In 2022, India set an ambitious clean energy target of achieving 500 GWs of non-fossil fuel installed capacity by 2030. It has already seen exponential growth in the last decade, with non-fossil fuel resources presently contributing 41% towards our total installed capacity. This growth is expected to continue through this decade as well. However, such unprecedented growth in clean energy entails the need for a more flexible and sustainable power system. It was to assess this need that the Flexible Resource Initiative (FRI) of the US-India Clean Energy Finance Task Force was launched in October 2019. FRI is co-led by the US Department of State (DOS) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) together with representatives from the Indian Ministry of Power.
Idam Infra in association with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), conducted a webinar on 'State-Specific Least Cost Pathway for Power System Investments Through 2030'. In this webinar, state-specific studies conducted for the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Rajasthan were discussed, followed by an engaging panel discussion with members comprising of various industry experts.
This webinar amplified the results and recommendations of the four state-level studies and served to highlight the least-cost pathway for reliably meeting India's target of 500 GWs of non-fossil fuel installed capacity by 2030. Key observations were:
These four states can meet ~36% (~181 GWs) of India's target of 500 GWs of non-fossil fuel installed capacity by 2030. No new thermal capacity addition is required in these four states.
With adequate storage (BESS and/or PSH) and other flexible reliable sources (such as load shift), grid operations would be stable even during high stress periods.
Policy/regulatory interventions are required to make this happen (resource adequacy framework, storage regulations, capacity markets, wider/deeper energy markets, etc.). The presentations delivered during the webinar are as follows:
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FRI National Studies Summary Presentation
FRI State Studies Summary Presentation
The Founding Director and CEO of Idam Infra, Ajit Pandit, participated as a panellist in the Stakeholders' Consultation Webinar on 'Repowering Older Wind Farms in Southern Region' organised by the Indian Renewable Energy Federation (IREF) in partnership with Indian Wind Energy Association (InWEA). This initiative was supported by Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF) and Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau. (KfW). The objective of this Webinar was to discuss the issues related to repowering older wind farms and come up with possible strategies to bottlenecks encountered in doing so.
Ajit Pandit presented a report on 'Repowering of Old Wind Turbines in the Southern Region of India' and emphasised repowering potential assessment and repowering policies. The expert panel included renowned experts from GE Renewable Energy, IWTMA, Vasudha Foundation, and Enerfra Projects India Pvt. Ltd.
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Report Link: Presentation on Repowering of Old Wind Turbines
India, currently the third-largest global carbon emitter, is presently facing the necessity of achieving carbon neutrality amidst the continued prevalence of fossil fuels. A pivotal strategy to navigate this challenge involves the widespread adoption of zero and negative carbon technologies, with a focus on Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS), particularly in hard-to-abate sectors. This journey towards net-zero ambitions demands robust policies and market certainties, essential for securing the financing needed to deploy CCUS supply chains and commercial infrastructure.
Niti Aayog is at the forefront of shaping this transformative landscape, spearheading the development of a comprehensive policy framework and financing support mechanism for CCUS in India. Under the aegis of Niti Ayog and the World Bank, Idam Infra organised a dynamic roundtable on the 'Role of Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) Technology in Meeting Net Zero' on October 12, 2023, at Daniell’s Tavern, The Imperial Hotel, New Delhi.
This roundtable aimed to foster an insightful dialogue on the potential of CCUS across diverse industries, exploring innovative approaches and technologies, addressing implementation challenges, and delving into crucial policy measures and financing mechanisms for CCUS. Drawing participation from over 45 senior officials representing key sectors and organizations, including Niti Aayog, World Bank, IIT Bombay, Ministry of Steel, and more, the event showcased a vibrant exchange of ideas and perspectives. The presentations delivered at the roundtable offered valuable insights into possibilities of shaping a sustainable and carbon-neutral future for India.
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Balawant Joshi, Founder and Managing Director of Idam Infra, participated in the Expert Talk titled 'Solar Policy Debrief' organized by SolarQuarter on 20 October 2020. The talk discussed the latest policy drafts, amendments, and announcements by Central and State Governments in the Renewable Energy Sector and witnessed speakers from GERMI, SECI, ICRA, CREDA and IEEFA presenting their views.
Balawant Joshi delivered a presentation on the State Monthly Policy Debrief with key points on the Amendment to Tariff-based Competitive Bidding, the importance of the Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM), the different types of contracts and amendments in One Sun One World One Grid initiative, SECI's EOI on electric/ transformative mobility space, and the amendments in CSERC RPO and Solar Policy in Chhattisgarh.
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The Founder and Managing Director of Idam Infra, Balawant Joshi, participated as a speaker in the Webinar on PV Invest West ‐ Top Players in Utility Scale, Rooftop, RESCO and Renewable Sector in India, organised by EQ Magazine and powered by LONGi on 29 September 2020. The webinar witnessed speakers from Hinduja Renewables Energy Pvt. Ltd., Amplus Solar, ATHA Group, Jakson Group, Adani Solar, LONGi Solar, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., KPMG, InfiAmp, Fourth Partner Energy, Prozeal Infra Engineering Pvt. Ltd., World Bank, Ernst and Young and L&T Construction sharing their knowledge.
Balawant Joshi delivered a presentation on 'Regulatory Challenges and Emerging Business Models in the Rooftop Sector'. He highlighted on the issues that were shackling the growth of solar photovoltaic (PV) in India and the need to highlight the benefits of Rooftop Solar to key stakeholders. He concluded that Rooftop Solar had more advantages than large projects, and that technical solutions existed for almost all challenges, with strong policy and regulatory advocacy being a prerequisite.
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Regulatory Challenges and Emerging Business Models in Rooftop Sector
Balawant Joshi, Managing Director of Idam Infra, delivered the headline presentation at the event titled 'How to Become a Solar + Storage + Hybrid Developer: The Right Strategy for Large Scale Portfolio Growth' organised by SolarQuarter on 17 September 2020. The expert panel featured renowned experts from Wartsila, Black & Veatch, ICRA, and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) Limited. The Expert Talk analysed the financial and business parameters of solar + storage + hybrid systems considering solar + storage projects have been coming up in different pockets of the country. The event also gave an insight into why hybrid power plants needed to be developed on a large scale.
In his talk, Balawant Joshi shared his insights on the benefits and limitations of hybridization, and the storage value premium for photovoltaic (PV) and storage hybrids compared to standalone projects. He further highlighted the importance of analysing the current hybrid solar setups in India.
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Idam Infra undertook an initiative supported by the MacArthur Foundation to create enabling conditions for housing cooperatives in Mumbai to transition to Rooftop Solar systems as their preferred source of energy. This endeavour focused on overcoming the financial barriers encountered by the Co-operative Housing Societies wishing to undertake Rooftop Solar projects. It was proposed, at this juncture, to develop a framework for financing rooftop solar systems in housing societies, to undertake capacity building for bankers, and to assist around 5-10 societies in Mumbai in the adoption of rooftop solar systems.
In this context, the third of the workshop series titled 'Financing of Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic for Cooperative Housing Societies in Mumbai' was held on 2 June 2019, at Chhabildas School, Dadar, in collaboration with Maharashtra Societies Welfare Association (MSWA) Women's Legal Forum for Housing Society. The following event in the workshop series was held in the eastern suburbs of Mumbai while the previous workshops were held in Juhu and Borivali. The purpose of this series was to connect with the societies and gain their insight and estimate their interest in the uptake of rooftop solar photovoltaic power systems, their willingness to seek financial support from banks for their installation and understand the hurdles faced by them while trying to avail loans from financial institutions.
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The International Symposium on Hytack was organised by Savitribai Phule Pune University in collaboration with the Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE), University of South-Eastern Norway, Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) Tokyo, and Tohoku University (TU), Sendai, Japan. The objective of this symposium was to educate participants about Green Hydrogen Technologies and Market activities. Pooja Shimpi, Senior Manager at Idam Infra, gave a presentation elucidating India's perspective on Green Hydrogen.
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The Founding Director and CEO of Idam Infra, Ajit Pandit, conducted a training session on 'State Level Deviation Settlement Mechanism and F&S Framework - An Indian Experience' on 2 May 2018 at IIT Kanpur. Organised by the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, the objective of this program was to provide insights into the development of electricity markets in India. This residential course was designed for senior to mid-level professionals from the electricity transmission industry as well as for practitioners from the entire power sector spectrum.
In this session, Ajit Pandit underlined the various stages of implementing the deviation settlement mechanism and its objectives at the state level. He also highlighted the regulatory development measures taken for the introduction of the regime and the central-level development of the F&S framework.
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