Shri R.K Singh, Union Minister for Power and MNRE has informed that The intermittency in Renewable Energy (RE) generation which is caused due to variability in availability of natural resources during a day poses a challenge in its integration with the grid. The Government in order to ensure smoother integration of RE generation with the grid has taken several measures including the following:
-
-
- Construction of Intra-State and Inter-State transmission systems for evacuation of Renewable power.
- Setting up of Renewable Energy Management Centers (REMCs) for accurate forecasting of renewable power and for assisting grid operators to manage variability and intermittency of renewable power.
- Innovative products like solar-wind hybrid projects, RE projects with energy storage systems and supply of RE power balanced with power from non-RE sources started to reduce intermittency.
- Implementation of Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) and Green Day Ahead Market (GDAM) for sale of renewable energy.
- Flexibility in Generation and Scheduling of Thermal/Hydro Power Stations through bundling with Renewable Energy and Storage Power.
-
The country has seen record low RE tariffs of Rs 1.99 per KWh for solar power and Rs 2.43 per KWh for wind power which are quite favourable as compared to tariff of electricity produced from non- renewable energy sources.
Solar energy, for example is available effectively for 6-8 hours only during the day (besides seasonal variation) and wind power can also have significant intra-day as well as inter-seasonal and inter-annual variations. Therefore, storage systems are critical for ensuring reliable supply of renewable energy in the country’s energy mix, especially as the share of renewables in the overall energy mix of the country increases.