Budget 2025-26: A decisive push towards energy security and clean energy

The Union Budget 2025-26 underscores the government’s commitment to promote renewable energy and domestic manufacturing capacity in the clean energy sector, thereby continuing to undergird a sustainable future. A range of initiatives announced, such as expanding rooftop solar power, developing nuclear energy and bolstering domestic clean energy…

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Navigating the US-led energy reset

The US government’s recent decisions to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and relax regulations on production and use of fossil fuels have added a new layer of complexity to the evolving global energy landscape as countries strive to strike a balance between energy security, economic growth and environmental sustainability. A significant player in the global energy landscape, the US...

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Green energy open access trips in Karnataka

The market for green energy open access has hit a speed breaker with the Karnataka High Court recently striking down the Green Energy Open Access Rules, 2022, and the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) Regulations, 2022, under its state’s jurisdiction…

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Robust RE capacity addition to continue in 2025

The domestic renewable energy sector is poised to sustain its growth momentum in 2025, driven by both utility-scale procurement and commercial and industrial (C&I) sector demand. In 2024, capacity addition in the sector surged to a historic high of 27 GW, according to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) data. Solar energy saw a remarkable four-fold increase in capacity...

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2024: Scaling new heights

India’s solar and wind energy sector demonstrated remarkable growth in 2024, fueled by government support, declining technology costs, and increased investor confidence.

Record capacity addition: India witnessed an unprecedented surge in solar energy installations in 2024. Between January to November, the country added 20.8 GW of solar capacity and 3.2 GW of wind capacity, ~87% YoY growth…

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After ALMM tag, timely solar cell capacity commissioning crucial

Timely commissioning of the solar cell manufacturing projects announced so far will be crucial to ensure there is adequate capacity to meet demand in years to come. For while the announcements suggest supply will be adequate, the typical utilisation factor arithmetic and other imponderables…

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Domestic protection for the solar value chain comes at a cost

India’s ambitious renewable energy targets have sparked a crucial debate about the role of import duties in promoting domestic manufacturing while ensuring affordability. The government’s efforts to promote domestic manufacturing are laudable, but the higher cost of imported components and domestic capacity constraints have created challenges for developers and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors…

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COP 29 disappoints on climate finance and action

The UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) at Baku, Azerbaijan, concluded on November 22, 2024, on a disappointing note as countries failed to take decisive action to address the escalating climate crisis.

One of the most critical aspects of the conference was the New Collective Quantified Goal target for climate finance, which was to be revised after 15 years. Developing nations had sought a significant increase in climate finance to $1.3 trillion per year….

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Competitive landscape evolves as RE sector grows

The renewable energy (RE) sector has seen the emergence of a hierarchy among players over the years, with those consistently participating in allocations leading the pack. The initial decade of the sector’s growth, therefore, was also a period of stabilisation, establishing…

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A balancing act on PPA tenure, flexibility and tariffs

The Ministry of Power has proposed amendments to its guidelines for tariff-based competitive bidding with an aim to streamline procurement of power from renewable energy (RE) projects. These include the guidelines for firm and dispatchable power projects with energy storage notified on June 9, 2023, solar projects notified on July 28, 2023, wind projects notified on July 26, 2023, and wind-solar hybrid projects notified…

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RE on growth path despite hiccups

The renewable energy sector has seen project momentum and has grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade. The installed base of renewable energy (excluding hydro) has grown at a CAGR of 15% between 2014-2024. Taking a deeper view of the project level momentum in space, an analysis on 57.6 GW of commissioned and under construction projects suggests the segment has managed to avoid excessive…

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Shining through the roof

Sharper policy focus has placed the rooftop solar segment in a sweet spot as India works towards meeting clean energy targets and bring down power costs.

In February this year, the government enhanced the central subsidy programme and announced a scheme to provide 1 crore households with rooftop solar power support. The scheme seeks to reduce initial capital costs through direct subsidies and easing regulatory hurdles to rooftop solar implementation.

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