The current situation of renewables in India can be summarised in two numbers, recently released by the Central Energy Authority and by the Ministry for new renewable energy: 11 and 7.6. The capacity of new installed renewables in India in just twelve months, from April 2016 to March 2017, was more than 11 GW, versus 7.6 GW from conventional sources. "For the first time in its history, India recorded a historic overtaking of clean energy over fossil energy." 70% of the country’s energy consumption still remains dependent on coal, but industry trends and government efforts, also towards the international community, reveal the seriousness of India’s new renewable path. Wind represents 56% of the installed renewables and photovoltaic is growing in MW and competitiveness, with record-breaking auctions and kwh price estimates able to compete with conventional energy sources. In this race towards clean energy in India, Enel Green Power is carving out an important role, combining experience and innovation. Renewables “made in India” We’ve brought our most advanced technologies and global best practices, based on our current presence in 29 countries, to the Indian market. EGP’s team in India is made up of professionals with vast experience in the renewable energy sector. They have diverse skills, ranging from technical activities, design, development and maintenance to management, legal and financial. "In India, EGP manages wind farms in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra with a total capacity of 172 MW and total annual production of about 340 GWh." The Indian government wants to see a rapid transition to clean sources, which would lead to meeting over 20% of the national requirement with clean energy. The goal, also with respect to commitments made with the Paris Climate Agreement, is to install 175 GW of capacity from renewables by 2022: 100 GW of solar and 60 GW of wind, in view of the 12.3 GW (solar) and 32.3 (wind) installed through March 2017. Mandatory Innovation The use of Big Data for the efficient management of wind farms and the integration of storage systems with solar fields are the rule coming from innovation in the development of renewables in India. This is why we are developing services implemented with software, based on signal trending, statistical models and automatic learning from the information collected from Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems and used to make the power plants more efficient. "The growth possibilities for renewables are as numerous as the needs that clean energy can satisfy: from rural electrification to smart grids to power huge cities and industries." Not only renewables In India, the economy grows at a pace of 7% annually the energy demand grows at the same speed. “We’re talking about thousands of megawatts being added every year. This creates countless opportunities, but also strong competition, especially from local utilities”, explains Gu-Yoon Chung, who coordinates new business activities for Enel in the Asia-Pacific region. "EGP’s presence is a first step for the development of new business for the entire Enel Group in the complex Indian energy industry in constant agitation." The New Delhi government has announced its intention to make all the country’s mobility electric by 2030. An ambitious goal that requires a large-scale technological leap for all of India and combines with other revolutions pursued for innovation and sustainability. New energy and new infrastructures are needs that go hand in hand – this is why mini-grid and off-grid solutions can be a turning point both to support the national economy and to bring electricity to more than 300 million inhabitants that still have no access to it. The renewables sector in India has not existed for long, but is already maturing and continues to grow. EGP’s presence in the country is the best way to participate in a revolution that promises to be profound, vast and all to be discovered.
