Could India’s hybrid vision lead the world?

Amar Variawa
Director Marketing & Public Affairs India and SE Asia Vestas Wind Technology India Pvt Ltd
Published on 30th June 2018

You might be surprised to know that it’s not only the developed world that leads the drive towards renewable energy and the use of Wind-Solar (+Storage) hybrid power plants, it’s countries like India who set the pace.

With increasingly ambitious targets, India is already ranked as the fourth largest wind energy producer in the world, with a capacity of just over 34 GW in March this year. Combined with India’s 300 sunny days a year, you create the perfect opportunity to take the next step in sustainable energy with hybrid solutions. 

Recently, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy set a target of 10 GW of hybrid power capacity by 2022. Hybrid power plants are capable of more than just decarbonizing economies; they are reshaping energy systems, building new technologies, creating new skills and creating jobs. 

With a National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy in place, a 10 GW target and a couple of auction tenders already in progress, India is undoubtedly leading the way in developing overarching approaches to developing hybrids. In fact, many countries in EU are bench-marking these efforts and seeking best practices from how India creates a favourable environment for hybrids. And remember that this is happening within the context of a larger shift to renewable in India and our ambitious target of 175 GW, now revised to 227 GW of RE power installation by 2022. 

India is demonstrating to the world that renewable energy sources like Wind and Solar are not competing with each other, but are rather complementing each other. Hybridisation of wind and solar will help to minimise intermittency, optimise infrastructure utilisation, such as transmission systems, and make the most of our scarcest resource, land. 

India is moving fast in the deployment of renewable energy. Since, February 2017, 7.5 GW of wind power has been awarded through reverse auctions and another 14 GW will be auctioned off this year. Currently, India stands 5th in terms of RE capacity with an installed capacity of 70 GW - while another 40 GW is under tendering or construction phase. The whole world is witnessing this unprecedented growth and massive transition to RE power. 

I’m most proud that we in India are capable of supplying our increasing energy demand with renewable sources, reducing our carbon footprint, improving air quality and saving valuable water - all while feeding India’s economic growth engine.