How to make a solar-heavy grid stable & affordable, Pg13

Key Highlights:

• India has become the world’s third-largest installer of renewable energy.
• The country achieved its 50% non-fossil capacity target five years ahead of schedule.
• A new goal of 60% non-fossil capacity by 2030 has been set.
• India's 500 GW renewable energy target for 2030 is considered achievable.
• Over 8,000 million units of solar generation were curtailed in the first half of 2026 due to grid integration challenges.
• The primary challenge is maintaining a stable and affordable grid with increasing solar and wind energy.

Detailed Insights:

• Renewable energy curtailment occurs when solar output peaks at midday, often coinciding with low electricity consumption.
• Solar and wind plants are inverter-based, leading to weaker grid conditions and reduced system inertia as their share rises.
• Battery storage remains economically challenging, with a recent Uttar Pradesh tender for four-hour storage priced at Rs 6.45 per unit.
• This cost is significantly higher than coal power (approximately Rs 4.67/kWh) and solar alone (approximately Rs 3.65/kWh).
• Solutions include promoting flexible demand and smarter electricity markets to utilize surplus renewable generation.
• Industrial electrification offers an opportunity to create large, predictable daytime demand for solar power.
• Time-of-use tariffs can encourage electric vehicle charging when renewable power is abundant.
• Pairing rooftop solar systems with small-scale storage and smart controls can enhance distributed flexibility.
• India needs market mechanisms to compensate generators for curtailment to ensure system stability.
• Congestion management and balancing markets can improve predictability and reduce disputes in the grid.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Renewable Energy Curtailment: The forced reduction of clean power generation when the grid cannot absorb it due to supply-demand mismatch or transmission constraints.
• Inverter-based Generation: Power generation from sources like solar and wind that use electronic inverters, which can impact grid stability and inertia compared to traditional synchronous generators.
• Time-of-Use Tariffs: Electricity pricing structures where the cost of electricity varies based on the time of day, encouraging consumption during off-peak or high-generation periods.
• Distributed Flexibility: The ability of decentralized energy resources, such as rooftop solar with storage or electric vehicles, to adjust demand or supply in response to grid conditions.