MNRE refutes doubts on meeting 2022 RE targets

by | Oct 10, 2019 | Clean Energy & Transport, Sustainability

Reports in a section of media have cited a CRISIL report that India may fall short of its declared renewable energy target of 1,75,000 MW by 2022.
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Reports have appeared in a section of media, citing a CRISIL report, that India may fall short of its declared renewable energy target of 1,75,000 MW by the year 2022. The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has refuted such claims. Full text of Ministry’s rebuttal is as below –

“In some of the recent media reports apprehensions have been raised whether India would be able to achieve 1,75,000 MW renewable power installed capacity target by the year 2022. All these have cited the CRISIL report of September 2019.

However, the doubts are ill-founded and not reflective of the status on the ground and plans ahead. By the end of September 2019, India has installed more than 82,580 MW of renewable energy capacity with around 31,150 MW of capacity under various stages of installation. Thus, by the first quarter of 2021, India would have installed more than 1,13,000 MW of renewable power capacity. This would constitute nearly 65 per cent of the targeted capacity. Besides this, around 39,000 MW of renewable power capacity is at various stages of bidding which would be installed by September 2021, taking the percentage of installed capacity to over 87 percentage of the targeted capacity. With only 23,000 MW of renewable power capacity left to bid, India is confident that the target of installing 1,75,000 MW of renewable power capacity will not only be met but exceeded.

The Ministry has worked systematically to resolve various issues that arise from time to time, putting in place facilitative and ease of doing business policies and programs for achieving the goal. Renewable power industry, developers, investors and other stakeholders have lauded Ministry’s efforts nontransparent bidding and facilitation for procurement of power at competitive rates. These initiatives have resulted in significant downward trend in solar and wind power tariffs. The wind power tariffs has fallen from Rs 4.18 per unit in 2016 to Rs 2.43 per unit during last year and even today it remains below Rs 2.75 per unit. Similarly, the solar tariffs have fallen from Rs 4.43 per unit (with VGF) to Rs 2.44per unit. The Government of India’s endeavor remain that renewable power is procured at a rate which is acceptable to distribution companies.

Since March 2014, India’s renewable power capacity has increased from 34000 MW to 82,580 MW recording 138 percent growth. Globally, India stands 5th in solar power, 4th in wind power, and 4th in total renewable power installed capacity. If large hydro included, India stands 3rd in renewable power capacity globally. India’s renewable energy program is much beyond production of electricity and covers a basket of applications including use of solar thermal energy for cooling, heating, drying and other industrial applications. Renewable energy has emerged as a true multi-benefit system, combining ecological necessities with domestic priorities, economic and job creation opportunities.

The journey for expanding the share of renewables in the energy mix has not been without continuous challenges. When the State Government of Andhra Pradesh announced intention to revisit already signed Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), the Ministry very quickly clarified that no PPAs can be revisited unless there is a clause to do so in such agreement or a case of malafide of corruption is proved beyond doubt.

The Ministry in consultation with the respective Governments is addressing the issues of allocation of land in Gujarat and revision of land facilitation charges in Rajasthan. Plan for erecting 66,500MW of additional transmission system to ensure evacuation and injection of 1,75,000 MW of power into the main grid is under implementation. The additional transmission would come by October 2021 in phases depending on location-based requirements. Also, the Ministry is in the process of developing Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Parks to overcome the problem of land allocation. These parks will have dedicated transmission. First such park is being planned in Dholera, Gujarat by SECI. These apart, the Ministry has strengthened PPA clauses for strengthening investors’ confidence. For mitigating off-takers risk and ensuring timely payments to developers, the Ministry has made letter of credit must for purchase of power by distribution companies.

The Ministry has launched three new schemes. The first is the Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) Scheme Phase-ll for setting up 12,000 MW grid-connected SPV Power Projects, by the Government Producers with Viability Gap Funding (VGF) support of Rs 8,580 crore for self-use or use by Government or Government entities, both Central and State Governments. The Scheme mandates use of both SPVcells and modules manufactured domestically as per specifications and testing requirements.

The second is PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evem Utthan Mahabhiyan) scheme to be implemented over next four years for de-dieselization of the farm sector and increasing farmers’ energy independence and income. Under the scheme, India has plans to provide 1.75 million stand-alone solar agriculture pumps and carry out solarization of 1 million grid connected agriculture pumps by the year 2022. Under the same scheme, Government is also encouraging farmers to set up small solar plants of the size of 500 KW to 2 MW on barren lands for their additional income. Three components combined, the scheme aims to add a solar capacity of 25,750 MW by 2022. The total central financial support provided under the scheme would be Rs 34,422 crore. The third is Roof Top Solar Phase-II program SRISTI (Sustainable Rooftop Implementation for Solar Transfiguration of India) scheme for accelerated deployment of solar roof top systems in the country. Under this scheme Central Financial Assistance for 4000 MW of small roof top capacity and incentives to Distribution Companies for 18,000 MW capacity by 2022 have been provided. These schemes will also act as catalyst for adding solar cell and module manufacturing capacity in India. Further, the Tariff Policy is being revised to ensure timely adoption of tariffs.

The CRISIL report being referred to by the media is neither factually correct nor takes into account initiatives taken by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to facilitate accelerated development and deployment of renewable energy in the country. This report lacks in credibility in all respects as CRISIL did not even bother to consult this Ministry for its views.  The Ministry says it is not only confident of meeting 1,75,000 MW target but exceeding it by 2022.

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Pradhan releases EoIs for UCO biodiesel in 100 cities

Pradhan releases EoIs for UCO biodiesel in 100 cities

The Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Dharmendra Pradhan today released the Expression for Interest (EOI) by National Oil Marketing Companies (IOC, HPCL and BPCL) for procurement of biodiesel, made from Used Cooking Oil (UCO). On the Occasion of the World Biofuel Day today, Pradhan, along with the Chief Guest, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr Harsh Vardhan, launched a sticker on RUCO viz., Repurpose Used Cooking Oil and a mobile app to facilitate the collection of UCO. This year the theme of the World Biofuel Day is “Production of Biodiesel from Used Cooking Oil (UCO)”.

As reported earlier by Time Green earlier, the EoI was to be released on World Biofuel Day. (See: EoIs for biofuel coming on World Biofuel Day)

The EOI on biodiesel from UCO provides that the entrepreneurs setting up biodiesel plants get remunerative price and assurance of complete offtake of production by the Oil companies. To be launched in 100 cities, EOI will ensure that Rs 51 per liter is paid for biodiesel for the first year, Rs 52.7 for the second year and Rs 54.5 for the third year. The oil companies will also bear the cost of transportation and GST for the first year, said the PIB release for this news today.

Dharmendra Pradhan, along with Chief Guest Dr. Harsh Vardhan, launched a sticker on Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO) and a mobile app to facilitate the collection of UCO. (pix source: PIB)

Describing biodiesel as low hanging fruit in the scheme of alternate source of energies, the minister said that abundant raw material is available for the purpose (pix source: PIB)

Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said the Prime Minister has given a target to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to bring down import dependency of oil products by 2022, and this can be achieved by enhancing production, improving energy efficiency, promoting conservation and encouraging alternate fuels. He said that the government is promoting the alternate sources of energy in a big way. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is working on a four-pronged strategy in this regard—promoting Ethanol, 2-G ethanol, compressed biogas and biodiesel. Pradhan said that the ethanol blending in petrol has gone up from 1% to about 8% and is likely to touch 10% soon. He said the Government is planning to allow production of ethanol from surplus food grains which now sometimes go waste and also entail expenditure on storage. On the issue of compressed biogas, the minister said that CGD network being set up in over 400 districts will give a big fillip to it, and already 300 letters of intent have been signed with entrepreneurs for setting up CBG plants. Describing biodiesel as low hanging fruit in the scheme of alternate source of energies, the minister said that abundant raw material is available for the purpose. It is a good waste to wealth concept. He said that the budget this year has underlined the transformation of Annadata to Urjadata.

Mentioning about the Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Scheme, Pradhan said that the Scheme will achieve its target of 8 crore beneficiaries by October this year, well before the deadline. He said that the scheme has environmental, economic, social and health benefits. Similarly, the scheme of collecting the Used Cooking Oil and its conversion to biodiesel will have environmental, economic and health benefits, besides helping the country attain self-sufficiency. He called upon the OMCs to support the entrepreneurs in their endeavor, as the biodiesel production also promote Sswacchh Bharat mission.

The minister complimented the Ministry of Health in joining hands with the ministry of petroleum and natural gas, in taking up the projects concerning the health of the people.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan enumerated number of technologies developed within the country to convert the waste into useful products. He said that PMUY has helped millions of people in improving their health. The Health Minister emphasized on enforcement, educating and raising awareness about perils of repeatedly using cooking oil, besides offering incentives for disposing it in productive, useful and safe manner. There is need to develop societal movement around it, he added. He said that the Government has launched Eat Right India campaign, and there is need to extend it Eat Less also.

The RUCO sticker launched today will imply that the establishment having it conforms to the RUCO ecosystem and does not reuse the cooking oil. The RUCO App will enable stakeholders to track and trace all transactions.

Leather Mission launched on World Tribal Day

Leather Mission launched on World Tribal Day

leather mission

As part of the Leather Mission, KVIC is giving leather kits to the leather artisans across the nation.

Khadi and Village Industry Commission (KVIC) distributed as many as 50 leather kits and 350 bee-boxes with live bee colonies in tribal-dominated village in Sirohi district of Rajasthan, one of the aspirational districts in India identified by the NITI Aayog, on World Tribal Day today.

While addressing the villagers, KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said that programs like Leather Mission, Kumhar Sashaktikaran Mission, and Honey Mission are the reflection of KVIC’s commitment to uplift the lives of marginalized communities in society.

He said that KVIC is launching a new program ‘Leather Mission’ on World Tribal Day from the tribal-dominated village of Chandala. Under this new program, KVIC will give Leather Kits to the leather artisans across the nation. It will not only increase their incomes manifold but will also inspire the traditional leather artisans who had migrated to other jobs from their traditional skill to adopt this vocation again.”

350 bee-boxes were distributed at the function. Honey Mission has proved as a game-changer in the lives of tribals, farmers, SC/STs and unemployed youths. So far, KVIC has distributed over 1.15 lakh bee-boxes across the nation among the marginalized community, which has provided jobs to over 11,500 people. It has not only increased the income of the bee-keeping farmers but has also increased the yield of the crops by up to 30 percent due to cross-pollination of the honeybees.

3rd global EV conclave held in Delhi

3rd global EV conclave held in Delhi

ev future concept

A futuristic rendition of EV (Representative stock image)

The Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Arjun Ram Meghwal, inaugurated the 3rd International Electric Vehicle (EV) Conclave at the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) in Manesar, Gurugram, today. The Conclave was held to create a knowledge-sharing platform to ensure flow of information at all levels in the automotive sector.

The EV Conclave organized by ICAT in association with India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) has grown and transformed itself into a global event since its inception in 2017. Owing to the growth of electric mobility and in order to meet the demands of the automotive sector, the EV Conclave is organized with a focus on new trends and challenges in the field of electric mobility.

Addressing the Conclave, Arjun Ram Meghwal, said that the Electric Mobility Mission will be implemented in phases based on feedback from the auto industry. He also promised all support to the industry on policy matters to ensure smooth and efficient transformation of the automotive industry from internal combustion (IC) to electric powertrain. He informed that 3 lakh electric vehicles have already been sold under the FAME India Scheme. He said the provision of Rs. 10,000 crore have been made for electric mobility in the Union Budget of 2019-20.

The Conclave was attended by more than 200 delegates from more than 80 organizations. The next Conclave will be organized in July 2020.

On this occasion, an exhibition was organized in which component manufacturers, system suppliers and service providers showcased their products and services to promote self-reliance, encourage designers and promote innovations in the electric vehicle industry in India.

Arjun Ram Meghwal also inaugurated various new facilities including Photometry Lab for General Lighting and Power Train Engine Test Cell (ETC)- Expansion. In the expansion of the Photometry Lab for general lighting, various performance and safety testing facilities like mirror Goniometer, LED testing facilities were also inaugurated. Powertrain ETC lab expansion includes two transient and five Eddy current dynamometers-based test cells for functional validation of engines. (News source: PIB)

Water conservation drive planned for schools

Water conservation drive planned for schools

Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ will launch ‘Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha’ drive to create awareness about water conservation among all school students in the country. This mega drive would be launched at Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Auditorium, Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2 in Delhi Cantt.

Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s impetus to Jal Sanchay, Government of India has launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA). It is a time bound campaign with a mission mode approach. This concept of water conservation is essential for students so that they can understand the importance of water and how it is shaping their lives meaningfully, thereby enabling them to participate in water conservation activities in their day to day lives.

The Department of School Education & Literacy, MHRD has launched the ‘Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha’ drive to promote water conservation activities for School Students, so that they can become competent, conscientious and committed water citizens of our nation. The department has prepared a detailed outline to implement this program in all the schools of the country.

Five major objectives of the program are:

  • To educate students learn about conservation of water
  • To sensitize Students about the impact of scarcity of water
  • To empower Students to learn to protect the natural sources of water
  • To help every Student to save at least one litre of water per day
  • To encourage Students towards judicious use and minimum wastage of water at home and school level

The program targets to achieve the following:

  • One Student – One Day – Save One Liter Water
  • One Student – One Year – Save 365 Liters Water
  • One Student – 10 Years – Save 3650 Liters Water
EoIs for biofuel coming on World Biofuel Day

EoIs for biofuel coming on World Biofuel Day

World Biofuel Day is observed every year on 10th of August to create awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels and highlight the various efforts made by Government in the biofuel sector. Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas will organize World Biofuel Day on 10th August 2019 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas & Steel Dharmendra Pradhan will inaugurate the program. Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr Harsh Vardhan will be the Chief Guest of the function. This year the theme of the World Biofuel Day is “Production of Biodiesel from Used Cooking Oil (UCO).”

Biofuels have the benefits of reduction of import dependence, cleaner environment, additional income to farmers and employment generation. Biofuel program also compliments Government of India’s initiatives for Make in India, Swachh Bharat and increasing farmers income. A number of initiatives have been undertaken to increase production and blending of biofuels since 2014.

In India, the same cooking oil is used for repeated frying which adversely affects the health due to formation of polar compounds during frying. These polar compounds are associated with diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, liver diseases among others. UCO is either not discarded at all or disposed off in an environmentally hazardous manner choking drains and sewerage systems.

The National Policy on Biofuels, released by the Government of India in 2018, envisages production of biofuel from UCO. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is implementing a strategy to divert UCO from the food value chain and curb current illegal usage. The benefits of transformation of UCO will help bring health benefits as there would be no recycling of the UCO, employment generation, infrastructural investment in rural areas & cleaner environment with reduced carbon footprint.

At present, approximately 850 crore liters of High Speed Diesel (HSD) is consumed on a monthly basis in India. The National Policy on Biofuels – 2018 envisages a target of 5% blending of Biodiesel in HSD by 2030. In order to achieve the blending target, 500 crore liters of biodiesel is required in a year. In India, approximately, 22.7 MMTPA (2700 crore liters) of Cooking Oil is used out of which 1.2 MMTPA (140 crore) UCO can be collected from Bulk Consumers such as hotels, restaurants, canteens, etc. for conversion, which will give approximately 110 crore liters of biodiesel in one year. Presently there is no established collection chain for UCO. Thus, there is a huge opportunity in production of biodiesel from UCO.

To facilitate the production of Biodiesel from UCO, the Oil Marketing Companies shall float an Expression of Interest (EOI) for procurement of biodiesel from used cooking oil across 100 cities. The purpose of inviting this EOI is to encourage the applicants to set up biodiesel producing plants from used cooking oil (UCO), processing plants and further utilizing the existing potential of UCO based bio-diesel in India.

On this occasion, a sticker on RUCO viz., Repurpose Used Cooking Oil and a mobile app to facilitate the collection of UCO shall also be released by FSSAI.

Interactive sessions on Second Generation Ethanol & Biodiesel from UCO shall also be held. The sessions will focus on issues and hurdles being faced by the sector and dwell on how to overcome these hurdles for effective implementation of the blending program across the country.

Soon, 5,595 new electric buses for 64 cities 

Soon, 5,595 new electric buses for 64 cities 

Electric bus charging (representative image).

The Department of Heavy Industry has approved the sanction of 5,595 electric buses to 64 Cities, State Government Entities, and State Transport Undertakings (STUs) for intra-city and intercity operation under FAME India scheme phase II in order to give a further push to clean mobility in public transportation.

The Phase-II of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME-India) Scheme proposes to give a push to electric vehicles (EVs) in public transport and seeks to encourage adoption of EVs by way of market creation and demand aggregation.

The Department had invited the Expression of Interest (EoI) from million-plus cities, smart cities, State/UT capitals and cities from special category states for submission of proposal for deployment of electric buses on operational cost basis.

Eight six proposals from 26 States/UTs for the deployment of 14,988 e-Buses were received. After evaluation of these proposals as per EoI, on the advice of Project Implementation and Sanctioning Committee (PISC) the Government sanctioned 5095 electric buses to 64 Cities / State Transport Corporations for intra-city operation, 400 electric buses for intercity operation, and 100 electric buses for last-mile connectivity to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

Each selected City/STUs is required to initiate the procurement process in a time bound manner for deployment of sanctioned electric buses on operational cost basis. As per EoI, buses which satisfy required localization level and technical eligibility notified under FAME India scheme phase II will be eligible for funding under FAME India scheme phase II.

These buses will run about 4 billion kilometers during their contract period and are expected to save cumulatively about 1.2 billion liters of fuel over the contract period, which will result into avoidance of 2.6 million tonnes of CO2 emission.

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