Karnataka Pips TN to Become Top State in Renewable Energy

With 27% of its power generation coming from renewable energy, Karnataka has emerged the leading State for renewable energy in India this year, piping Tamil Nadu. According to a new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), the State reached 12.3 GW of the total installed capacity as of March 2018, having added 5 GW in 2017/18 alone.

“Karnataka had been building its wind energy capacity steadily over 10 years, but it moved ahead of Tamil Nadu due to a rapid scaling up of solar capacity in 2017/18, when it installed more than 4 GW of new photovoltaic generation. Currently, it has 5 GW of solar capacity and 4.7 GW of wind capacity. The remainder of its renewable portfolio (2.6 GW) includes small hydro, biomass, plus heat and power cogeneration,” the report said.

The Pavagada industrial solar park—said to be the second-largest solar development currently under construction in the world—has been credited with reversing the State’s fortunes in renewable energy, along with “positive renewable energy policies” such as open access, the introduction of a hybrid wind-solar development policy and “significant steps to reverse Karnataka’s historic reliance on energy imports.”

However, the report mentions certain ‘threats’ to solar energy in the State, including a lack of transmission network infrastructure and policies such as repealing the zero wheeling charge order.

Source: www.thehindu.com