and process industries.The guidelines introduce a structured framework with circularity indices covering raw materials, consumables, packaging and other resource inputs. These indicators will help industries assess existing practices, identify opportunities to ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

Global Electronics Association Launches IPC-1783-CO2E Standard

The Global Electronics Association has introduced IPC-1783-CO2E, a new international standard aimed at improving consistency, transparency and comparability in product carbon footprint reporting across the electronics manufacturing industry.The standard, titled International Standard for Data Collection and Reporting of CO2 Equivalent (CO2e) Emissions for the Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain, provides industry-specific guidance for collecting, estimating and reporting carbon emissions data.With increasing regulatory requirements and customer expectations, electronics manufacturers face c..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

SPECIAL OFFER
QR Code