From a mere 34 megawatts in 2014 to 4300 megawatts in 2021, Telangana State has come a long way and is upping the ante in renewable energy space says, G S V Prasad, General Manager, Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation (TSREDCO) by Kaniza Garari
Q. Which resource of renewable energy is giving maximum benefit?
Telangana has worked towards making maximum utilisation of solar energy. This resource is easily available and has been put to best use. To effectively utilise the solar power, Telangana took a conscious decision to decentralize the power generation and usage.
Q. What are the gains?
Decentralization has helped save huge operational cost of laying transmission cable, transmission losses and disruptions in transmission. This novel concept was developed in 2015 after the formation of the state. The policy of decentralization is implemented throughout the state and we have been able to generate the capacity based on the consumption.
Solar energy is a developing sector and our focus has been on capping the extra power generated. Storing solar power is not economical as the battery cost is too high. Due to this reason, it is not lucrative.
The state policy is to understand the local demand, its requirements and accordingly generate the solar power for use. In doing so, additional transmission lines and operation costs are not incurred which has helped in the state.
Q. How does Telangana state fare in terms of renewable energy?
State of Telangana was formed in 2014 and at that time solar energy was 34 megawatts which touched 3900 megawatts in 2021. The total renewable energy in the state from wind, solar, biomass, mini hydel and solid waste management is 4300 megawatts. Telangana has grown by leaps and is upping the ante.
Q. Telangana is opting for rooftop solar rather than multisolar parks? How has the rooftop solar concept taken off in the state?
Rooftop solar is being popularised to generate energy for consumption at home level. Government of India is providing subsidy up to 3 kilowatts at 40 percent and 3 above to 10 kilowatt at 20 percent. Industrial generation is up to one megawatt capacity in the state is allowed under net meter policy. In the rooftop scheme, 200 megawatts are completed.
The target for 2021-22 is 30 megawatts for domestic sector. Rooftop solar is attracting by many group housing and commercial sector for their common area requirements.
With the advent of renewable energy resources, power generation and energy conservation goals demand back end work in terms of forecasting, balancing, and grid maintenance.
Grid gets maximum power from thermal energy plants. During the day time, solar energy resources generate power and that means that thermal production must be reduced. The thermal production has to be maintained at 30 percent of existing capacity to ensure grid balance. By evening and during night the dependency is on thermal power as solar energy resources cannot provide the required power. For this reason, balancing renewable energy at grid level is a key factor. It has assumed a lot of importance in power management and effective use of power and its conservation.
Q.Pl share examples of institutions that managed to go solar.
There are many, Raj Bhavan campus, Salar Jung Museum and MCRHRD training institute of Government of Telangana have managed to go solar and are reaping benefits.
Q. Where does Telangana stand in Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahaabhiyaan scheme of energy security for farmers?
PM Kusum scheme will also be taken up in decentralized form. In Southern Telangana there are 150 sub-stations identified and in Northern Telangana there are 100 sub-stations identified for the program.
The scheme will help us supply 2 megawatt solar power to the agriculture land. The program is in the planning stage and it will help to reduce the burden on thermal power in agriculture sector. This scheme will have the solar panels in agriculture land and they will be connected to the grid for power generation and gets additional revenue by farmers.
Q. What is the status of wind energy?
We have wind energy potential majorly in Ranga Reddy, Medak and Mahbubnagar districts. These two districts have a lot of wind power potential and fallen semi urban areas which is the main constraint as the huge land cost. The required policy is under consideration at the state Government.
Q. Tell us about the municipal waste to energy project for Hyderabad at Jawahar Nagar.
There is a 19.8 megawatt capacity at Jawahar Nagar developed by RAMKY Enviro. After seeing the results, the government is keen that it must be increased to 68 megawatts. There is a huge commercial potential in Hyderabad and this power supports for the policy of government power for all 24/7. Processing municipal waste for power generation is an option being strongly explored as multi benefits are involved.
PM Kusum schemewill also be taken up in decentralized form. In Southern Telangana there are 150 sub-stations identified and in Northern Telangana there are 100 substations identified for the program
Q. What are the achievements of renewable energy by TSREDCO?
TSREDCO, as a nodal agency has proposed a target for 2014 to 2024. The aim is to achieve 7437 megawatts through renewable energy. Presently, we have achieved 4,300 megawatts.
Targets to achieve by the year 2024 include; under solar it is 5,000 megawatts, under waste to energy 100 megawatts, wind and solar hybrid power 2000 megawatts, biomass power 65 megawatts, bagasse (sugarcane pulp) which is available in the season bi-annually power generated is 72 megawatts.
The total proposed target is 7437 megawatts generated through renewable energy and to reduce thermal energy burden reduced by 20 percent.
