Small Hydropower
In India, hydropower projects under 25 MW capacity are classified as small projects. The potential of small hydropower in India is estimated to be 20 GW. Against an installation target of 5 GW by 2022, 4.6 GW has been achieved. Further, 109 projects of a total capacity of 0.54 GW are under various stages of implementation [6]. To set up the small hydropower and speed up its development, both the public and private sector’s participation is encouraged by MNRE, providing them with central financial assistance (CFA). The state government has also been provided with financial support to identify the potential for new sites, and also for renovation and modernization of old small hydropower projects. The states with the maximum hydro potential (i.e., Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh) are now the focal point for small project development.
Table 2.1 Installed capacity and untapped potential of RE against the estimated potential in India as on 31/12/19 [3, 17, 18].
| RE source | Potential (GW) | Installed capacity target by 2022 (GW) | Installed capacity as on 31/01/2021 (GW) | Untapped potential percentage |
| Large hydropower | 150 | 50 | 45.8 | 69.47 |
| Small hydropower | 20 | 5 | 4.8 | 76.00 |
| Solar power | 750 | 100 | 38.8 | 94.83 |
| Onshore wind power | 302.25 | 60 | 38.7 | 87.20 |
| Bioenergy | 25 | 10 | 10.3 | 58.80 |
2.2.3 Onshore Wind Power
The wind power program is growing rapidly in India with significant installation in the last few years with private sector participation and investment. Onshore wind power contributes the maximum after large hydro in the country’s total RE capacity and achieved 4th position at the global level [1]. In India, the wind power potential for generation is estimated to be 302.251 GW at a 100-meter ground level. The states in India with the highest wind power potential and installed capacity are Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
The government is providing various financial and fiscal incentives to promote onshore wind projects all over the country, e.g., accelerated depreciation benefit and exemption in concessional custom duty on specific parts of an electric wind generator. In line with these incentives, the government is also providing technical support through the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), Chennai, for identifying new potential sites. To meet the target of 60 GW by 2022 the government has also exempted the inter-state transmission charges for wind projects to be commissioned by March 2022.
2.2.4 Solar Power
India has emerged as a leader in promoting the set up of a solar-based economy worldwide and is ranked 5th in the installed capacity of solar PV at a global level. The potential of solar power in India is predicted to be 750 GW considering that 3% of wasteland land in the country is available [18]. India launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) on 11th January 2010, and since then a large-scale boom has been observed in the solar PV sector. Concentrated solar power (CSP) is also an important technology. However, the high cost of CSP seems to be a significant hurdle in promoting CSP. Research is in progress to develop economic CSP technologies [21].
Further to bring down the tariff of grid-connected solar projects significantly, a competitive bidding process is used which involves reverse e-auction. CFA is also provided for the grid-connected rooftop solar program under JNNSM Phase II [22]. Like wind projects, the charges applicable for inter-state transmission have also been exempted by 2022 for solar projects.
2.2.5 Bioenergy
In an agriculture-based economy like India, bioenergy has a rich potential of about 25 GW [17, 23], which includes biomass power, bagasse cogeneration, and energy recovery from urban and industrial waste. Bioenergy is an important RE technology based on various by-products from the forest, agriculture, animals, and humans, e.g., firewood, bagasse, crops residue, animal dung, agriculture-based industries’ waste, and waste from various human activity [24]. The bioenergy technology ranges from mature and economical alternatives, like the combustion of forest and agricultural residues, to less mature and/or high-cost alternatives, like biomass gasification or municipal solid waste generators with stringent emissions controls. The adoption of biomass power and bagasse cogeneration-based methodologies in India has been encouraged through various programs and providing various subsidies and incentives [23, 25, 26].
2.3 Impact of COVID-19 on RE Sector in India
The year 2020 was an unprecedented period due to the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in multiple challenges. The pandemic hit the world when sustainability had started to gain significance in the energy sector [27]. India is expected to be the largest contributor to the renewable uplifting in 2021, but like other sectors the COVID-19 pandemic has also affected the RE sector. During the pandemic several collateral damages took place to this booming RE sector. Sudden lockdown and closures of industries and railway transport led to a gap of about 40% in the energy demand within the nation. The sudden drop in the power demand was linked with the restrictions on generation, leaving renewables, with their often-fluctuating nature, at a disadvantage [28].
The supply of PV modules was affected as China, where the disease broke out, was the major supplier of these modules. The delay in delivery of products affects RE projects up to a range as high as 4 GW [29]. The wind energy which is a leading sector in India has also been greatly affected by the pandemic. Projects equivalent to 600 MW got delayed, which is expected to cross loss of 2.69 GW in coming years [28].
To improve the share of RE in market MNRE has made RE projects as “most run,” which makes it mandatory for the states to purchase power from these RE sources [30]. MNRE has also processed to relax the deadlines for the RE projects, to ensure that these projects do not get affected and also ordered immediate payment to all the dues of the renewable projects by the states [30].
At the same time the damage to India’s renewable power goals for 2022 cannot be ignored either. However, in the recent study done by Bodenheimer and Leidenberger it is claimed that this pandemic could provide a bright opportunity for the renewable and sustainable energy sector, but that can only be achieved through proper strategic planning and designed communications on behalf of the policymakers [31].
2.4 Sustainability Assessment of RE Technologies
Assessment of RE technologies based on sustainability indicators is a complex task as indicators are generally conflicting in nature. Several assessment
