NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

Indian Renewable Energy Status Report

Background Report for DIREC 2010

D. S. Arora (IRADe) | Sarah Busche (NREL) | Shannon Cowlin (NREL) |

Tobias Engelmeier (Bridge to India Pvt. Ltd.) | Hanna Jaritz (IRADe) | 

Anelia Milbrandt (NREL) | Shannon Wang (REN21 Secretariat)

NREL/TP-6A20-48948

October 2010

I RADe
NOTICE

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or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any 

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iii 

Acknowledgments 

This report was produced in collaboration between National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

(NREL) in the United States, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Renewable Energy 

Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) Secretariat in France, and Integrated Research 

and Action for Development (IRADe) in India. REN21 Secretariat has coordinated the 

process. The co-authors are extremely grateful for the masterful editorial work done by Paul 

Gilman and Mary Lukkonen. The co-authors thank Joshua Bauer for developing the graphics 

and designing the cover for this report. Finally, the co-authors would like to thank those who 

provided their feedback on earlier drafts of this report, in particular Nina Negic of Bridge to 

India Pvt. Ltd and Ron Benioff of NREL. Their suggestions and insights resulted in 

substantial improvements to the draft published here. Financing was provided by the German 

Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and 

U.S. Department of Energy and Department of State. 

Authors 

D. S. Arora (IRADe) 

Sarah Busche (NREL) 

Shannon Cowlin (NREL) 

Dr. Tobias Engelmeier (Bridge to India Pvt. Ltd.) 

Hanna Jaritz (IRADe) 

Anelia Milbrandt (NREL) 

Shannon Wang (REN21 Secretariat) 

Editing, Design, and Layout 

Joshua Bauer (NREL) 

Paul Gilman (NREL Consultant) 

Mary Lukkonen (NREL) 

Contributors 

Jens Burgtorf (GTZ) 

Nina Negic (Bridge to India Pvt. Ltd.) 

Dr. Jyoti Parikh (IRADe) 

Isabelle-Jasmin Roth (Bridge to India Pvt. Ltd.) 

Virginia Sonntag-O’Brien (REN21 Secretariat) 
iv 

List of Acronyms 

ADB Asian Development Bank 

APCTT Asia Pacific Centre for the Transfer of Technology 

ARTI Appropriate Rural Technology Institute 

BEE Bureau of Energy Efficiency 

BGPG Biogas Distributed/Grid Power Generation Program 

BHEL Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd 

BLY Bachat Lamp Yojana 

BPL below poverty line 

CDM Clean Development Mechanism 

CEA Central Electricity Authority 

CER certified emission reduction credit 

CERC Central Electricity Regulatory Commission 

CFA Central Finance Assistance 

CFL compact fluorescent lamp 

ckm circuit kilometers 

CSP concentrated solar power 

CSR corporate social responsibility 

C-WET Centre for Wind Energy Technology 

DANIDA Danish International Development Agency 

DDG Decentralized Distributed Generation 

DIREC Delhi International Renewable Energy Conference 

DNES Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources 

DNI direct normal irradiance 

EBP ethanol blended petrol 

EGTT Expert Group on Technology Transfer 

EMD earnest money deposit 

EPC engineer-procure-construct 

EU European Union 

GBI Generation-based Incentive 

GDP gross domestic product 

GEF global environment facility 

GHG greenhouse gas 

GHI global horizontal irradiance 

GW gigawatt (one billion watts) 

GWh gigawatt-hour 

GWEC Global Wind Energy Council 

ha hectare 

IDBI Industrial Development Bank of India 

IDFC Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation 

IEA International Energy Agency 

IEC International Electrotechnical Commission 

IFC International Finance Corporation 

IGCC integrated gasification combined cycle 

INR Indian Rupee 

IREC International Renewable Energy Conference 

IREDA India Renewable Energy Development Agency 

JNNSM Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission 

KfW Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (German Development Bank) 
v 

kW kilowatt 

kWh kilowatt-hour 

LPG liquefied petroleum gas 

MENA Middle East and North Africa 

MFI microfinance institutions 

MNRE Ministry of New and Renewable Energy 

MoP Ministry of Power 

MoRD Ministry of Rural Development 

MPNG Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas 

MSW municipal solid waste 

MTOE million tonnes of oil equivalent 

MVA mega volt amperes 

MW megawatt (one million watts) 

MWh megawatt-hour 

NABARD National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development 

NAPCC National Action Plan on Climate Change 

NASA U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

NBMMP National Biogas and Manure Management Program 

NEP National Electricity Policy 

NGO non-governmental organization 

NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

NTPC National Thermal Power Corporation 

NVVN NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd 

PFC Power Finance Corporation 

PPA Power Purchase Agreement 

PV photovoltaic 

R&D research and development 

R&M renovation and modernization 

RE renewable energy 

REC Renewable Energy Certificates 

REDB Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone 

REEEP Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership 

REN21 Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century 

RGGVY Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana 

RPO Renewable Purchase Obligation 

RVE Remote Village Electrification 

SEB State Electricity Board 

SEC Solar Energy Centre 

SEFI Sustainable Energy Finance Initiative 

SERC State Electricity Regulatory Commission 

SIPS special incentive package scheme 

SME small- and medium-sized enterprise 

SSE Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy 

SWERA Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment 

SWH solar water heater 

TERI The Energy and Resources Institute 

TWh terawatt-hour 

UNDP United Nations Development Programme 

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme 

UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 
vi 

USAID United States Agency for International Development 

USD U.S. dollar 

VESP Village Energy Security Programme 

WIREC Washington International Renewable Energy Conference 
vii 

Executive Summary 

India has great potential to accelerate the use of its endowed renewable resources to power its 

growing economy with a secure and affordable energy supply. The Government of India 

recognizes that development of local, renewable resources is critical to ensure that it is able to 

meet both its economic and environmental objectives, and it has promoted this development 

through policy action. 

The Indian economy has experienced tremendous growth over the past several years. Energy, 

in all its forms, underpins both past and future growth. For the Indian economy to continue 

this trajectory, India needs to address its energy challenges, which cross all sectors and 

impact all citizens. Electricity—both in terms of quality and access—is a key challenge. 

The quality of the current electricity supply is impeding India’s economic growth. Issues such 

as voltage fluctuation, frequency variation, spikes, black-outs, brown-outs, and other 

disruptions impact industrial, commercial, and residential consumers. The addition of gridtied renewable power can help address these issues. The gap between the demand of 

customers connected to the grid and the available electricity supply reported by the Central 

Electricity Authority for 2009–2010 was almost 84 TWh, which is 10% of the total 

requirement. The peak demand deficit was more than 15 GW, corresponding to a shortage of 

12.7%. Closing this gap will be critical for India to achieve its growth targets, and renewable 

energy has the potential to improve energy security and reduce dependence on imported fuels 

and electricity while striving to meet those goals. 

Much of India’s population is not experiencing the benefits of economic growth. The 

Government of India sees the provision of electricity to all as critical to inclusive growth. It 

recognizes off-grid renewable energy as a practical, cost-effective alternative to an expansion 

of grid systems in remote areas of the country. 

To be able to provide adequate electricity to its population, India needs to more than double 

its current installed capacity to over 300 GW by 2017. Also, India’s demand for oil in 2015 is 

expected to be 41% higher than in 2007 and almost 150% higher in 2030—needed primarily 

to feed a growing transportation sector. The Indian government is aware of the size and 

importance of the challenges and that success will depend on structural changes in the 

industry and on new technologies and business models. Renewable energy is well positioned 

to play a critical role in addressing this growing energy demand for the following reasons: 

• India has the natural resources. India has abundant, untapped renewable energy 

resources, including a large land mass that receives among the highest solar 

irradiation in the world, a long coastline and high wind velocities that provide 

ample opportunities for both land-based and offshore wind farms, significant 

annual production of biomass, and numerous rivers and waterways that have 

potential for hydropower. 

• Renewable energy provides a buffer against energy security concerns. India’s 

use of its indigenous renewable resources will reduce its dependence on imported, 

expensive fossil fuels. 

• Renewable energy offers a hedge against fossil fuel price hikes and volatility.

Increased competition for limited fossil resources is projected to push prices up, 

while increased deployment of renewable technologies pushes prices down in line 

with technology improvements and economies of scale. For example, oil prices in 
viii 

2030 are projected to be 46% higher than in 2010 while the investment costs for 

photovoltaic (PV) systems are expected to decrease to less than half of their 2007 

levels over the same time period. 

• Off-grid renewable power can meet demand in un-served rural areas. As a 

distributed and scalable resource, renewable energy technologies are well suited to 

meet the need for power in remote areas that lack grid and road infrastructure. 

• Renewable energy can be supplied to both urban and rural poor. Renewable 

energy technologies offer the possibility of providing electricity services to the 

energy poor while addressing India’s greenhouse gas (GHG) concerns and goals. 

• Renewable energy can support attainment of India’ climate change goals.

Through its National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and through its 

recently announced carbon intensity goal, India has made a commitment to 

addressing its carbon emissions. 

• India aims to be a global leader in renewable energy. India’s intention to play a 

leadership role in the emergent global green economy is driving investment in 

renewable energy technologies. Recognizing the magnitude of the potential 

demand for renewable energy, India is attracting significant investment in 

renewable energy. 

Renewable energy represents an area of tremendous opportunity for India, and this report 

discusses the ways in which India has already supported the growth of renewable energy 

technologies, the impact this has had on utilization of various technologies, and the enormous 

remaining potential. The report is meant for those who want to better understand the role 

renewable energy has had to date in India, the policies that have been implemented to support 

renewable energy deployment, and the potential for renewable energy technologies to expand 

their contribution to India’s growth in a way that is consistent with India’s developmental and 

environmental goals. 

Chapter 1, Indian Energy and Climate Change Status, gives a brief overview of the climate 

change policies that influence energy use in India, gives an overview of India’s energy sector, 

and discusses the specific conditions and challenges of the Indian power market. 

India currently emits approximately 4% of global GHG emissions. However, its per capita 

emissions are only one-quarter of the global average and less than one-tenth of those of most 

developed nations. India has committed to reducing the emissions intensity of its economy to 

20%–25% below 2005 levels by 2020 and has pledged that per capita GHG emissions will 

not exceed those of industrialized nations. 

There are two primary climate-focused instruments that are influencing deployment of 

renewable energy technologies in India. The first is NAPCC, which was released in 2008 

with the aim of promoting development goals while addressing GHG mitigation and climate 

change adaptation. NAPCC suggests that up to 15% of India’s energy could come from 

renewable sources by 2020. The NAPCC includes eight focused missions, one of which is 

dedicated to solar energy (the others concern energy efficiency, water, sustainable habitat, 

and related topics). In addition, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto 

Protocol is supporting development of renewable energy projects in India. As of September 

2010, there were over 500 registered CDM projects in India, and these are dominated by 

renewable energy projects. 
ix 

Chapter 2, The Status of Renewable Energy in India, describes the role of renewable energy 

in the overall energy sector in India and more specifically in industrial end use, 

transportation, and electricity generation; it presents the growth trends of renewable energy 

in India and the institutional and policy environment that is currently supporting continued 

deployment of renewable energy technologies. 

The Government of India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) reports that, as 

of June 2010, India has over 17.5 GW of installed renewable energy capacity, which is 

approximately 10% of India’s total installed capacity. Wind represents 11.8 GW, small hydro 

represents 2.8 GW, and the majority of the remainder is from biomass installations. PV 

installations have reached 15 MW of cumulative capacity installation for both on- and offgrid applications. In the current, Eleventh Five-Year Plan (Eleventh Plan; 2007-2012), the 

Government of India targets capacity additions of 15 GW of renewable energy, which, if 

achieved, would bring the cumulative installed capacity to over 25 GW in 2012. 

In 1992, the Government of India established MNRE, the world’s first ministry committed to 

renewable energy. MNRE is dedicated to expanding contributions of renewable energy in all 

of India’s end-use sectors and undertakes policy and planning activities to that end. MNRE 

also supervises national-level renewable energy institutes such as the Solar Energy Centre 

and the Centre for Wind Energy Technology. The Indian Renewable Energy Development 

Agency (IREDA) provides financial support and innovative financing for renewable energy 

and energy efficiency projects with funds from the Indian government and multilateral 

lending agencies. IREDA also administers the central government’s renewable energy 

incentive programs. Other government institutions with direct responsibilities that extend into 

renewable energy include several units under the Ministry of Power, the Planning 

Commission, and the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change. 

The Government of India has enacted several policies to support the expansion of renewable 

energy. Those that apply to more than one renewable technology include the following 

(technology-specific policies are discussed in the relevant chapters): 

• Electricity Act 2003: Mandates that each State Electricity Regulatory Commission 

(SERC) establish minimum renewable power purchases; allows for the Central 

Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to set a preferential tariff for 

electricity generated from renewable energy technologies; provides open access of 

the transmission and distribution system to licensed renewable power generators. 

• National Electricity Policy 2005: Allows SERCs to establish preferential tariffs 

for electricity generated from renewable sources. 

• National Tariff Policy 2006: Mandates that each SERC specify a renewable 

purchase obligation (RPO) with distribution companies in a time-bound manner 

with purchases to be made through a competitive bidding process. 

• Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) 2005: Supports extension 

of electricity to all rural and below poverty line households through a 90% 

subsidy of capital equipment costs for renewable and non-renewable energy 

systems. 

• Eleventh Plan 2007–2012: Establishes a target that 10% of power generating 

capacity shall be from renewable sources by 2012 (a goal that has already been 

reached); supports phasing out of investment-related subsidies in favor of 

performance-measured incentives. 
x 

As of April 2010, 18 states had established RPOs or had draft regulations under consideration 

with RPO requirements ranging from 1% to 15% of total electricity generation. In January 

2010, CERC announced the terms of a tradable Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) 

program. Under this program, generators choose between selling the renewable electricity 

generated at a preferential tariff and selling the electricity generated separately from the 

environmental benefits. The environmental attributes can be exchanged in the form of RECs, 

which will be issued by a central agency set up for administration of this program. RPOs are 

not yet enforced. 

Chapter 3, Wind Power, describes India’s wind potential and development to date, policies 

supporting the growth of wind energy in India, and key opportunities as India’s wind sector 

continues to expand. 

MNRE’s official estimate of India’s on-shore wind capacity potential is over 48 GW. 

Industry associations assert that taking into account hub heights greater than 50 m and 

improving conversion efficiencies from technology advancements and aggressive policy 

action, the potential is much greater with ranges between 65 and 242 GW. India ranked fifth 

globally in total installed wind capacity in 2009, and as of March 2010, India had realized 

almost 12 GW of installed wind capacity. In addition to the sizable on-shore potential 

identified for India, the long coastline and prevailing wind patterns suggest substantial 

potential for offshore capacity, though no systematic assessment of offshore potential has yet 

been done. 

The efficiency of India’s existing wind plants is somewhat lower than in many of the other 

countries leading in wind. Technology and market factors combined with a shift from 

capacity-based incentives to generation-based incentives are expected to increase the 

efficiency of new wind plants. 

Chapter 4, Solar Power, discusses the status of three solar technologies in India: solar PV, 

concentrating solar power (CSP), and solar water heating (SWH). 

In June 2010, cumulative installed capacity of solar PV in India reached 15.2 MW, of which 

12.3 MW was grid-tied (less than 0.1% of grid-tied renewable energy capacity in India) and 

2.9 MW was off-grid (0.7% of off-grid renewable energy capacity in India). The recent 

Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) aims to dramatically increase installed 

PV through attractive feed-in tariffs and a clear application and administration process. Phase 

1 of JNNSM targets additions of 500 MW of grid-tied and 200 MW of off-grid PV capacity 

by 2013. PV installations of 365 MW are approved for the state of Gujarat and 36 MW for 

the state of Rajasthan. By the end of Phase 3 in 2022, India plans to have 10,000 MW of gridtied and 2,000 MW of off-grid PV. 

JNNSM reaches beyond installed capacity to also target the growth of India’s indigenous PV 

industry, which has historically supplied the export market. Annual Indian module production 

is expected to exceed 2,500 MW by 2015, and JNNSM targets an annual production of 

4,000–5,000 MW by 2022. 

There are currently no CSP plants in India. However, JNNSM targets the introduction and 

substantial additions of CSP. Estimates across India show large areas with sufficient radiation 

for the development of CSP plants, and one analysis foresees the technical potential for CSP 

generation in India at almost 11,000 TWh per year. JNNSM envisions 500 MW of CSP by 
xi 

2013 and 10,000 MW by 2022. India is on track to meet the first goal—currently there are 

351 MW of approved CSP projects in Gujarat and another 30 MW in Rajasthan. 

SWH technology presents an opportunity to avoid using electricity or liquefied petroleum gas 

for heating water in India. It has applications in the residential, commercial, and industrial 

sectors. India has approximately 3.5 million m2

 of installed SWH collector area out of an 

estimated potential of 40 million m2. Several programs are in place to accelerate deployment 

of SWH, including the provision of low-interest loans and incorporation of SWH into the 

building code. 

Chapter 5, Small Hydro, presents the status of small hydropower in India, defined by the 

Government of India as hydropower plants up to 25 MW, including the identified potential 

and contribution to India’s rural electrification efforts. 

MNRE has estimated India’s small hydro potential at more than 15,000 MW and is 

constantly revising this number upwards as new sites are identified; more than 40% of this 

potential has been identified in four northern, mountainous states. Capital incentives are in 

place to support installation of new small hydropower plants, as well as to renovate and 

modernize existing plants. In addition to direct subsidies at the state and national level, small 

hydro plants may also qualify for low-interest loans and income tax exemptions. CERC also 

offers preferential tariffs for small hydro plants with the tariff amount and time period varied 

depending on project size and location. 

High capacity factors have been observed at small hydro plants in remote, mountainous 

regions of India, and small hydro has the lowest levelized costs of energy of any renewable 

technology in India. These factors have contributed to small hydro’s importance in India’s 

rural electrification efforts, with both federal and state programs supporting small hydro as a 

means of supplying electricity to villages where providing access to the central grid is 

challenging. 

Chapter 6, Bioenergy, covers bioenergy in India and discusses the status and potential for 

biogas, solid biomass, and biofuels. 

Traditional biomass, such as wood and cow dung, have historically played an important part 

in India’s energy supply, and they still supply cooking energy to almost all of India’s rural 

population. By utilizing organic waste and agricultural output, India can incorporate modern 

bioenergy as a substantial part into its future energy mix. 

There are approximately 4 million installed household biogas plants in India with almost 

4,000 additional units supplying household clusters or villages; cattle manure is the primary 

feedstock for these household plants. MNRE estimates that available cattle manure could 

support approximately 12 million household biogas plants. Larger-scale biogas facilities use 

industrial wastewater to generate electricity, and the 48 such plants in India have an 

aggregate installed capacity of 70 MW. MNRE estimates the total capacity potential for 

industrial biogas to be 1.3 GW. National and state programs support expansion of biogas 

through technical capacity building, financial incentives, and demonstration projects, with 

additional deployment supported through the CDM. 

Solid biomass is used in India either in direct combustion or gasification to generate power or 

for cogeneration of power and heat. MNRE estimates that surplus biomass could support 25 

MW of installed electricity-generating capacity and that cogeneration capabilities added to 
xii 

existing industries requiring process heat could add 15 GW more electricity-generating 

capacity to the grid. Policies in place to support biomass power generation include capital and 

interest subsidies and tax exemptions, and CERC and several states offer a preferential tariff 

for electricity generated from biomass power or cogeneration plants. 

Liquid biofuels, ethanol and biodiesel, are used to substitute petroleum-derived transportation 

fuels. Ethanol in India is largely produced by the fermentation of molasses, a by-product of 

the sugar industry, and from biodiesel produced from non-edible oilseeds. India is conducting 

research in the area of cellulosic biomass conversion for ethanol production. Making use of 

one-third of the 189 million tonnes of surplus biomass could yield approximately 19 billion 

liters of gasoline equivalent each year, the equivalent of India’s entire gasoline consumption. 

Support for liquid biofuels comes in the form of subsidized loans for ethanol production 

facilities, tax exemptions for biodiesel, financial incentives promoting the cultivation of 

Jatropha and other non-edible oil seeds, and research and development programs. 

Chapter 7, Decentralized Energy, presents the role of renewable energy in India’s 

decentralized energy systems including rural electrification and captive power for industry. 

According to the International Energy Agency, in 2008, more than 400 million Indians did 

not have access to electricity, with electrification rates of 93.1% and 52.5% in urban and rural 

areas, respectively. There are several programs at the national level to promote electrification 

of remote villages and below poverty line households. Renewable technologies deployed to 

this end include family biogas plants, solar street lights, solar lanterns, solar PV systems, and 

micro-hydro plants. The Indian government has initiated several programs, policies, and acts 

that focus on the development of rural energy, economy, and electrification to improve rural 

livelihood with the help of renewable energy. Successful business models have been designed 

to address shortcomings of global electrification efforts to increase sustainability and user 

satisfaction. Among these is a model for village electrification using biomass gasifiers where 

an energy service company, entrepreneur, or other actor provides system maintenance and 

operations and collects feedstock for use from households and businesses. Finding viable 

business solutions to supplying India’s non-electrified households is perhaps the greatest 

single challenge and opportunity of the renewable energy market. 

In addition to using renewable energy to provide electricity to poor and remote citizens, 

renewable technologies are being used by industries that generate electricity at their facilities 

to supplement grid power and to use when power from the grid is unavailable. At the end of 

March 2008, the total renewable installed capacity for captive power plants greater than 1 

MW was 305 MW, almost all of which was wind capacity. In addition to wind, solar thermal 

plants show good potential for captive power supply by integrating with the steam turbines 

already in place at cogeneration facilities. Industries can also deploy solar PV systems and 

use biodiesel in onsite generators to help power their operations. 

Chapter 8, Technology Transfer, discusses the relevance of international renewable energy 

technology to India as well as roles of the public and private sectors. 

Technology transfer is considered an important element of India’s low-carbon growth 

strategy. Though India is a strong international competitor in areas like wind and PV, a 

domestic base for other renewable technologies is lacking, and much of the research and 

innovation is happening outside the country. India presents opportunities across the value 

chain including research and development, component manufacturing, investment, project 

development, power production, service and maintenance, and training and education. The 
xiii 

private sector requires a stable investment environment and cost competitiveness to capitalize 

on these opportunities. Actions of the Indian government and the international community 

can contribute to the conditions necessary for accelerated entry of international actors into 

India’s renewable energy sector. 

Chapter 9, Financing Renewable Energy in India, presents the current renewable energy 

investment climate in India. 

In 2009, India ranked eighth globally for clean energy investments and is ranked as the fourth 

most attractive country for renewable energy investment, only behind the United States, 

China, and Germany. The majority of renewable energy financing in India has been asset 

finance (for renewable energy generation projects), accounting for 70% in 2009 after a drop 

from levels in previous years. The majority of this went to the wind sector, though with the 

release of JNNSM and the National Biofuels Policy, greater shares may go to the solar and 

bioenergy sectors in the future. International and bilateral finance institutions are involved in 

clean energy financing in India, providing private sector financing, technology financing, and 

more specialized support. Renewable energy in India is also receiving financial support 

through the CDM. India accounts for more than 20% of registered projects under CDM, and 

the majority of these are renewable energy projects. The Government of India and nongovernmental organizations have historically been the largest funders of clean energy in 

India, and they still are active in their support. IREDA administers the federal government’s 

revolving renewable energy fund and administers much of the international funding as well. 

The balance of renewable energy finance in India is made up of various sources including 

venture capital and commercial financing. 

Chapter 10, Enabling Environment, concludes the paper with a discussion of factors for 

continued renewable energy growth in India and elsewhere and the role of the International 

Renewable Energy Conference series. 

The International Renewable Energy Conference process seeks to bring together renewable 

energy stakeholders from across the world to share best practices for renewable energy 

policy, financing, and human capacity development. The Delhi International Renewable 

Energy Conference (DIREC) will build on the progress of the previous three in this series of 

ministerial-level conferences and will focus on scaling up and mainstreaming renewable 

energy in the context of energy security, climate change, and economic development, all of 

which are important themes to the Government of India. The conference will include 

discussions on key factors that are critical to widespread deployment of renewable energy 

technologies: the policy landscape needed to affect a substantial scale-up of renewable energy 

globally, the innovative financing that may also facilitate accelerated renewable development, 

and technology development and cost trends that are expected in the coming years, some of 

which are also discussed in this chapter. 

India seeks to become an international leader in renewable energy to support its goals of 

energy access for the sectors of the population currently un-served; fuel its economy, which 

is returning to an annual growth of nearly 9% as experienced before the recent downturn; 

enhance energy security against price and supply disruptions; and demonstrate leadership on 

the global stage in mitigating GHG emissions. JNNSM is India’s most ambitious renewable 

energy initiative. If its goal of achieving grid parity of solar power by 2022 can be achieved, 

this energy source can quickly become one of the pillars of India’s energy mix. India has 

substantial on-shore wind generating capacity, with additional potential for development. 

Preliminary investigation of India’s off-shore wind speeds suggests off-shore wind also has 
xiv 

strong potential for contributing to India’s power generation mix. Small hydro remains a costeffective means for providing electricity in many areas of India, including the remote 

Himalayas where connection to the central grid is impractical. The potential for biopower 

generation from waste materials is far from being exhausted, and these plants could add 

much-needed capacity to the grid. Indigenous biofuel production, including from emerging 

technologies such as cellulosic ethanol and algal biodiesel, could aid India’s growth without 

developing an overreliance on imported oil. Maximum utilization of India’s resources will 

require several elements acting in concert: a supportive policy environment, ample financing 

opportunities, and technology advancement. India has demonstrated commitment and 

leadership in tacking the challenges and is poised to accelerate this transition to a robust 

renewable energy future. 
xv 

Table of Contents 

List of Figures ......................................................................................................................................... xvii 

List of Tables .......................................................................................................................................... xviii 

1 Indian Energy and Climate Change Status ........................................................................................ 1 

1.1 Climate Change and Existing Relevant Policies ..................................................................1 

1.2 Energy Sector Overview ......................................................................................................3 

1.3 The Power Market in India and the Role of Renewable Energy .........................................8 

2 The Status of Renewable Energy in India ........................................................................................ 17 

2.1 Renewable Energy Share of Electricity .............................................................................17 

2.2 Renewable Energy Application in Industrial Use and Transportation ..............................19 

2.3 National Renewable Energy Institutions and Policies .......................................................20 

2.4 Governance and Institutional Arrangement of Renewable Energy ...................................23 

2.5 Grid Connection and Status Overview ..............................................................................24 

2.6 Renewable Purchase Obligations and Renewable Energy Credits ....................................25 

3 Wind Power ......................................................................................................................................... 28 

3.1 Wind Power Potential ........................................................................................................28 

3.2 Installed Capacity and Power Generation ..........................................................................30 

3.3 Existing Policies, Measures, and Local Regulations .........................................................31 

3.4 Investment Flows and Industrial Trends ............................................................................33 

3.5 Technology Developments ................................................................................................34 

3.6 Local Case Studies .............................................................................................................34 

3.7 Success Stories from the International Community and Potential Opportunities for 

India ...................................................................................................................................35 

4 Solar Power ......................................................................................................................................... 37 

4.1 Solar Photovoltaics ............................................................................................................37 

4.2 Concentrating Solar Power ................................................................................................46 

4.3 Solar Water Heating ...........................................................................................................53 

5 Small Hydro ......................................................................................................................................... 58 

5.1 Resource/Technological Potential .....................................................................................58 

5.2 Installed Capacity...............................................................................................................59 

5.3 Existing Policies, Measures, and Local Regulations .........................................................60 

5.4 Investment Flows and Industrial Trends ............................................................................62 

5.5 Implication in Rural Electrification ...................................................................................63 

5.6 Technology Development and Transfer .............................................................................64 

5.7 Local Case Studies .............................................................................................................64 

5.8 Success Stories from the International Community and Potential Opportunities for 

India ...................................................................................................................................65 

6 Bioenergy ............................................................................................................................................ 66 

6.1 Biogas ................................................................................................................................66 

6.2 Solid Biomass ....................................................................................................................72 

6.3 Liquid Biofuels ..................................................................................................................76 

7 Decentralized Energy ......................................................................................................................... 82 

7.1 Renewable Energy—Implication in Rural Electrification .................................................82 

7.2 Captive Power for Industries .............................................................................................88 
xvi 

8 Technology Transfer .......................................................................................................................... 92 

8.1 The Role of the Private and Public Sector in Technology Transfer ..................................92 

8.2 Technology Transfer Through the Private Sector: Opportunities and Barriers .................93 

8.3 The Role of the Public Sector in Improving Technology Transfer ...................................96 

9 Financing Renewable Energy in India ............................................................................................ 101 

9.1 Investment by Asset Class ...............................................................................................101 

9.2 Various Types of Financing .............................................................................................102 

9.3 International Support .......................................................................................................108 

9.4 Clean Development Mechanism ......................................................................................110 

10 Enabling Environment ..................................................................................................................... 112 

10.1 History of the International Renewable Energy Conference Process ............................112 

10.2 International Policy Landscape ......................................................................................113 

10.3 New Financing Methods ................................................................................................115 

10.4 Renewable Technology Costs ........................................................................................116 

10.5 New Technology Development .....................................................................................116 

10.6 Looking Ahead...............................................................................................................118 
xvii 

List of Figures 

Figure 1-1. Scenarios for the development of necessary peak load capacities ............................... 5

Figure 1-2. Worldwide consumption of primary sources of energy by country (2008) ................. 6

Figure 1-3. Development of commercial energy consumption in India ........................................ 6

Figure 1-4. Percentage share of commercial energy sources in India (2004) ................................. 7

Figure 1-5. Per capita annual electricity consumption in India ...................................................... 9

Figure 1-6. India electricity consumption sector-wise (utilities & non-utilities, 2008–2009) ...... 10

Figure 1-7. Installed capacities for power generation in India according to energy source 

(March 2010) ................................................................................................................................ 11

Figure 1-8. Percentage of public and private sector power generation capacity by energy 

source (March 2010) ..................................................................................................................... 12

Figure 1-9. Development of installed electrical capacities of utilities and non-utilities in India 13

Figure 1-10. Forecast growth in capacity by the end of the Eleventh Plan according to sector 

(2012) ............................................................................................................................................ 13

Figure 1-11. Power generation in India ....................................................................................... 14

Figure 2-1. Route for sale of renewable energy generation .......................................................... 27

Figure 3-1. Wind power density at 50 m above the ground for India ........................................... 29

Figure 3-2. Growth of installed wind power capacity in India ..................................................... 30

Figure 4-1. India's GHI resource at 10 km resolution ................................................................... 39

Figure 4-2. India’s DNI resource at 10 km resolution .................................................................. 48

Figure 4-3. Cumulative installation of SWHs in India (1995–2009)............................................ 55

Figure 6-1. Cattle density in India ................................................................................................ 68

Figure 6-2. Biomass potential by state .......................................................................................... 73

Figure 6-3. Potential area for Jatropha cultivation by state .......................................................... 78

Figure 7-1. Rural energy through biomass gasifier: Business model ........................................... 87

Figure 7-2. SELCO business model.............................................................................................. 88

Figure 8-1. Steps in technology transfer ....................................................................................... 97

Figure 9-1. Types of registered CDM projects in India .............................................................. 111
xviii 

List of Tables 

Table 2-1. Development of Grid-connected Renewable Power in India (in MW) ....................... 18 

Table 2-2. Power Generation Costs in India by Energy Source (2008) ........................................ 19 

Table 2-3. Actors in the Indian Power Market Along the Value-creation Chain ......................... 24 

Table 2-4. State RPOs ................................................................................................................... 25 

Table 3-1. Wind Potential for Nine Indian States (C-WET) ........................................................ 28 

Table 3-2. Wind Capacity Additions by State .............................................................................. 31 

Table 4-1. India: Estimated Land Area Suitable for CSP Development and Generation 

Potential ........................................................................................................................................ 49 

Table 4-2. Approved CSP Projects in Gujarat and Rajasthan ...................................................... 50 

Table 4-3. SWH Existing Capacity, Top 10 Countries (2008) ..................................................... 54 

Table 4-4. Estimated Breakdown: Functional SWH Installation Through December 31, 2009 .. 56 

Table 5-1. Small Hydro Potential by Indian State, Number of Sites, Installed Capacity, 

Installed Projects, and Capacity Under Development as of December 31, 2009 ......................... 59 

Table 5-2. MNRE Support for New Small Hydro Projects Implemented by the State ................ 61 

Table 5-3. MNRE Support for New Small Hydro Projects Implemented by the Private Sector 

and NGOs...................................................................................................................................... 61 

Table 5-4. MNRE Scheme to Renovate and Modernize Existing Projects .................................. 61 

Table 5-5. CERC—Small Hydro Preferential Tariffs for FY 2009–2010 .................................... 62 

Table 7-1. All India Captive Power Plants of Industry (1 MW and Above) ................................ 89 

Table 7-2. Wind Power Plant Installed Capacity and Generation at Captive Power Facilities .... 90 

Table 7-3. Renewable Energy Installed Capacity and Generation by Industry ............................ 90 

Table 9-1. New Financial Investment in India by Sector and Asset Class, 2009 ....................... 102 

Table 9-2. Financial Institutions and Services ............................................................................ 104

Table 9-3. Commercial Banks and their Services ....................................................................... 107 

Table 9-4. Microfinance Institutions and Initiatives ................................................................... 108 

Table 9-5. Bilateral and Multilateral Institutions and Services .................................................. 110 
1 

1 Indian Energy and Climate Change Status 

Chapter Overview 

In 2008, India accounted for 17.7% of the world population but was the fifth-largest 

consumer of energy, accounting for 3.8% of global consumption. India’s total commercial 

energy supply is dominated by coal and largely-imported oil with renewable energy resources 

contributing less than 1% (this does not include hydro > 25 MW). Coal also dominates the 

power generation mix, though renewable resources now account for approximately 10% of 

installed capacity. The current power-generating capacity is insufficient to meet current 

demand, and in 2009–2010, India experienced a generation deficit of approximately 10% (84 

TWh) and a corresponding peak load deficit of 12.7% (over 15 GW). India’s frequent 

electricity shortages are estimated to have cost the Indian economy 6% of gross domestic 

product (GDP) in financial year 2007–2008. To power the economic growth currently being 

targeted, it is estimated that India will need to more than double its installed generating 

capacity to over 300 GW by 2017. In recent years, control over generating facilities has 

shifted from being dominantly controlled by the states to the federal government and private 

entities, including those who have set up captive power plants to power their industrial 

facilities. The private sector is dominant in renewable energy generation. 

India’s energy future will not just be shaped by the central grid and large-scale generating 

facilities fueling industrial growth but also by the goal of increasing the well-being of India’s 

poor populations by providing electricity access to the approximately 400 million citizens 

without. The Government of India recognizes that development of local, renewable resources 

is critical to ensure that India is able to meet social, economic, and environmental objectives 

and has supported the development of renewable energy through several policy actions. 

Energy planning in India is taking place in the context of climate change negotiations. India 

participates in the international climate negotiation process, has pledged to reduce its 

economy’s greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity, and has pledged that its per capita emissions will 

not exceed those of developed nations. India has implemented a National Action Plan on 

Climate Change (NAPCC), which suggested that 15% of energy could come from renewable 

sources by 2020. The NAPCC has eight National Missions, one of which is focused 

specifically on renewable energy: The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). 

India is an active participant of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) with the second 

largest number of projects registered among all countries participating, the majority of which 

are renewable energy projects. 

1.1 Climate Change and Existing Relevant Policies 

While India’s first priority is to ensure a sufficient and stable supply of power by expanding 

fossil-fuel-based generation and installing new large hydro and nuclear power plants, the 

following considerations contribute to the case for developing renewable energy projects: 

• The use of India’s indigenous renewable resources will reduce India's dependence 

on imports of fossil fuels. 

• Increased competition for limited fossil resources is projected to push prices up, 

while increased deployment of renewable technologies will push prices down in 

line with technology improvements and economies of scale. For example, oil 
2 

prices in 2030 are projected to be 46% higher than in 20101

 while the investment 

costs for photovoltaic (PV) systems are expected to decrease to less than half of 

their 2007 levels over the same time period.2

• Renewable energy technologies are well-suited to meet India’s need for power in 

remote areas that lack grid and road infrastructure due to the distributed nature of 

resources and the scalability of system design. 

• India's intention to play a leadership role in the emergent global renewable energy 

economy is driving investment in renewable energy technologies. 

• Renewable energy technologies offer the possibility of providing electricity 

services to the energy poor while addressing India’s GHG concerns and goals. 

While no official goal for stabilizing GHG emissions has been set, India has declared that per 

capita GHG emissions will not be permitted to exceed those of industrialized countries3 and 

has committed to reducing the emission intensity of its GDP by 20%–25% by 2020 from the 

2005 level.4 The main ways of achieving this reduction are improving fossil fuel power 

generation through new technologies such as supercritical and ultra-supercritical coal plants 

and integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), reducing aggregate technical and 

commercial losses, improving public transport, and increasing end-user efficiency. Given the 

shortage and cost of fossil resources, these measures also make sense from a purely economic 

perspective. Reducing emissions beyond the capability of these measures will require India to 

shift to low-carbon technologies that have a much higher initial capital commitment and 

much lower rate of return.5

 

Currently, India’s emissions are around 1 ton of CO2 per person per year. The global per 

capita average is 4.2 tons with most industrialized countries emitting 10–20 tons per person 

per year. Nevertheless, because of its large population, India already contributes around 4% 

to global emissions.6

1.1.1 National Action Plan on Climate Change 

In June 2008, India released the NAPCC to promote development goals while addressing 

climate change mitigation and adaptation.7 

 

1

 European Commission. “World Energy, Technology and Climate Policy Outlook.” 

http://ec.europa.eu/research/energy/pdf/weto_final_report.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 2

 IEA. “World Energy Outlook 2008.” http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/docs/weo2008/WEO2008.pdf. 

Accessed October 2010. 

3

 Public Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs. “The Road to Copenhagen: India’s Position on 

Climate Change Issues.” Government of India. http://pmindia.nic.in/Climate%20Change_16.03.09.pdf. 

Accessed May 2010. 

4

 Ministry of Environment and Forests. Annual Report 2009-2010. p. 271. http://moef.gov.in/report/report.html. 

Accessed August 2010. 

5

 See the recent study: Center for Science and Environment (CSE). “Challenge of the New Balance.” April 

2010. IRADe is currently performing an even more comprehensive study on India’s low carbon growth options 

for the National Planning Commission of India. 

6

 Ministry of Environment and Forests. Annual Report 2009-2010. p. 268. http://moef.gov.in/report/report.html. 

Accessed August 2010. 

7

 Press Information Bureau, Government of India. “Ministry of Environment and Forests.” 

http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page1.asp?relid=44098. Accessed September 2010. For further information, 

see: http://pmindia.nic.in/Pg01-52.pdf. Accessed September 2010. 
3 

One of the eight National Missions outlined in the NAPCC, JNNSM (described in Chapter 4), 

specifically focuses on solar energy and its role to minimize future emissions while 

expanding development opportunities throughout the country. 

The other seven National Missions are the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency, 

the National Mission on Sustainable Habitat, the National Water Mission, the National 

Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, the National Mission for a Green India, the 

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, and the National Mission on Strategic 

Knowledge for Climate Change. 

The NAPCC suggested that as much as 15% of India’s energy could come from renewable 

sources by 2020. 

1.1.2 Clean Development Mechanism 

Under the Kyoto Protocol, the CDM allows for projects in developing countries that result in 

a reduction of GHG emissions to earn certified emission reduction credits (CERs).8

 CERs are 

carbon credits issued under the CDM that each represent 1 ton of carbon dioxide equivalent. 

CERs can be traded or sold and eventually used by industrialized countries that have ratified 

the Kyoto Protocol to meet parts of their emissions reduction targets. To qualify to receive 

CERs, the project must first be approved by the Designated National Authorities of the 

project host country, and then a public registration and issuance process with the UNFCCC 

must be completed. The additional funds generated through the sale or trade of CERs can 

improve the financial viability of clean energy projects. 

Although there has been some criticism of the CDM process (e.g., the additional financial 

and technical criteria necessary or the long and costly project certification process), India has 

been at the forefront of receiving CDM benefits. As of January 2010, 1,551 Indian projects 

have been granted host country approvals. The projects are in the fields of energy efficiency, 

fuel switching, industrial processes, municipal solid waste (MSW), and renewable energy. 

Pending registration by the CDM executive board, India will generate a total of 627 million 

CERs before the end of 2012. At a price of INR 500 (USD 10) per CER, they would be worth 

INR 313.5 billion (USD 6.27 billion). In 2009, 478 of the world total 2,011 registered 

projects were generated by India. Only China had registered more.9

 As of September 2010, 

India had 532 registered CDM projects, 426 of which were in the energy sector, with the 

overwhelming majority comprised of renewable energy projects.10

1.2 Energy Sector Overview 

The electricity intensity of the Indian economy—the percentage growth of electricity 

consumption that correlates with 1% of economic growth—fell from approximately 3.14% in 

the 1950s to 0.97% in the 1990s.11 In 2007, it was at 0.73%. The main reason for this 

reduction is that India’s growth until now was based more on the service sector (with an 

electricity intensity of only 0.11%) than on growth in industrial production (with an 

electricity intensity of 1.91%).12 Today, for each 1% of economic growth, India needs around 

 

8

 UNFCCC. “Clean Development Mechanism—About CDM.” http://cdm.unfccc.int/about/index.html. Accessed 

May 2010. 

9

 Ministry of Environment and Forests. Annual Report 2009-2010. pp. 269-270. 

http://moef.gov.in/report/report.html. Accessed August 2010. 10 CDM. “Project Search.” http://cdm.unfccc.int/Projects/projsearch.html. Accessed July 2010. 11 Indiacore. “Overview of Indian Power Sector.” http://www.indiacore.com/power.html. Accessed August 

2010. 

12 McKinsey. “Powering India: The Road to 2017.” 2009 (unpublished). 
4 

0.75% of additional energy.13 The Planning Commission of India, which coordinates Indian 

long-term policy, analyzes different scenarios; one scenario assessed that this value could fall 

to 0.67% between 2021–2022 and 2031–2032.14 

India is facing a formidable challenge to build up its energy infrastructure fast enough to keep 

pace with economic and social changes. Energy requirements have risen sharply in recent 

years, and this trend is likely to continue in the foreseeable future. It is driven by India’s 

strong economic and population growth as well as by changing lifestyle patterns. Growth and 

modernization essentially follow the energy-intensive Western model of the 19th and 20th

centuries, in which economic growth correlates with a comparable growth in the energy use. 

For GDP annual growth of 8%, the Planning Commission estimates that the commercial 

energy supply would have to increase at the very least by three to four times by 2031–2032 

and the electricity generation capacity by five to six times over 2003–2004 levels.15 In 2031–

2032, India will require approximately 1,500–2,300 million tonnes of oil equivalent (MTOE) 

to cover its total commercial energy needs.16 The Indian government by itself does not have 

sufficient financial resources to solve the problem of energy shortages. It must rely on 

cooperation with the private sector to meet future energy requirements. This opens up 

interesting market opportunities for international companies. 

In the study “Powering India: The Road to 2017,” the management consultancy McKinsey 

calculated that goals specified by the Indian government have been set too low.17 The study 

argues that the peak demand will be 315 and 335 GW by 2017 instead of by only 213 GW as 

estimated in 2007 by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and 226 GW (assuming 8% 

annual GDP growth) estimated in the Integrated Energy Policy (see Figure 1-1). Accordingly, 

by 2017, India would require a total installed capacity of 415–440 GW in order to be able to 

reliably meet this demand. This means that over the next 9 years, the country would have to 

install more than twice as much capacity as it has been able to install over the last 60 years 

(159 GW). In order to achieve this, the speed with which the new capacities are built must 

increase five-fold. Such a massive increase requires a fundamental restructuring of the entire 

power market, which the government has begun through enactment of the Electricity Act 

(discussed in Section 1.3 and Chapter 2). 

 

13 BP. “Statistical Review of the World Economy, 2009.” 

http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/reports_and_publications/statistical_en

ergy_review_2008/STAGING/local_assets/2009_downloads/statistical_review_of_world_energy_full_report_2

009.pdf. Accessed September 2010. Calculation based on the figures of 2000–2008. 14 Government of India Planning Commission. “Integrated Energy Policy—Report of the Expert Committee 

2006.” August 2006; pp. 18-19. http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/rep_intengy.pdf. Accessed 

September 2010.The study indicates that the international average value is 0,83%, whereby countries with a 

higher GDP (over USD 8,000 per person per year) tend to have a lower average energy elasticity of 0.76% (see 

p. 19). 

15 Government of India Planning Commission. “Integrated Energy Policy—Report of the Expert Committee.” 

August 2006; p. 13 (overview). Online http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/rep_intengy.pdf. 

Accessed September 2010. 

16 Government of India Planning Commission. “Integrated Energy Policy—Report of the Expert Committee.” 

August 2006; p. 20. Online http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/rep_intengy.pdf. Accessed 

September 2010. 

17 McKinsey. “Powering India: The Road to 2017.” 2009 (unpublished). 
5 

Figure 1-1. Scenarios for the development of necessary peak load capacities18

1.2.1 Commercial Energy Consumption

As shown in Figure 1-2, India’s share of the global commercial energy19 consumption in 

2008 was 3.8% (433 of 11,295 MTOE), increased from 2.9% over the past 10 years, thus 

making it the fifth largest consumer of commercial energy. By comparison, China holds 

19.6% of the population and consumes 17.7% of commercial energy. 

 

18 McKinsey. “Powering India: The Road to 2017.” 2009 (unpublished). 

19 Commercial energy resources contain all the commercially traded fuels. Although they play a major role in 

many countries, wood, peat, and animal wastes are not included because no reliable statistics are available. 
6 

Figure 1-2. Worldwide consumption of primary sources of energy by country (2008)20

India’s total consumption of commercial energy increased from 295 MTOE in the year 2000 

to 433 MTOE in 2008 with an average annual growth rate of 4.9% (see Figure 1-3). 

Figure 1-3. Development of commercial energy consumption in India 21

 

20 BP. “Statistical Review of World Energy, 2009.” 

http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/reports_and_publications/statistical_en

ergy_review_2008/STAGING/local_assets/2009_downloads/statistical_review_of_world_energy_full_report_2

009.pdf. Accessed September 2010. 
7 

Coal is by far the most important energy source for India; it provides more than half of the 

commercial energy supply. Oil, mostly imported, is the second most important source of 

energy, followed by gas and hydropower (see Figure 1-4). So far, nuclear (atomic) power 

covers only a small portion of the commercial energy requirement (approximately 1.5%). 

With less than 1%, renewable energy plays a minor role (this does not include hydro > 25 

MW), and therefore, it is not even visible in Figure 1-3, though its share is projected to 

increase significantly. The traditional use of biomass (e.g., for cooking) has not been included 

here as a source of energy. However, the 2001 Census points out that approximately 139 

million of the total 194 million households22 in India (72%) are using traditional forms of 

energy such as firewood, crop residue, wood chips, and cow dung cakes for cooking.23 The 

majority of these households are in rural areas. Firewood, used by approximately 101 million 

households, is the main cooking fuel in India. 

Figure 1-4. Percentage share of commercial energy sources in India (2004)24

 

21 BP. “Statistical Review of World Energy, 2009.” 

http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/reports_and_publications/statistical_en

ergy_review_2008/STAGING/local_assets/2009_downloads/statistical_review_of_world_energy_full_report_2

009.pdf. Accessed September 2010. 22 Census of India. “2001 Data Highlights.” 

http://censusindia.gov.in/Data_Products/Data_Highlights/Data_Highlights_link/data_highlights_hh1_2_3.pdf. 

Accessed October 2010. 

23 Census of India. “Fuel Used for Cooking.” 

http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/HH_Series/Fuel_used_for_cooking.htm. 

Accessed October 2010. 

24 Government of India Planning Commission. “Integrated Energy Policy—Report of the Expert Committee.” 

August 2006; p. 29. Online http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/rep_intengy.pdf. Accessed 

September 2010 
8 

1.3 The Power Market in India and the Role of Renewable Energy 

While India has been making progress in different infrastructural areas such as the 

construction of roads and expansion of the telecommunication system, the power 

infrastructure has not kept pace with the growing requirements. 

India’s power market is confronted with major challenges regarding the quantity as well as 

the quality of the electricity supply. The base-load capacity will probably need to exceed 400 

GW by 2017. In order to match this requirement, India must more than double its total 

installed capacity, which as of March 2010 was 159 GW.25 Moreover, India’s power sector 

must ensure a stable supply of fuels from indigenous and imported energy sources, provide 

power to millions of new customers, and provide cheap power for development purposes, all 

while reducing emissions. On the quality side, the electricity grid shows high voltage 

fluctuations and power outages in almost all parts of the country on many days for several 

hours.26 According to the “Global Competitiveness Report,” in 2009–2010 (weighted 

average), India ranked 110 among 139 countries in the category “Quality of Electricity 

Supply.”27

The power deficit reported for 2008–2009 was almost 84 TWh, which is almost 10% of the 

total requirement; the peak demand deficit was more than 12.7% at over 15 GW.28 The 

electricity undersupply in India is estimated to cost the economy as much as INR 34 (USD 

0.68) to INR 112 (USD 2.24) for each missing kilowatt-hour. Thus, the total cost of the 

power deficit of 85 billion kWh in financial year 2007–2008 amounted to at least INR 2,890 

billion (USD 58 billion), or almost 6% of the GDP.29 Another report states that there is an 

approximately 7% decrease in the turnovers of Indian companies due to power cuts.30 As a 

consequence, many factories, businesses, and private customers have set up their own power 

generation capacities in the form of captive power plants or diesel generators in order to 

ensure their power supply. This provides an attractive opportunity for renewable energy 

solutions; they compete not with power produced relatively cheaply by large coal plants but 

with much more expensive diesel back-up generators. 

Until 1991, the Indian government monopolized the power market. There were only a few 

private actors, and the CEA had sole responsibility for giving techno-economic clearance to 

new plants. However, the public sector has been unable to cater to the growing demand for 

power, and in the future, investment requirements in the public sector will far exceed the 

resources. Current energy policies therefore place an emphasis on the integration of the 

private sector along the entire value chain: from the generation of power to transmission and 

distribution. 

 

25 CEA. http://www.cea.nic.in/. Accessed September 2010. 26 Power Line. “Impetus to T&D.” June 2009. 

27 World Economic Forum. “The Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011.” Geneva, Switzerland, 2010; p. 

394; http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2010-11.pdf. Accessed September 

2010. 

28 CEA. “Power Sector Reports.” http://www.cea.nic.in/power_sec_reports/reports.htm. Accessed August 2010. 29 Wärtsilä. “The Real Cost of Power.” 2009. 

http://www.wartsila.com/Wartsila/india/docs/locals/india/AboutUs/RCOP28july2009.pdf. Accessed September 

2010. 

30 O’Neill, J.; Poddar, T. “Global Economics Paper No: 169.” Goldman Sachs. 

http://www2.goldmansachs.com/ideas/brics/ten-things-doc.pdf. Accessed September 2010. 
9 

The Electricity Act 2003 displaced former energy laws and expanded them 

comprehensively.31 The aim of the act was the modernization and liberalization of the energy 

sector through the implementation of a market model with different buyers and sellers. The 

main points included making it easier to construct decentralized power plants, especially in 

rural areas and for captive use by communities, and giving power producers free access to the 

distribution grid to enable wheeling. Producers could also choose to sell power directly to 

consumers rather than through the financially weak State Electricity Boards (SEBs). Through 

the Electricity Act, the different legal frameworks are to be unified at a state level to promote 

foreign direct investment in the country. 

Given the long-term energy deficit and the growth trajectory of the Indian economy, the 

Indian investment community has responded positively. However, international investors are 

still hesitant. The largest barrier to more foreign private investment in the energy market is 

the energy price itself. In many customer sections and regions, they are too low to generate 

stable and attractive returns. Despite being an impractical drain on resources, the government 

has so far failed to adjust prices. The key reason is that cheap or free electricity is an 

important political token in a country where the majority of the population still lives on a 

very low income.32 

1.3.1 Power Consumption 

India’s average power consumption per person was 733 kWh in 2009, and the average annual 

rate of increase since 2003 was 4.4%,33 as shown in Figure 1-5. 

Figure 1-5. Per capita annual electricity consumption in India34

 

31 Sumir Lal. “Can Good Economics Ever Be Good Politics: Case Study of India’s Power Sector.” World Bank 

Working Paper No. 83. 2006; p. 16. 

32 Sumir Lal. “Can Good Economics Ever Be Good Politics: Case Study of India’s Power Sector.” World Bank 

Working Paper No. 83. 2006; pp. 3-5. 

33 CEA. “Monthly Review of Power Sector (Executive Summary)” August 2010. 

http://www.cea.nic.in/power_sec_reports/executive_summary/2010_08/1-2.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 34CEA. “Monthly Review of Power Sector (Executive Summary)” August 2010. 

http://www.cea.nic.in/power_sec_reports/executive_summary/2010_08/1-2.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 
10 

In 2008, a total of 596,943 GWh were consumed in India. The largest consumer was industry 

with 274,531 GWh (46%), followed by households with 124,562 GWh (21%), and 

agriculture with 107,835 GWh (18%). In the commercial sector (e.g., offices and shops), 

48,047 GWh (8%) were consumed, 11,615 GWh (2%) in rail traffic, and 30,353 GWh (5%) 

in various other sectors.35

Figure 1-6. India electricity consumption sector-wise (utilities & non-utilities, 2008–2009)36

Between 1980 and 2009, energy consumption increased by almost seven times from 85,334 

GWh to 596,943 GWh, which corresponds to an average annual growth rate of approximately 

7.1%. The strongest increase was the consumption by private households, which increased by 

almost 14 times since 1980 at an average annual growth rate of 10%. The reason for this 

increase was the inclusion of several million new households, corresponding to the increase 

in electrical household appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners. The agricultural 

share increased seven-fold at an annual growth rate of 7.6% between 1980 and 2008. The 

reason for a strong growth in the agricultural sector is, first, the inclusion of more rural areas, 

and second, the provision of power to farmers at reduced, or even free, rates in many areas. 

The consequence of this latter practice was the widespread purchase of cheap and inefficient 

water pumps that continue to run almost uninterrupted. The slowest growth in power 

consumption was seen in the industrial sector at 5.9% per year, which still corresponds to a 

five-fold increase.37 

The main drivers for the strong growth in the demand for power are the overall economic 

growth, the power-intensive manufacturing industry that is growing disproportionately fast, 

the rapidly rising consumption in households due to the affordability of new electrical 

appliances, the planned provision of power to 96,000 currently un-electrified villages, and the 

 

35 CEA. “All India Electricity Statistics—General Review.” New Delhi: CEA. 2009. 36 CEA. “Growth of Electricity Sector in India from 1947-2009.” New Delhi: CEA, 2009. 37 India Core. “Overview of Power Sector in India, 2008.” New Delhi: India Core Publishing, 2008. 
11 

provision of power for latent demand, which is currently unfulfilled because of frequent 

power cuts.38 

1.3.2 Power Generation Capacity 

The total power generation capacity in India in March 2010 was 159 GW. Of this, 64.3% was 

fossil-fuel-fired power plants (coal, gas, and diesel), 23.1% hydropower, 2.9% nuclear power, 

and 9.7% renewable energy.39

[Renewable energy includes small hydropower plants (< 25 MW), biomass gasification, biomass energy, urban 

and industrial waste energy, solar energy, and wind energy.] 

Figure 1-7. Installed capacities for power generation in India according to energy source 

(March 2010)40

The composition of the power sector has changed significantly in the last 30 years. The 

power generation capacity controlled directly by the central government has increased from 

12% to 32%. At the same time, the fraction of generation capacity controlled by the 

individual states fell from 83% to 50%. Generation capacity controlled by the private sector 

more than tripled from 5% to 18%.41 The private sector dominates in power generation from 

renewable energy sources. 

 

38 McKinsey. “Powering India: The Road to 2017.” 2009 (unpublished). 

39 CEA. “Monthly Review of Power Sector (Executive Summary).” March 2010. 

http://www.cea.nic.in/power_sec_reports/executive_summary/2010_03/1-2.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 40 CEA. “Monthly Review of Power Sector (Executive Summary)” March 2010. 

http://www.cea.nic.in/power_sec_reports/executive_summary/2010_03/1-2.pdf Accessed September 2010. 41 MoP. “Annual Report, 2007-2008.” July 2008; p. 109. 

http://www.cea.nic.in/about_us/Annual%20Report/2007-08/annual_report_07_08.pdf Accessed October 2010 
12 

* Includes small hydropower plants (< 25 MW), biomass gasification, biomass energy, urban and industrial 

waste energy, solar energy, and wind energy. 

Figure 1-8. Percentage of public and private sector power generation capacity by energy 

source (March 2010)42

The National Electricity Policy (NEP) assumes that the per capita electricity consumption 

will increase to 1,000 kWh by 2012. To cover this demand, the government is planning to 

add 78,700 MW of capacity during the Eleventh Five-Year Plan43 (Eleventh Plan) ending 

March 2012. As of April 2010, 22,552 MW of new installation toward that goal had been 

achieved. There are further projects under construction with a total capacity of 39,822 MW. 

As per the mid-term plan review, capacity additions of 62,374 MW are likely to be achieved 

with a high degree of certainty and another 12,000 MW with best efforts.44 Figure 1-9 shows 

India’s capacity growth from the end of the Eighth Plan in 1997 to projections through the 

end of the Eleventh Plan. 

 

42 CEA. “Monthly Review of Power Sector (Executive Summary)” March 2010. 

http://www.cea.nic.in/power_sec_reports/executive_summary/2010_03/27-33.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 43 India’s Five-Year Plans are planning documents for India’s economy. See Section 2.3.1 of this report for a 

description of the planning process and renewable energy’s role. 

44 CEA. ”Summary Statement.” 

http://www.cea.nic.in/planning/Capacity%20addition%20target%20during%2011th%20plan%20set%20by%20

Planning%20Commission%20(Revised)-summary%20region%20wise.pdf. Accessed July 2010. “Summary of 

Likely Capacity Addition During 11th Plan.” 

http://www.cea.nic.in/planning/Feasible%20capacity%20addition%20during%2011th%20Plan.pdf. Accessed 

July 2010. 
13 

Figure 1-9. Development of installed electrical capacities of utilities and non-utilities in India 45

Figure 1-10 shows the technology breakdown of the 78,700 MW targeted in the Eleventh 

Plan. The largest share of 59,693 MW is to be provided by thermal power plants. 

Additionally, 15,627 MW is to be provided by hydro and 3,380 MW by nuclear power. The 

central government undertakings, such as those of the National Thermal Power Corporation 

or the National Hydro Power Corporation, will contribute the most.46

Figure 1-10. Forecast growth in capacity by the end of the Eleventh Plan according to sector 

(2012)47

In March 2009, the gross electricity generation48 by utilities in India was 746.6 TWh. In 

addition, 95.9 TWh was generated by non-utilities and another 5.9 TWh were net imports. 

 

45CEA. “Monthly Report: Executive Summary.” March 2010; p. 11. 

http://www.cea.nic.in/power_sec_reports/executive_summary/2010_03/11.pdf. Accessed September 2010. 46 CEA. “Monthly Report: Executive Summary.” March 2010; p. 4. 

http://www.cea.nic.in/power_sec_reports/executive_summary/2010_03/4.pdf. Accessed September 2010. 47 CEA. “Monthly Report: Executive Summary.” March 2010. 

http://www.cea.nic.in/power_sec_reports/executive_summary/2010_03/4.pdf. Accessed September 2010. 
14 

The total generation available was thus 848.4 TWh, which corresponds to a rise of 3.3% as 

compared to the previous year.49 As these figures show, the trend in growth rates is 

inadequate in view of the rapid increase in demand for power. 

Figure 1-11. Power generation in India 50

1.3.2.1 Electricity Generation Efficiency 

Conventional thermal power generation in India faces three main challenges: 

1. The low average conversion efficiency of the plants (30%). 

2. The low quality of the coal itself, which has high ash content and a low calorific value 

(3,500–4,000 kcal/kg).51 

3. The fixed electricity off-take price, which does not reward efficiency gains. 

It is estimated that at least 25%–30% of the capacity in power plants in India is old and 

inefficient and operates at high heat rates and low utilization levels.52

To overcome these challenges, the Indian government has implemented a comprehensive 

program that includes a large-scale renovation and modernization (R&M) program for 

existing power plants, the promotion of supercritical technology for Ultra Mega Power 

Projects at pithead locations, the promotion of use of imported higher quality coal (from 

South Africa, Australia, and Indonesia) for coastal locations, the set-up of coal washing 

facilities for domestic coal, and the promotion of an IGCC technology for gas plants. Also, 

 

48 Without inter alia deduction of own consumption of power stations (approximately 7%) and grid losses 

(approximately 30%). 

49 CEA. “All India Electricity Statistics—General Review.” New Delhi: CEA. 2009; p. 6. 50 CEA. “All India Electricity Statistics—General Review.” New Delhi: CEA. 2009; p. 6. 51 Coal India Limited. “CIL to Spend Rs 2,000 cr to Build 20 New Washeries.” 

http://www.coalindia.in/NewsDisplay.aspx?NewsID=35&NewsType=2. Accessed July 2010. 52 CEA and National Thermal Power Corporation. “Energy Efficiency in Thermal Power Generation.” Second 

Meeting of the Indo-German Energy Forum. December 2007. 
15 

new power plant projects are being awarded via a competitive bidding process based on the 

lowest price offer for electricity sold to the grid. 

Since 1985, nearly 400 units (over 40 GW) have been serviced through the R&M program. 

According to The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), R&M could improve electricity 

generation by 30%, reduce emissions by 47%, and increase energy conversion efficiency by 

23%.53

The R&M program currently faces two challenges to successful completion. First, the rising 

electricity demand makes it difficult to take plants off the grid for maintenance work. Second, 

sometimes the costs to repair or upgrade old power generation equipment exceed 50% of the 

costs of an entirely new plant. In such cases, repair is not economically viable. However, 

given the rising demand, such plants cannot be taken off the grid either. Although many 

newer, privately operated plants are more efficient than state-owned plants, there is still a 

technology deficit across the power generation sector, mainly with respect to the latest 

supercritical technology. The performance of India’s existing supercritical power plants has 

so far failed to meet expectations.54 This presents a great opportunity for international 

technical cooperation. 

1.3.2.2 Transmission and Distribution Technical and Commercial Losses 

India’s electricity losses are among the highest in the world. In 2000, they were at a national 

average of 40%; in 2005, they were still at 30%; and in 2009, they were at 27%. The Indian 

government aims to bring losses down to 20% by 2012,55 which is still far above the 

international average where figures well below 10% are considered appropriate. 

Reasons for this high percentage of loss include a lack of investment into the grid, 

widespread power theft, and a lack of consumption monitoring. In addition, a large amount of 

electricity is freely provided to certain consumers (e.g., farmers). Both the losses and the 

wasteful distribution of free electricity weaken the financial position of the SEBs, thereby 

reducing their capabilities to invest in grid infrastructure. 

In 2008, the government set up an INR 19.46 billion (USD 389 million) fund under the 

Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reform Program from which SEBs could 

take out loans in order to finance grid improvements. The program was only moderately 

successful since the conditions of the loans did not create sufficient incentives.56 There are, 

however, a few examples of successful reductions in electricity losses. Gujarat has managed 

to bring down losses from 30% in 2005 to 20% in 2009 by isolating the wasteful rural 

electricity consumption and then monitoring and optimizing it.57 A second approach, which 

has so far been implemented only in large cities, is to involve the private sector by selling or 

franchising the existing infrastructure to private operators. This has been successful in Delhi, 

 

53 Srivastava, N.K.; Ramesh, M.S.; Ramakrishnan, N.A. “NTPC R&M Case Study.” 

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:WTd3MT6GQ4oJ:www.enercon.gov.pk/Symposium/IINKSrivastava.pdf+http://www.energymanagertraining.com/Presentations2008/Indo-GermanSymposium15-

16May2008/15-05-08Presentations/IINKSrivastava.pdf&hl=de&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjtsxI_JqXlS3VKwdXdUmADswmYTVHElM89fRStUfUB

9bpHnYs0JgCS8HWUjc7Nez9F_jQTdn1WB8ola-Zsqrcv_1oMl58k81qu47PuGSgRgtQp7hHYxa9LPgZKbDSuLT8CuWf&sig=AHIEtbRSI2CZQtPBCDxXXu1kDsbRqL1nzw. Accessed October 

2010. 

54 Bhushan, C. “Challenge of the New Balance.” New Delhi: Centre for Science and Environment, 2010; p. 25. 

55 PowerLine. “Industrial Tariff Trends.” August 2009. 

56 PowerLine. “Impetus to T&D.” June 2009. 

57 McKinsey. “Powering India: The Road to 2017.” 2009 (unpublished). 
16 

Mumbai, and Calcutta, all cities that have transmission losses that are lower than the national 

average. 

Given that a large part of the country is not yet connected to the grid, India has the 

opportunity to create a more cost-effective and possibly climate-friendly decentralized 

electricity supply. India can even leapfrog ahead of developed countries by implementing 

renewable energy technologies where they are economically viable. The challenge is to 

develop a policy framework and functioning business models that attract investment into offgrid electricity generation.
17 

2 The Status of Renewable Energy in India 

Chapter Overview

India has over 17 GW of installed renewable power generating capacity. Installed wind 

capacity is the largest share at over 12 GW, followed by small hydro at 2.8 GW. The 

remainder is dominated by bioenergy, with solar contributing only 15 MW. The Eleventh 

Plan calls for grid-connected renewable energy to exceed 25 GW by 2012. JNNSM targets 

total capacity of 20 GW grid-connected solar power by 2022. Renewable energy technologies 

are being deployed at industrial facilities to provide supplemental power from the grid, and 

over 70% of wind installations are used for this purpose. Biofuels have not yet reached a 

significant scale in India. 

India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) supports the further deployment of 

renewable technologies through policy actions, capacity building, and oversight of their wind 

and solar research institutes. The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) 

provides financial assistance for renewable projects with funding from the Indian government 

and international organizations; they are also responsible for implementing many of the 

Indian government’s renewable energy incentive policies. There are several additional Indian 

government bodies with initiatives that extends into renewable energy, and there have been 

several major policy actions in the last decade that have increased the viability of increased 

deployment of renewable technologies in India, ranging from electricity sector reform to rural 

electrification initiatives. Several incentive schemes are available for the various renewable 

technologies, and these range from investment-oriented depreciation benefits to generationoriented preferential tariffs. Many states are now establishing Renewable Purchase 

Obligations (RPOs), which has stimulated development of a tradable Renewable Energy 

Certificate (REC) program. 

2.1 Renewable Energy Share of Electricity 

As of June 2010, India was one of the world leaders in installed renewable energy capacity, 

with a total capacity of 17,594 MW (utility and non-utility),58 which represents 

approximately 10% of India’s total installed electric generating capacity.59 Of that total, 

17,174 MW were grid-connected projects, and the remaining 2.4% of installed renewable 

capacity consisted of off-grid systems.60

The wind industry has achieved the greatest success in India with an installed capacity of 

12,009 MW at the end of June 2010. India has also installed 2,767 MW of small hydro plants 

(with sizes of less than 25 MW each), 1,412 MW of grid-connected cogeneration from 

bagasse, and 901 MW of biomass-based power from agro residues. Waste-to-energy projects 

have an installed capacity of 72 MW. 

India has off-grid renewable power capacities of 238 MW from biomass cogeneration, 125 

MW from biogas, 53 MW from waste-to-energy, 3 MW from solar PV plants, and 1 MW 

from hybrid systems.61

 

58 MNRE. “New & Renewable Energy.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/achievements.htm. Accessed October 2010. 59 CEA. “Monthly Review of Power Sector (Executive Summary).” September 2010. 

http://www.cea.nic.in/power_sec_reports/executive_summary/2010_09/1-2.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 60 MNRE. “New & Renewable Energy.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/achievements.htm. Accessed October 2010. 61 MNRE. “New & Renewable Energy.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/achievements.htm. Accessed October 2010. 
18 

With the recently announced JNNSM described in Chapter 4, India hopes to develop more of 

its solar resource potential. As of June 2010, solar PV plants in India had reached a 

cumulative generation capacity of approximately 15.2 MW. This is approximately 0.07% of 

JNNSM’s 2022 target of 22 GW.62 As reported by CSP Today, JNNSM’s goal would “make 

India the producer of almost three-quarters of the world's total solar energy output.”63

By the end of the Tenth Plan (2007), India achieved a cumulative installed capacity of 

10.161 GW of renewable energy (see Table 2-1). Additions totaling 15 GW are targeted 

during the Eleventh Plan to bring the total installed grid-connected renewable generating 

capacity to over 25 GW. Wind energy is expected to contribute approximately two-thirds of 

the added capacity in this plan period. If India is able to achieve its renewable energy goals 

by 2022 (by the end of the Thirteenth Plan), it will reach a total of 74 GW of installed 

capacity for wind, solar energy, biomass, and small hydropower, with wind and solar 

expected to account for more than 80% of the installed renewable power. 

Table 2-1. Development of Grid-connected Renewable Power in India (in MW)64

 Achieved In Process Anticipated Targets 

Five-year 

Plan 

By the End of 

the 9th Plan 

(cumulative 

installed 

capacity) 

10th Plan 

(additions

during plan 

period) 

Anticipated in 

the 11th Plan 

(additions

during plan 

period) 

By the End of 

the 11th Plan 

(cumulative 

installed 

capacity) 

By the End of 

the 13th Plan 

(cumulative 

installed 

capacity) 

Years Through 2002 2002–2007 2007–2012 Through 2012 Through 2022 

Wind 1,667 5,415 10,500 17,582 40,000 

Small Hydro 1,438 520 1,400 3,358 6,500 

Biomass 368 750 2,100 3,218 7,500 

Solar 2 1 1,000 1,003 20,00065

Total 3,475 6,686 15,000 25,161 74,000 

Although the government provides assistance for renewable energy implementation in the 

form of generation-based incentives (GBIs), subsidies, subsidized credits, and reduced import 

duties, the Indian market does not offer investors a framework that is as investor-friendly as 

in some developed countries. The main reason is that renewable energy sources are not 

systematically prioritized over non-renewable sources at a given national budget and a given 

power demand scenario. While the market certainly offers great opportunities for investors, it 

also requires adaptation and entrepreneurship to develop solutions that specifically fit the 

Indian scenario. 

Off-grid applications for rural electrification and captive power for industries offer a 

promising opportunity for renewable energy technologies in India. Both of these applications 

can benefit from renewable energy's advantages over conventional energy sources: local 

control of the energy resource and power system and suitability to smaller-scale applications. 

Renewable energy's competition is typically either a costly connection to the national grid or 

 

62 MNRE. “Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission: Towards Building Solar India.” 

http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/mission-document-JNNSM.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 63 CSP Today. “India ́s ‘New Solar Mission’ Opens Doors for Fast Development 

for the Concentrated Solar Thermal Industry Worldwide.” 28 May 2010. 

64 Government of India Planning Commission. “Eleventh Five Year Plan—2007-12.” p. 387. 

http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v3/11th_vol3.pdf. Accessed September 2010. 65 Government of India. “Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission.“ http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/mission-documentJNNSM.pdf. Accessed September 2010. 
19 

diesel generator-based power with its high maintenance and fuel costs. On average, the cost 

of producing power for a coal plant is about INR 2 (USD 0.03) per kWh, while electricity 

from a diesel generator plant is approximately INR 10 (USD 0.20) per kWh. To compete 

effectively with these established technologies, renewable energy technologies require 

business models adapted to the characteristics of renewable power plants that include plans 

for efficient marketing, distribution, operation and maintenance, and access to financing. 

For on-grid application of renewable energy, growth depends on grid infrastructure 

improvements and the continued reduction of renewable energy costs. Currently, wind, small 

hydro, and biomass are the most cost-competitive renewable options. Solar technologies, 

including concentrated solar power (CSP) and PV, are the least competitive but offer the 

greatest opportunity for growth because of the high potential. It therefore receives the most 

financial support in terms of government incentives. 

Table 2-2. Power Generation Costs in India by Energy Source (2008) 

Energy Type Electricity Generation Costs

in INR/kWh (USD/kWh)66 Source 

Coal 1–2 (0.02–0.04) McKinsey - Powering India 

Nuclear 2–3 (0.04–0.06) McKinsey - Powering India 

Large Hydro 3–4 (0.06–0.08) McKinsey - Powering India 

Gas 4–6 (0.08–0.12) McKinsey - Powering India 

Diesel 10+ (0.20+) McKinsey - Powering India 

Wind (on-shore) 3–4.5 (0.06–0.09) Industry experts 

Small Hydro 3–4 (0.06–0.08) Industry experts 

Biomass 4–5 (0.06–0.10) Industry experts 

Solar (CSP) 10–15 (0.20–0.30) Industry experts 

Solar (PV) 12–20 (0.24–0.40) Industry experts 

2.2 Renewable Energy Application in Industrial Use and Transportation 

A large percentage of renewable energy in India is covered under captive generation for 

industrial use. This is especially true in the wind market where 70% of electricity from wind 

projects is produced for direct consumption by large industrial facilities to mitigate the effect 

of frequent shortages of electricity from the national grid. Telecommunications companies 

are also looking toward renewable energy as they search for new solutions to power India’s 

250,000 telecom towers. Systems such as solar PV-based hybrid systems provide a less 

polluting alternative to diesel power, serve as a hedge against increasing diesel fuel prices, 

and help minimize the logistical challenges of transporting and storing diesel fuel at remote 

tower locations.67 

 

66 Over a period of 25 years. 

67 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed May 2010. 
20 

For the last 2 years, solar cooling has been a buzzword in the industry. While its attraction in 

a country as sunny and hot as India is obvious, the technology is still under development and 

is not yet economically viable. There are, however, some demonstration sites such as the 

Muni Seva Ashram in Gujarat, which uses parabolic Scheffler-type dishes to supply a 100-

ton air-conditioning system.68

On the transportation front, there have been initiatives to switch to alternative transportation 

fuels such as compressed natural gas and electricity. The Reva, developed by the Maini 

Group, is India’s—and one of the world’s—first commercially available electric car. TATA 

and General Electric are also in the process of developing electric vehicles. 

In addition, highly visible pilot projects are deployed to increase public interest in renewable 

energy technologies. The October 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi are showcasing 

renewable energy for transportation and other uses including the utilization of at least 1,000 

solar rickshaws, which use PV-powered motors for transporting athletes at the games.69 Also, 

a 1 MW PV plant will provide electricity for one of the stadiums at the games.70 

Liquid biofuels, namely ethanol and biodiesel, are considered substitutes for petroleumderived transportation fuels. In India, ethanol is produced by the fermentation of molasses, a 

by-product of the sugar industry, but more advanced conversion technologies are under 

development, which will allow it to be made from more abundant lignocellulosic biomass 

resources such as forest and agricultural residues. Biodiesel production is currently very 

small, using non-edible oilseeds, waste oil, animal fat, and used cooking oil as feedstock. 

However, given the fact that India consumes more diesel than gasoline in the transportation 

sector, it is expected that the production of biodiesel and other biomass-derived diesel 

substitutes will grow over the next decade. 

2.3 National Renewable Energy Institutions and Policies 

In 1992, the Indian government established the world’s first ministry committed solely to the 

development of renewable energy sources, The Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy 

Sources, which has since been renamed the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. 

MNRE’s role is to facilitate research, design, and development of new and renewable energy 

that can be deployed in the rural, urban, industrial, and commercial sectors.71 MNRE 

undertakes policymaking, planning, and promotion of renewable energy including financial 

incentives, creation of industrial capacity, technology research and development, intellectual 

property rights, human resource development, and international relations.72

MNRE’s mission is to reduce India's dependence on imported oil, thereby improving the 

country's energy security supply; to increase clean power's share of the national energy mix; 

to increase the existing energy supply with a focus on improving access to clean energy; and 

to help new and renewable energy technologies to be cost-competitive. The ministry supports 

both on- and off-grid power generation from renewable sources including small hydro, wind, 

 

68 Muni Seva Ashram. http://munisevaashram.org/news6.html. Accessed July 2010. 69 Economic Times. “1,000 Solar Rickshaws to Ferry Commonwealth Games Athletes.” 21 February 2010. 

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/1000-solar-rickshaws-to-ferryCommonwealth-Games-athletes/articleshow/5599685.cms. Accessed October 2010. 70 Economic Times. “Comonwealth Games 2010 to be ‘Solar Powered’ by Reliance.” 7 April 2010. 

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/CommonWealth-Games-2010-to-besolar-powered-by-Reliance/articleshow/5770329.cms. Accessed July 2010. 71 MNRE. http://www.mnre.gov.in/. Accessed June 21, 2010. 72 DIREC 2010. "About the MNRE." http://direc2010.gov.in/about.html. Accessed June 21, 2010. 
21 

solar, biomass, and industrial/urban wastes. MNRE also has programs focused on rural areas, 

some of which supply electricity to remote villages and some promote and expand solar 

energy applications. MNRE has established research, design, and demonstration projects in 

new areas such as geothermal, hydrogen energy, and fuel cells.73 Moreover, MNRE 

supervises national institutions such as the Solar Energy Centre (SEC), the Centre for Wind 

Energy Technology (C-WET), and IREDA. 

IREDA, established in 1987 as a Public Limited Government Company, extends financial 

assistance for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.74 IREDA is registered as a 

non-banking financial company and arranges its resources through market borrowing and 

lines of credit from bilateral and multilateral lending agencies such as the Asian Development 

Bank (ADB), World Bank, the Nordic Investment Bank, Japan International Cooperation 

Agency, the French development agency AFD, and the German development bank KfW. 

IREDA provides term financing for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects 

including hydro energy, wind energy, bioenergy (biomass, biofuels, and waste-to-energy) and 

solar energy. A number of incentive schemes of MNRE are administered through IREDA. 

There are a number of government institutions whose competence extends into the renewable 

energy sector. The Ministry of Power (MoP) deals with the planning of power supply, 

provision of political guidelines, investment decisions for government projects, training of 

experts, administration of laws for power generation from conventional sources, and power 

transmission and guidelines. MoP is responsible for the implementation of the Electricity Act 

2003, the Energy Conservation Act of 2001, and JNNSM.75 

Important government units like the CEA, the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission 

(CERC), the Power Finance Corporation (PFC), the PTC India Ltd., and the Rural 

Electrification Corporation fall under the purview of MoP. 

• CEA’s task is to develop a suitable energy policy for India and conduct planning 

and coordination tasks. It also completes the preliminary analysis for MoP on 

technical and economic issues.76

• CERC was established in 1998 under the Electricity Regulation Act as an 

independent, central regulation authority. It defines the tariffs for the public sector 

power producers and advises the government in matters of tariff and competition 

policy. The State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs), established at the 

level of the federal states, control the generation and distribution markets in their 

respective states. They monitor the quality of the services, tariffs, and fees. 77

• PFC is responsible for tapping new sources of finance for investments in power 

projects in the public and private sectors.78

• PTC India Ltd., formerly called Power Trading Corporation of India Limited, was 

established in 1999 with a mandate to optimally utilize the existing resources to 

 

73 Government of India Planning Commission. “Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-2012: Agriculture, Rural 

Development, Industry, Services, and Physical Infrastructure.” 2008; p. 385. 

http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v3/11th_vol3.pdf. Accessed April 2010. 74 IREDA. “About IREDA—Background.” 

http://www.ireda.gov.in/homepage1.asp?parent_category=1&category=6. Accessed September 2010. 75 MoP. http://www.powermin.nic.in//. Accessed July 2010. 76 CEA. http://www.cea.nic.in//. Accessed September 2010. 77 CERC. http://cercind.gov.in//. Accessed September 2010. 78 PFC. http://www.pfc.gov.in//. Accessed September 2010. 
22 

develop a full-fledged, efficient, and competitive power market to attract private 

investment in the Indian power sector and to encourage the trade of power with 

neighboring countries.79

• The Rural Electrification Corporation Ltd, established in 1969, is responsible for 

the financial support of all rural electrification programs including the large-scale 

Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY), which aims to extend 

electricity to all rural households and households below the poverty line.80 

The central government’s renewable energy goals are included in several planning and policy 

documents. For example, the Planning Commission, established in 1950, is responsible for 

formulating five-year plans that prioritize the development and use of national resources. The 

Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change oversees India’s NAPCC and periodically 

reviews key policy decisions affecting climate change. These plans are relevant for the 

renewable energy sector at the long-term, national policy level. 

In addition to the cross-technology plans discussed in Sections 2.3.1–2.3.5, the Government 

of India has enacted technology-specific policies to support renewable energy deployment. 

These technology-specific policies are described in Chapters 3–7. 

2.3.1 Eleventh Plan 

India’s five-year plans are developed under the leadership of the Planning Commission and 

describe a strategic plan of activities to be undertaken by the Government of India in support 

of priority objectives within the resources available. The Tenth Plan period ended in 2007, 

and the currently active Eleventh Plan ends in 2012. The Planning Commission hired a new 

and renewable energy working group to develop plans for renewable energy during the 

Eleventh Plan and prospective plans for the Twelfth and Thirteenth Plans. The group also 

looked into energy access programs using renewable technologies and identified necessary 

fiscal policies to support these programs and plans. As a result of the working group’s 

proposals, the Eleventh Plan established the goal that 10% of power generation capacity shall 

be from renewable sources by 2012 and represent a 4%–5% share in the electricity mix.81 To 

achieve this, subsidies that promote investment without ensuring optimal performance (e.g., 

depreciation benefits) are to be phased out and replaced with incentives that emphasize 

performance (e.g., feed-in tariffs). 

2.3.2 Electricity Act 2003 

The Electricity Act 2003 has been a major step towards liberalizing the power market in India 

along the value chain, encouraging competition and attracting investment. It also mandates 

that the SERC establish requirements for the minimum purchase of electricity from 

renewable sources and allows penalties for non-compliance; SERCs are expected to use a 

RPO. Under the Act's Part VII Section 61(h), the promotion of cogeneration and electricity 

generation from renewable sources is identified as a consideration in the establishment of 

tariff regulations, allowing for the CERC to establish a preferential tariff for renewable 

energy.82 Further, the “open access” provision allows licensed renewable energy power 

 

79 PTC India Ltd. http://www.ptcindia.com//. Accessed September 2010. 80 Rural Electrification Corporation Ltd. http://www.recindia.nic.in//. Accessed September 2010. 81 Government of India Planning Commission. “Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-2012: Agriculture, Rural 

Development, Industry, Services, and Physical Infrastructure.” 2008. 

http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v3/11th_vol3.pdf. Accessed April 2010. 82 MoP. “The Electricity Act, 2003.” 

http://www.powermin.nic.in/acts_notification/electricity_act2003/pdf/The%20Electricity%20Act_2003.pdf. 

Accessed October 2010. 
23 

generators access to transmission lines and distribution systems and only requires that the 

generators pay a wheeling fee for use of the transmission lines and a fee to the load dispatch 

center.83

2.3.3 National Electricity Policy 2005 

NEP stipulates the need for increasing the share of electricity from non-conventional sources 

and allows for the SERCs to establish a preferential tariff for electricity generated from 

renewable sources to enable them to be cost-competitive.84 Section 5.12.3 of NEP encourages 

the development of cogeneration facilities and allows for SERCs to promote arrangements 

between cogenerators and distribution companies interested in purchasing excess electricity 

through a competitive bidding process. 

2.3.4 National Tariff Policy 2006 

The National Tariff Policy, announced in January 2006, mandates each SERC to specify a 

RPO with distribution companies in a time-bound manner. Again, these purchases are to be 

made through a competitive bidding process. The objective of this policy is to enable 

renewable energy technologies to compete with conventional sources. Section 6.4 of the 

National Tariff Policy calls for the relevant commission to establish preferential tariffs with 

distribution companies for the purchase of electricity from non-conventional technologies.85

2.3.5 Rural Electrification Programs 

RGGVY was launched by the central government in 2005 with the goal of extending 

electricity to all rural households and to households below the poverty line.86 Under this 

program, 90% of the capital costs are subsidized by the central government. As of 2009, only 

44% of Indian households had been electrified.87 To electrify some of these villages and 

hamlets, the government has used distributed renewable as well as non-renewable energy 

sources. During the Tenth Plan, renewable energy sources were tapped to electrify 

approximately 5,000 villages and hamlets with the majority of communities being served by 

solar energy. For a more detailed description, see Chapter 7. 

2.4 Governance and Institutional Arrangement of Renewable Energy 

The liberalization and reform process initiated in 1991 with the division of the energy 

ministry into MoP, the Ministry of Coal, and MNRE has led to large-scale changes in the 

governance structure of the power market. Today, along with the traditional central 

government and state-level actors, there is also an increasingly active private sector at most 

of the points along the value chain, especially in generation, transmission, and power trading 

(see Table 2-3). Private interest remains low in the distribution network. 

 

83 Baker & McKenzie. (2008). “Identifying Optimal Legal Frameworks for Renewable Energy in India.” 

Renewable Energy and International Law. Asia-Pacific Partnership. p. 13. 

http://www.asiapacificpartnership.org/pdf/REDG-06-

09%2520Final%2520Report_India_.pdf&sa=U&ei=BgC3TITPBcXBswaPoZGPCQ&ved=0CBMQFjAA&usg=

AFQjCNGkQ6XCHcmHJkEc5rV5MIl384uEaw. Accessed October 2010. 84 Government of India MoP National Electricity Policy. “The Gazette of India: Extraordinary Part I - Section 

1.” http://www.powermin.nic.in/whats_new/national_electricity_policy.htm. Accessed September 2010. 85 Government of India MoP. “Tariff Policy.” http://www.powermin.nic.in/whats_new/pdf/Tariff_Policy.pdf. 

Accessed May 2010. 

86 Government of India Planning Commission. “Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-2012: Agriculture, Rural 

Development, Industry, Services, and Physical Infrastructure.” 2008. 

http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v3/11th_vol3.pdf. Accessed April 2010. 87 REEEP. “Policy and Regulatory Review—Special Report on India and Indian States.” Renewable Energy & 

Energy Efficiency Partnership, 2009. http://www.reeep.org/file_upload/296_tmpphpdxs0Zs.pdf. Accessed 

October 2010. 
24 

Table 2-3. Actors in the Indian Power Market Along the Value-creation Chain88

 Central Government State Private 

Policy MoP, MNRE State governments - 

Planning CEA SEB - 

Regulation CERC SERCs - 

Generation National generation utilities State generation utilities Independent power 

producers 

Transmission - Power Grid 

Corporation 

of India 

Limited 

State transmission utilities Increasing number of 

private service providers 

Execution Regional 

load 

dispatch 

centers 

State load dispatch centers 

Distribution - State distribution utilities Small number of private 

service providers 

Trade PTC India Ltd. 

Licensee 

Licensee Licensee 

Law Appeal tribunal 

As of yet there is no overarching renewable energy law governing all states. Instead, there are 

separate initiatives by the central and state governments. For instance, JNNSM is an initiative 

of the central government, whereas RPOs and RECs come under state jurisdiction. For 

specific technologies, central government policies and guidelines have been implemented to 

different degrees by individual states, which can result in inconsistencies between states.89

For example, states have different policies regarding which entity (developer, power 

purchaser, or transmission and distribution company) is required to finance the extension of 

transmission and distribution lines when generation facilities are developed beyond the reach 

of the current grid. States also have different regulations regarding technical standards such 

as mandating the location of the meter, which affects the measurement of the amount of 

energy that is sold to the grid.90

2.5 Grid Connection and Status Overview 

In March 2009, the Indian power network had a total length of 7.49 million circuit kilometers 

(ckm).91 In comparison to the power generation sector, investments into the transmission and 

distribution networks have been lower in recent years. Nevertheless, the transmission 

network has improved considerably. The distribution network, however, remains in a poor 

 

88 Gtz. “Energiemarkt Indien 2010.” p. 48. http://www.sciencerepository.org/in_documents/IN1096.pdf. 

Accessed October 2010. 

89 Baker & McKenzie. “Identifying Optimal Legal Frameworks for Renewable Energy in India.” Renewable 

Energy and International Law. Asia-Pacific Partnership, 2008. 

http://www.asiapacificpartnership.org/pdf/REDG-06-

09%2520Final%2520Report_India_.pdf&sa=U&ei=BgC3TITPBcXBswaPoZGPCQ&ved=0CBMQFjAA&usg=

AFQjCNGkQ6XCHcmHJkEc5rV5MIl384uEaw. Accessed October 2010. 90 REEEP. “Policy and Regulatory Review—Special Report on India and Indian States.” 

http://www.reeep.org/file_upload/296_tmpphpdxs0Zs.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 91 CEA. “Growth of Electricity Sector in India from 1947-2009.” New Delhi: CEA, 2009.; pp. 3-4.
25 

state. In the ongoing Eleventh Plan, the high-voltage network is to be extended by around 

95,000 ckm to a capacity of more than 178,000 mega volt amperes (MVA). In the lowvoltage area, an additional 3,253,773 ckm and a capacity of 214,000 MVA are to be added. 

Another extremely important task is the “Power for All by 2012” mission,92 declared by the 

Government of India—the ambitious goal of providing power to all Indian villages by 2012, 

to a large extent through grid access. 

2.6 Renewable Purchase Obligations and Renewable Energy Credits 

2.6.1 Renewable Purchase Obligations 

Section 86(1)(e) of the Electricity Act 2003 requires that the state commissions specify RPOs 

for the obligated entities. It says, “The State Commission shall discharge the following 

functions, namely: ... promote cogeneration and generation of electricity from renewable 

sources of energy by providing suitable measures for connectivity with the grid and sale of 

electricity to any person, and also specify, for purchase of electricity from such sources, a 

percentage of the total consumption of electricity in the area of a distribution license.”93 In 

pursuance of this policy, the National Tariff Policy mandates that each SERC specify RPOs 

by distribution licensees in a time-bound manner. As of April 2010, 18 states have 

established RPOs or have draft regulations under consideration (see Table 2-4) with RPO 

requirements ranging from 1% to 15% of total electricity generation. 

Table 2-4. State RPOs94

State 2009–2010 

RPO 

Out Year RPO 

(if designated) Notes 

Andhra Pradesh 5% 5% in each year from 2004–2008, no RPO 

requirements specified thereafter 

Assam 5% 2015–2016 

15% Draft regulation currently under consideration 

Chhattisgarh 

Biomass 5%, 

Small Hydro 

3%, 

Others 2% 

Same percentages for each year from 2007–2010, 

no RPO requirements specified thereafter 

Delhi 1% 

1% RPO for four separate utilities (NDPL, BYPL, 

BRPL, NDMC) from 2006–2010, no RPO 

requirements specified thereafter 

Gujarat 2% 2012–2013 

7% 

Haryana 10% 2010–2011 

10% 

Jharkhand Draft regulation under consideration to establish an 

RPO of 5% for each year from 2010–2013 

Karnataka 7%–10% 2010–2011 

7%-10% 

The RPO percentage depends on the distribution 

company with a maximum set at 20% 

 

92 MoP. “Overview.” http://www.powermin.nic.in/transmission/transmission_overview.htm. Accessed 

September 2010. “Power for All by 2012.” 

http://www.powermin.nic.in/indian_electricity_scenario/power_for_all_target.htm. Accessed September 2010 93 Electricity Act 2003. Section 86(e). http://www.sciencerepository.org/in_documents/IN1096.pdf. Accessed 

October 2010. 

94 Shah, S.R. “Feed-in Tariff & Renewable Purchase Obligation for Distribution Companies.” Presented to the 

Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India at the Conference on Mainstreaming Green Energy—

Wind, Biomass & Solar, Chennai. http://www.assocham.org/events/recent/showevent.php?id=426. April 29, 

2010. 
26 

Kerala 

Wind 2%, 

Small Hydro 

2%, 

Others 1% 

5% each year from 2006–2009, no RPO 

requirements specified thereafter 

Madhya Pradesh 

Wind 6%, 

Biomass 2%, 

Cogen 2%, 

Others 2% 

2011–2012 

12% 

Maharashtra 5% 

RPO specified from 2005–2009, no RPO 

requirements specified thereafter; draft regulation 

currently under consideration to increase the RPO 

from 6% in 2010–2011 to 10% in 2015–2016 and to 

include a solar set aside 

Orissa 5% 

2015–2016 

8% (0.5% 

increase/year) 

Draft regulation currently under consideration 

Punjab 3% 2010–2011 

4% 

Rajasthan 

Wind 6.75%, 

Biomass 1.75%, 

Others 8.5% 

2010–2011 

Wind 7.5%, 

Biomass 2%, 

Others 9.5% 

Tamil Nadu 13% 2010–2011 

14% 

Uttarakhand 9% 2010–2011 

10% 

West Bengal 7%–9% 2010–2011 

10% for all utilities 

RPO depends on the utility until 2010 when all are 

required to meet the 10% goal 

2.6.2 Tradable Renewable Energy Credits 

Naturally, the availability of renewable energy sources differs across India. In some states, 

such as Delhi, the potential for harnessing renewable energy compared to the demand for 

energy is very small. In other states, such as Tamil Nadu for wind, Rajasthan for solar, or 

Himachal Pradesh for hydro, it is very high. This offers opportunities for inter-state trading in 

the form of RECs. 

Such trade allows for more economically efficient development of renewable energy 

throughout the country as distribution licensees in states with limited resources can purchase 

RECs associated with renewable generation in other states where it is less expensive to 

develop renewable energy projects. In this way, each state’s RPO can be met in the most 

economically efficient manner. In January 2010, CERC announced the terms and conditions 

for a tradable REC program as follows: 

• “There will be a central agency, to be designated by CERC, for registering RE 

generators participating in the scheme. 

• The renewable energy generators will have two options [Shown in Figure 2-1]: either 

sell the renewable energy at a preferential tariff fixed by the concerned Electricity 

Regulatory Commission, or sell the electricity generation and environmental attributes 

associated with RE generation separately. 
27 

• On choosing the second option, the environmental attributes can be exchanged in the 

form of REC. Price of the electricity component would be equivalent to the weighted 

average power purchase cost to the distribution company, including short-term power 

purchase but excluding renewable power purchase cost. 

• The central agency will issue the REC to renewable energy generators. 

• The value of one REC will be equivalent to 1 MWh of electricity delivered to the grid 

from renewable energy sources. 

• The REC will be exchanged only in the power exchanges approved by CERC within 

the band of a floor price and a forbearance (ceiling) price to be determined by CERC 

from time to time.”95

CERC issued an amendment to the terms in September 2010 clarifying participation of 

captive generation plants and restricting participation of any generator terminating an existing 

PPA to sell power under the REC scheme.96 The two paths under which renewable power 

will be sold under the REC program are illustrated in Figure 2-1. 

Figure 2-1. Route for sale of renewable energy generation 

 

95 CERC. “CERC Announces Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) Regulation—A Step Forward for Green 

Energy Promotion.” Press Release, 18 January 2010. 

96 CERC. “REC Amendment Regulation.” 

http://www.cercind.gov.in/Regulations/REC_Amemdment_Regulation_29_9_2010.pdf. Accessed October 

2010. 
28 

3 Wind Power 

Chapter Overview 

India has been a pioneer in the commercial use of wind energy in Asia since the 1990s. In 

2009, India had the fifth largest installed wind capacity globally, only behind the United 

States, China, Germany, and Spain. During that year, India added 1,338 MW97 of wind 

capacity for a total installed capacity of 10,925 MW. This represented a 14% annual growth 

rate and contributed 3.5% to the global wind market.98 The most recent data available at the 

time of this writing show that India's wind capacity totalled 12,009 MW at the end of June 

2010, which represented 70% of India's total renewable energy capacity.99 India's robust 

domestic market has transformed the Indian wind industry into a significant global player. 

The success of the Indian wind market can be attributed to the quality of the wind resource 

and to government incentives, which became available early on as the global wind industry 

began to grow. Indian company Suzlon is the market-leader in wind power in Asia and the 

third largest manufacturer of wind turbines in the world. In combination with its German 

subsidiary REpower, Suzlon has a world market share of 12.3% in installed new capacity.100 

3.1 Wind Power Potential 

The C-WET resource assessment program has estimated the potential for wind installation for 

nine states, as shown in Table 3-1. The estimates are based on the assumption that 1% of each 

state's land area is available for development and that each megawatt of wind capacity 

requires 12 ha of land. The assessment shows that India's total wind potential is 48,561 MW, 

with Karnataka, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh as the leading states.101 

Table 3-1. Wind Potential for Nine Indian States (C-WET)102

State Wind Power Potential (MW) 

Andhra Pradesh 8,968 

Gujarat 10,645 

Karnataka 11,531 

Kerala 1,171 

Madhya Pradesh 1,019 

Maharashtra 4,584 

Orissa 255 

Rajasthan 4,858 

Tamil Nadu 5,530 

Total 48,561 

 

97 The megawatts used throughout this chapter to represent wind power capacity represent wind turbine 

nameplate capacities. This is a convenient way to represent wind turbine sizes and the capacity of wind 

installations. 

98 World Wind Energy Association. “World Wind Energy Report 2009.” 

http://www.wwindea.org/home/images/stories/worldwindenergyreport2009_s.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 99 MNRE. “Achievements in New and Renewable Energy.” http://mnre.gov.in. Accessed August 2010. 100 Suzlon. http://www.suzlon.com. Accessed August 2010. 101 Indian Wind Energy Association (INWEA). “Wind Energy Programme in India.” 

http://www.inwea.org/aboutwindenergy.htm. Accessed August 2010. 102 MNRE. “Wind Power Potential in India.” http://mnre.gov.in/wpp.htm. Accessed August 2010. 
29 

C-WET has also published a map of wind resource distribution across India (see Figure 3-1). 

This map shows large areas suitable for wind power development with estimated wind power 

density greater than 200 W/m2 at a height of 50 m above the ground. Further assessment in 

the north, which the map shows as having exceptionally good resource, could substantially 

increase the total estimated wind potential for India, although projects in these parts could be 

constrained by additional development costs due to the remoteness of these areas. There has 

been no systematic assessment of offshore wind power potential to date. 

Figure 3-1. Wind power density at 50 m above the ground for India103 

The capacity potential of 48,561 MW estimated by C-WET and officially accepted by MNRE 

is lower than those of industry associations. The Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers 

Association argues that by looking at higher heights above the ground to match 55–75 m 

turbine hub heights of the latest turbines and taking into account higher conversion 

efficiencies due to recent improvements in wind technology, the wind potential in India is 

closer to between 65,000 and 70,000 MW.104 The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) 

outlines three different wind growth scenarios and their associated installed capacity 

estimates for 2030: reference, moderate, and advanced. The reference scenario follows the 

International Energy Agency (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2007, the moderate scenario takes 

into account all policy actions in planning stages or beyond, and the advanced scenario 

assumes that all industry-supported policy actions are implemented. All three GWEC 

scenarios assume smaller wind turbines will be replaced with modern models, average 

turbine capacities will increase, capacity factors will increase from improved technologies 

and sitings, and capital costs will decrease. The advanced scenario estimate is much higher 

 

103 C-WET. “WPD Map.” http://www.cwet.tn.nic.in/html/departments_wpdmap.html. Accessed August 2010. 104 Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association. “Indian Wind Energy and Economy.” 

http://www.indianwindpower.com/iw_energy_economy.php. Accessed August 2010. 
30 

than any of the other estimates at 241,349 MW installed by 2030, the moderate scenario is 

142,219 MW, and the reference scenario estimate is 27,325 MW.105 

3.2 Installed Capacity and Power Generation 

In March 2006, India had approximately 5,300 MW of installed wind capacity. Between 2006 

and 2009, the annual rate of wind capacity additions decreased, as shown in Figure 3-2.106 In 

certain states, however, as new markets opened up, growth rates were above average. For 

example, between 2008 and 2009, annual growth rates of installations were 37% in 

Rajasthan, 33% in Karnataka, and 25% in Gujarat, while the average across India was 17%. 

Figure 3-2. Growth of installed wind power capacity in India107

India’s capacity additions of more than 3,000 MW between 2007 and 2009 are shown by 

state in Table 3-2. The largest gains were seen in Tamil Nadu (884 MW) and Gujarat (837 

MW). Tamil Nadu in south India has set itself apart from the other states with a total 

installed capacity of 4,596 MW, or 42% of India's total installed capacity, as of the end of 

2009.108 At the end of June 2010, India’s installed wind capacity totalled 12,009 MW, 

representing 70% of India's total renewable energy capacity.109 

 

105 GWEC. “Indian Wind Energy Outlook 2009.” 

http://www.indianwindpower.com/pdf/GWEO_A4_2008_India_LowRes.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 106 GWEC. Global Wind Report 2008. 

http://www.gwec.net/fileadmin/documents/Global%20Wind%202008%20Report.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 107 Indian Wind Energy Association. http://www.inwea.org/. Accessed August 2010. 108 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed August 

2010. 

109 MNRE. “Achievements in New and Renewable Energy.” http://mnre.gov.in. Accessed September 2010. 
31 

Table 3-2. Wind Capacity Additions by State 

State 

Total Installed 

Wind Capacity

2007 (MW)110

Total Installed 

Wind Capacity

2009 (MW)111

Wind Capacity 

Additions 

2008–2009 (MW) 

Andhra Pradesh 123 123 0 

Gujarat 875 1,712 837 

Karnataka 917 1,391 474 

Kerala 2 27 25 

Madhya Pradesh 70 213 143 

Maharashtra 1,646 2,004 358 

Rajasthan 496 855 359 

Tamil Nadu 3,712 4,596 884 

Others 4 4 0 

Total 7,845 10,925 3,080 

In terms of electricity supply, in 2007, wind projects supplied 11,653 GWh to Indian 

consumers, representing a 1.45% share of the total electricity produced in India that year.112

Based on the 2007 installed capacity of 7,845 MW shown in Table 3-2, this equates to a 

capacity factor of approximately 17.0% (11,653 GWh/yr ÷ 7.845 GW ÷ 8760 h/yr × 100%). 

This capacity factor is a rough indication of the average conversion efficiency of wind power 

plants: higher capacity factors represent more efficient plants. For comparison, India's 

average capacity factor in 2007 was slightly higher than China’s in 2007 at 16.6% but 

significantly lower than Germany (20.4%), Spain (20.7%), and the United States (23.5%).113 

3.3 Existing Policies, Measures, and Local Regulations 

One provision of the Electricity Act of 2003 allowed turbine manufacturers to provide 

complete build-operate-manage wind solutions. As manufacturers, their primary interest was 

in installing as many new wind projects as possible to maximize turbine sales rather than in 

maximizing electricity generation of individual wind plants. Many other investors made 

similar decisions, choosing to install as much capacity as possible to profit from taxdepreciation benefits with little regard to how well their wind plants would perform over the 

long term. 

Newer policies, such as GBIs and RPOs, encourage independent power producers and private 

investors to establish large-scale, commercial wind plants that enable wind to be a more 

significant part of the power mix. Based on experiences in other countries, both GBIs and 

RPOs are generally considered to be positive steps towards encouraging the development of 

wind power. These can lead to developer investment in more comprehensive resource 

assessments at the project site and a more optimized plant design. More independent power 

producers may enter India's wind market, turbine sizes and tower heights are increasing, and 

 

110 MNRE. Annual Report 2008-09, http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2008-09EN/index.htm. Accessed August 

2010. 

111 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed August 

2010. 

112 IEA. “Electricity/Heat in India in 2007.” 

http://www.iea.org/stats/electricitydata.asp?COUNTRY_CODE=IN. Accessed August 2010. 113 The capacity factors for China, Germany, Spain, and the United States were calculated using IEA’s estimated 

wind power generation for 2007 (http://www.iea.org/stats/prodresult.asp?PRODUCT=Renewables; accessed 

August 2010), and the 2007 installed capacity values from GWEC’s Global Wind 2007 report 

(http://www.gwec.net/index.php?id=90; accessed August 2010). GWEC’s installed capacity value for India in 

2007 was 8,000 MW; using this figure yields an estimated capacity factor of 16.6%. 
32 

turbine technology is continuing to improve, all of which may contribute to higher capacity 

factors for future wind plants in India. However, until there is a long-term guarantee for GBIs 

beyond 2012 and an enforcement of the RPO targets, there is unlikely to be real movement in 

the market.114

A project developer can currently choose between the central government’s accelerated 

depreciation or GBIs; the preference cannot be changed once the choice has been made.115 

3.3.1 State-level Renewable Energy Preferential Tariffs 

In 2003, SERCs were given the right to set preferential renewable energy tariffs based on 

guidelines stipulated by CERC. Although several states have followed through, these tariffs 

are insufficient to drive further development in wind. However, the state-level GBIs can be 

used in conjunction with the central-level incentives (either accelerated depreciation or GBIs) 

to make projects more financially attractive to developers.116

For 2009–2010, CERC established a preferential tariff band for wind energy projects ranging 

from INR 3.75/kWh (USD 0.68/kWh) to INR 5.63/kWh (USD 1.01/kWh), depending on the 

project size.117 State wind energy preferential tariffs range from INR 3.14/kWh (USD 

0.57/kWh) in Kerala to INR 4.08/kWh (USD 0.73/kWh) in Haryana.118 Other states that have 

established feed-in tariffs include Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, 

Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal; all states have caps ranging from 50 MW to 500 MW.119 The 

tariff conditions vary by state as well; some are fixed for a set number of years while the 

tariffs in other states are reduced or escalated during those years. 

3.3.2 Accelerated Depreciation 

In the past, the main incentive for developing wind power projects was accelerated 

depreciation. This tax benefit allows projects to deduct up to 80% of the value of wind power 

equipment during the first year of the project’s operation. Investors are then given tax 

exemption status for up to 10 years.120 Wind power producers receiving accelerated 

depreciation benefits must register with and provide generation data to IREDA and are not 

eligible to receive the more recent GBIs.121

3.3.3 Indirect Tax Benefits 

Indirect tax benefits included exemptions or concessions on the excise duty and a reduction in 

customs duty for certain wind power equipment.122 Wind-powered electricity generators and 

 

114 MNRE. “Unleashing the Wind Tiger.” Renewable Energy World; May 2010. 115 MNRE. “Generation Based Incentives (GBI) for Wind Power Projects.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/gbischeme.htm. Accessed August 2010. 116 MNRE. “Unleashing the Wind Tiger.” Renewable Energy World; May 2010. 117 CERC. “Tariff Order.” http://www.cercind.gov.in/2009/November09/284-2009_final_3rdDecember09.pdf. 

Accessed September 2010. 

118 Shah, S.R. “Feed-in Tariff & Renewable Purchase Obligation for Distribution Companies.” Presented to the 

Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India at the Conference on Mainstreaming Green Energy—

Wind, Biomass & Solar, Chennai. http://www.assocham.org/events/recent/showevent.php?id=426. April 29, 

2010. 

119 MNRE. “Unleashing the Wind Tiger.” Renewable Energy World; May 2010. 120 IREDA. “Central Incentives.” http://www.ireda.in/incentives.asp. Accessed August 2010. 121 MNRE. “Generation Based Incentives (GBI) for Wind Power Projects.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/gbischeme.htm. Accessed August 2010. 122 Shah, S.R. “Feed-in Tariff & Renewable Purchase Obligation for Distribution Companies.” Presented to the 

Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India at the Conference on Mainstreaming Green Energy—

Wind, Biomass & Solar, Chennai. http://www.assocham.org/events/recent/showevent.php?id=426. April 29, 

2010. 
33 

components, as well as water-pumping wind mills, wind aero-generators, and battery 

chargers, are exempt from excise duties. Indirect tax benefits for manufacturers of specific 

wind energy parts vary from 5%–25% depending on the component.123 

3.3.4 Central-level Generation-based Incentives 

Offered by the central government since June 2008 and administered by IREDA, the GBI for 

wind is available for independent power producers with a minimum installed capacity of 5 

MW. As of December 2009, the GBI is set at INR 0.50/kWh (USD 0.01/kWh) of gridconnected electricity for a minimum of 4 years and a maximum of 10 years, up to a 

maximum of INR 6.2 million (USD 140,000) per MW. The scheme will deploy a total of 

INR 3.8 billion (USD 81 million) until 2012 and aims to incentivize capacity additions of 

4,000 MW. Wind power producers receiving a GBI must register with and provide generation 

data to IREDA.124 The GBI is offered in addition to SERC’s state preferential renewable 

energy tariffs. However, IPPs using GBIs cannot also take advantage of accelerated 

depreciation benefits.125 The GBI program will be reviewed at the end of the Eleventh Plan 

and revised as deemed appropriate. As of October 2010, 30 projects had been registered 

under this scheme with over 200 MW commissioned.126

3.3.5 Renewable Purchase Obligations 

As discussed in Chapter 2, several states have implemented RPOs with a requirement that 

renewable energy supplies between 1% and 15% of total electricity. The impact of the RPOs 

on wind development may depend on the penalties and enforcement of the targets as well as 

an effective REC market to promote development of areas of the country with the most 

abundant wind resources. 

3.4 Investment Flows and Industrial Trends 

The cost of producing wind turbines is lower in India than in other countries as a result of 

lower labor and production costs relative to other countries producing wind power generation 

equipment. In 2009, the average installed cost for a wind power project in India was INR 

53.3 million (USD 1.1 million) per MW, and the installation costs per megawatt will likely 

continue to decrease. By comparison, the average installation cost in the United States in 

2009 was approximately INR 105.0 million (USD 2.1 million) per MW.127 

India’s wind turbine manufacturers currently produce 3,000–3,500 MW of new turbines a 

year. Five key players (Suzlon, Enercon, RBB Energy, NEPC, and Vestas) cover 80% of this, 

and they are also responsible for 90% of India’s new capacity installations in 2009–2010.128

By 2015, India’s total wind turbine production is expected to rise to 5,000 MW per annum. 

Several new manufacturers, many of which are local, are now entering the market, and prices 

for turbines are expected to come down due to increasing competition. According to MNRE, 

India’s export of wind turbines and blades to the United States, Europe, South America, and 

 

123 IREDA. “Central Incentives.” http://www.ireda.in/incentives.asp. Accessed August 2010. 124 MNRE. http://mnre.gov.in/gbi-scheme.htm. Accessed August 2010. 125 REEEP. “Policy and Regulatory Review—Special Report on India and Indian States,” 2010. 

126 IREDA. “Statewise List of Projects with WTGs Commissioned after 17.12.2009 Registered with IREDA 

for Unique Identification Numbers (UINs) under Generation Based Incentive (GBI) not 

Availing AD Under Section 44AB of Income Tax Act.” http://www.ireda.gov.in/pdf/GBI%20Projects.pdf. 

Accessed October 18, 2010. 

127 Wiser, R.; Bolinger, M. “2009 Wind Technologies Market Report.” LBNL-3716E. August 2010. 

http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/emp/reports/lbnl-3716e.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 128 Consolidated Energy Consultants. “Manufacturers-Wise Wind Electric Generators Installed in India,” Wind 

Power India. http://www.windpowerindia.com/statmanuf.html. Accessed August 2010. 
34 

Asia is valued at INR 45 billion (USD 900 million) and imports reached INR 22 billion (USD 

440 million).129

3.5 Technology Developments 

The current wind technology developed in India has lagged behind technologies produced 

around the globe. According to MNRE, turbines in India range in capacity from 250 kW to 

2,100 kW compared to a global maximum of 5,000 kW; hub heights range from 41 m to 88 m 

compared to a global maximum of 117 m; and rotor diameters range from 28 m to 80 m, 

compared to a global maximum of 126 m.130

The average capacity of installed wind turbines in India was only 400 kW in 2000; by 2008 it 

had reached 1 MW. As plant sizes increase, installation costs decrease. GWEC expects that 

India’s average turbine size will reach 1.5 MW by 2013.131 

Larger turbines require less land for an equal installed capacity, reduced operation and 

maintenance, and faster commissioning, and very large turbines are starting to enter the 

market. For example, Suzlon is now assembling turbines of 5 MW and 6 MW through its 

German subsidiary, REpower.132

Upcoming technological developments include wind forecasting to enable integrated grid 

management and more efficient generation.133 There is also a rising interest in offshore wind 

developments for India, although there has not yet been any significant progress.134 

3.6 Local Case Studies 

A major success story in the Indian renewable energy sector has been Suzlon, a company set 

up in 1995 by Tulsi Tanti. By 2009, Suzlon was the third largest wind turbine manufacturer 

in the world with a market share of 9.8%.135 Suzlon is the leading wind power company in 

India with a domestic market share of more than 44% of installed capacity and 26% of wind 

turbines sold.136 Its success has been attributed to fast delivery and turnaround times that 

undercut the competition.137 In 2006, Suzlon bought the Belgian gearbox maker Hansen, and 

in 2007, it bought REpower, a German company with offshore wind experience. The 

company has suffered some recent setbacks, including damage to some of its blades under 

different environmental conditions. Aggressive leverage for investments, costly blade repair 

programs, and a global recession have caused the company some recent financial trouble.138

 

129 MNRE. Presentation to Power-Gen India. 3 March 2010, p. 12. 130 MNRE. Presentation to Power-Gen India. 3 March 2010, p. 10. 131 GWEC. Indian Wind Energy Outlook 2009. 

http://www.indianwindpower.com/pdf/GWEO_A4_2008_India_LowRes.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 132 Suzlon. “RE Power-built ‘Alpha Ventus’ Starts Operations; Germany’s First Offshore Wind Farm.” Press 

Release. 28 April 2010. http://www.suzlon.com/media_center/press_release.aspx?l1=7&l2=31. Accessed 

September 2010. 

133 MNRE. “Unleashing the Wind Tiger.” Renewable Energy World; May 2010. 134 India Energy Portal. http://www.indiaenergyportal.org/subthemes_link.php?text=wind&themeid=3. 

Accessed August 2010. 

135 Suzlon. “Key Financial Data.” http://www.suzlon.com/investors/l3.aspx?l1=6&l2=23&l3=43. Accessed 

August 2010. 

136 Consolidated Energy Consultants. “Manufacturers-Wise Wind Electric Generators Installed in India.” Wind 

Power India. http://www.windpowerindia.com/statmanuf.html. Accessed August 2010. 137 “Saving Suzlon,” Forbes India. 5 June 2009. http://business.in.com/article/cross-border/saving-suzlon/302/0. 

Accessed August 2010. 

138 Suzlon. “Unaudited Consolidated Financial Results for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2009.” 

http://www.suzlon.com/images/investor_quaterly_result/38_Results.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 
35 

In June 2010, Suzlon reported a loss of INR 1.8 billion (USD 36 million), citing an order 

backlog.139

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), one of India's largest power equipment manufacturers, 

is entering the wind turbine market in 2010 to help meet the demand for larger turbines in 

India. The company plans to develop their own blade manufacturing facilities in India, but 

they plan to have towers manufactured in India and blades sourced from foreign 

manufacturers in the near term as they look to support deployment of 1.5–2.0 MW turbines. 

BHEL was an early manufacturer of 250 kW wind turbines but ceased production in response 

to a drop in demand.140

On the project development side, TATA Power is planning to expand its wind capacity from 

200 MW to 500 MW by 2013 and to 2,000 MW by 2017.141 Airvoice has announced plans to 

set up 3,000 MW of wind in Karnataka with 200 MW to be installed in the first phase.142

NHPC Limited, a government enterprise and the largest hydropower operator of the country, 

is currently building a 100 MW wind plant in Madhya Pradesh.143 Another government 

enterprise, Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd, announced a 50 MW project in the south-Indian 

harbor city of Tuticorin144 to supply power to a lignite (brown coal) open-pit mining network 

currently under construction. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd also has plans to invest 

INR 65 million (USD 123 million) in a 50 MW project in Gujarat as well as in smaller wind 

power plants in Karnataka.145 The company has plans to install up to 2,000 MW of wind 

capacity, mainly in the state of Gujarat.146

3.7 Success Stories from the International Community and Potential 

Opportunities for India 

India’s wind industry continues to offer attractive opportunities for investors. In addition to 

capacity growth through new project development, many outdated and smaller plants will be 

re-powered, where outdated lower capacity turbines are replaced by modern and larger 

equipment.147 

Foreign companies are also becoming involved in the manufacturing sector. For example, 

Siemens has announced plans to invest INR 5 billion (USD 100 million) to open a 200 MW 

 

139 Suzlon. Press Release, 29 May 2010. http://www.suzlon.com/media_center/press_release.aspx?l1=7&l2=31. 

Accessed August 2010. 

140 Narasimhan, T.E. “BHEL Plans to Re-enter Wind Turbine Manufacturing Business.” Business Standard, 

April 2010. http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/bhel-plans-to-re-enter-wind-turbine-manufacturingbusiness/390978/. Accessed August 2010. 141 TATA Power. “Analyst Meet.” Presented at the TATA Power Company Ltd Analyst Meet, March 2010. 

http://www.tatapower.com/investor-relations/pdf/analyst-presentation-mar-10.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 142 “Green Energy: Airvoice Lines Up 13,000 MW.” Hindustan Times. New Delhi, 5 February 2010. 

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/markets/Green-energy-Airvoice-lines-up-13-000-mw/Article1-

505712.aspx. Accessed October 2010. 143 NHPC Limited. “Press Release.” http://www.nhpcindia.com/english/scripts/PressRelease.aspx. Accessed 

August 2010. 

144 Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited. “Press Release.” 

http://www.nlcindia.com/investor/press_release_eng_270510.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 145 Oil and Natural Gas Ltd. “ONGC’s First Wind-farm, Having World’s Highest Turbine Capacity, 

Inaugurated.” http://www.ongcindia.com/press_release1_new.asp?fold=press&file=press348.txt. Accessed 

August 2010. 

146 Prashant, S. “ONGC Eyes 2,000 MW Wind Energy.” Rediff India Abroad. 5 Februrary 2008. 

http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/05wind.htm. Accessed October 18, 2010. 147 GWEC. “Indian Wind Energy Outlook 2009.” 

http://www.indianwindpower.com/pdf/GWEO_A4_2008_India_LowRes.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 
36 

wind turbine production plant in India with plans to scale up to 500 MW over 3 years. The 

Spanish manufacturer Gamesa has already commenced operations at its 200 MW 

manufacturing facility for 850 kW turbines in Tamil Nadu.148

With 7,600 km of coast, the installation of offshore wind plants can play an important role in 

the growth of India's wind market. Although there is currently little information available 

regarding the potential for offshore wind in India, C-WET released data in 2008 showing 

modest prospects along the western coastline with several sites prone to cyclonic conditions.

Data collected at the southern coastline, at a monitoring site in Rameshwaram, indicates some 

potential. However, much of the data has been extrapolated and further in-depth assessment 

is required.149 So far, there has also been little progress by the private sector into exploring 

this potential.150 Companies such as Areva, Siemens, General Electric, and Suzlon are now 

exploring opportunities in offshore wind in India as the conditions for low-cost generation are 

improving.151

 

148 Gamesa. “Gamesa Reinforces its Presence in Asia by Starting Up its First Production Center in India.” 

http://www.gamesacorp.com/en/press/press-releases/gamesa-reinforces-its-presence-in-asia-by-starting-up-itsfirst-production-center-in-india. Accessed August 2010. 149 C-WET. Pavan; Iss. 16, January-March 2008; p. 7, 

www.cwet.tn.nic.in/Docu/news%20letter/english/Issue%2016.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 150 Energy Alternatives India. “India Offshore Wind—Status, Trends, Potential.” 

http://eai.in/blog/2010/04/india-offshore-wind-status-trends-potential.html. Accessed October 2010. 151 “Areva, Siemens, and GE Explore Offshore Wind-ow in India.” Economic Times. 

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/energy/power/Areva-Siemens-GE-exploreoffshore-wind-ow-in-India/articleshow/5851229.cms. Accessed August 2010. 
37 

4 Solar Power 

Chapter Overview152

Solar is an important, although currently underutilized, energy resource in India with the 

potential to offer an improved power supply (especially in remote areas) and increase the 

security of India’s energy supply. On average, the country has 300 sunny days per year and 

receives an average hourly radiation of 200 MW/km2. The India Energy Portal estimates that 

around 12.5% of India’s land mass, or 413,000 km2, could be used for harnessing solar 

energy.153 This area could be further increased by the use of building-integrated PV. Though 

large-scale CSP has not yet been deployed in India, one study has estimated that this 

technology alone could generate 11,000 TWh per year for India. In addition to India’s 

potential for widespread deployment of solar technologies to supply electricity across the 

country, India also has the potential to significantly reduce electricity demand through 

increased deployment of solar water heaters (SWH), which can be deployed on rooftops in 

the built environment. 

Although India already has a strong solar cell production industry, until now, there has not 

been a high demand for them in the domestic market. In response to the announcement of 

JNNSM in November 2009, substantial expansion in the domestic solar market is anticipated. 

JNNSM’s target of achieving at least 20,000 MW154 of grid-connected solar power by 2022 

could make India one of the leading solar countries in the world, not only in total installed 

solar capacity but also in manufacturing components and technology research and 

development. The target encourages development of both PV and CSP technologies by 

allocating 10,000 MW of the goal to each technology. 

According to JNNSM, a further 2,000 MW of off-grid solar power capacity are to be installed 

by 2022. In order to achieve the goals, MNRE seeks to create an attractive environment for 

investors, including incentives such as feed-in tariffs.155,156 Policies enacted for the first phase 

will be reviewed in the summer of 2011 to incorporate first lessons learned. 

4.1 Solar Photovoltaics 

India’s installed solar power capacity of 15.2 MW at the end of June 2010 was based entirely 

on PV technology with approximately 20% of the capacity being used for off-grid 

applications.157 Currently, more attention is being paid to large-scale solar PV projects. In 

Phase 1 of JNNSM, which ends in 2013, India aims to install 500 MW of grid-connected 

solar PV power.158 New PV projects are also being registered under state programs such as in 

Punjab, Gujarat, West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Karnataka, though many of these are being 

migrated to JNNSM. The creation of special economic zones that provide land, water, and 

power as well as financial incentives has spurred growth in the domestic manufacturing 

 

152 Chapter 4 discusses solar PV, CSP, and SWH. Solar process heat for industry and solar cooling are discussed 

briefly in Chapters 7 and 10, respectively. 

153 India Energy Portal. http://www.indiaenergyportal.org. Accessed August 2010. 154 The megawatts used throughout this chapter to represent solar power capacity are peak megawatts, meaning 

the maximum rated power based on the equipment's power ratings under standard conditions. 

155 MNRE. “Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission: Towards Building SOLAR INDIA.” 

http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/mission-document-JNNSM.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 156 MNRE. “Guidelines for New Grid Connected Solar Power Projects.” July 2010. 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/jnnsm-gridconnected-25072010.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 157 MNRE. “Achievements.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/achievements.htm. Accessed September 2010. 158 MNRE. “Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission: Towards Building SOLAR INDIA.” 

http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/mission-document-JNNSM.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 
38 

sector. International companies from all over the world are now lining up to get a share of 

India’s solar market, which is valued at INR 3,500 billion (USD 70 billion) through the end 

of JNNSM in 2022. 

4.1.1 Resource/Technological Potential 

Estimates of global horizontal irradiance (GHI) for India are available from several different 

organizations. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Surface 

Meteorology and Solar Energy (SSE) dataset provides estimates of GHI at a 1° spatial 

resolution, which is approximately 100 km at 26° N latitude and can be visualized and 

downloaded from the Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA) Web site.159

Solar resource maps at 

40-km spatial resolution developed using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

(NREL) Climatological Solar Radiation model are also available from SWERA. 

NREL has recently released 10-km resolution solar resource maps for India based on the 

SUNY satellite to irradiance model.160 Figure 4-1 shows the annual average GHI across 

India, which illustrates that most areas of the country have greater than 5.5 kWh/m2/day of 

GHI, and the amount reaching a collector could be augmented by optimizing its orientation. 

 

159 SWERA Renewable Energy Resource EXplorer. http://na.unep.net/swera_ims/map2/. Accessed August 

2010. 

160 NREL. http://www.nrel.gov/international/ra_india.html. Accessed September 2010. 
39 

Figure 4-1. India's GHI resource at 10 km resolution 

4.1.2 Existing Grid-connected and Off-grid Installed Solar Photovoltaics 

Capacity 

As of June 2010, India’s grid-tied PV solar power was only 12.28 MW, or 0.07%, of the total 

17,174 MW of grid-connected renewable power capacity.161 During 2009–2010, Solar PV 

projects accounted for 0.5% of grid-connected renewable energy additions.162 

Off-grid and decentralized solar applications have been relatively more successful due to 

direct subsidies and government-financed pilot projects. The total decentralized installed 

solar capacity as of June 2010 was 2.92 MW, or 0.7%, of the total 420 MW of off-grid 

 

161 MNRE. http://mnre.gov.in/achievements.htm. Accessed September 2010. 162 MNRE. 2009 Annual Report. Table 1.1. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed 

September 2010. 
40 

renewable power.163 These decentralized applications include solar street and home lighting 

systems, solar lanterns, solar cookers, and water pumps. 

4.1.3 Policies, Measures, and Local Regulations 

Over the last decade, a number of programs administered by the central government and 

some state governments have tried to initiate solar power projects, albeit without much 

success.

The Tenth Plan (2002–2007) targeted the installation of 5 MW of solar PV; however, only 

1 MW was installed during that period.164 The Eleventh Plan (2008–2012) originally 

established a combined target of 50 MW165 for both solar PV and CSP, and, in spite of an 

INR 15 (USD 0.30) feed-in tariff over 12 years offered by MNRE, no new projects were built 

due to the relatively high cost. India’s current federal and state policies designed to encourage 

deployment of grid-tied solar PV are discussed in Sections 4.1.3.1 and 4.1.3.2, some of which 

also promote off-grid PV. Policies focused exclusively on off-grid renewable systems are 

covered in the decentralized energy chapter (Chapter 7). 

4.1.3.1 JNNSM 

Officially launched in November 2009, JNNSM is one of the eight National Missions laid out 

in India’s NAPCC. It aims to incentivize the installation of 22,000 MW of on- and off-grid 

solar power using both PV and CSP technologies by 2022 as well as a large number of other 

solar applications such as solar lighting, heating, and water pumps. As the power trading arm 

of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd 

(NVVN) has been designated as the nodal agency to ensure the execution of Phase 1 of the 

mission.166

JNNSM aims to address the shortcomings of prior schemes through revised and more 

attractive feed-in tariffs, a single-window application process, and RPOs that include a solar 

purchase obligation.167 In February 2010, CERC announced a feed-in tariff for financial year 

2010–2011 of INR 17.9 (USD 0.36) per kWh for PV and INR 15.3 (USD 0.31) per kWh for 

CSP and declared that Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) would have a validity of 25 years. 

It is assumed that at current cost levels, the tariff will allow investors to achieve an internal 

rate of return of about 16%–17% after taxes. CERC will revise the tariff every year. Ideally, 

by 2022, installation costs will come down significantly to enable solar power to achieve grid 

parity so that it becomes a viable source for India’s energy needs in the absence of 

government incentives. Assuming a continuing decrease in PV costs over the span of 

JNNSM, even as the preferential feed-in tariff is reduced in subsequent years, the share of 

solar power in the energy mix should continue to increase.168 Under JNNSM, the NVVN is 

 

163 MNRE. http://mnre.gov.in/achievements.htm. Accessed September 2010 164 Government of India Planning Commission. “Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-12: Volume III Agriculture, 

Rural Development, Industry, Services, and Physical Infrastructure.” p. 414, 

http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v3/11th_vol3.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 165 Government of India Planning Commission. “Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-12: Volume III Agriculture, 

Rural Development, Industry, Services, and Physical Infrastructure.” p. 414, 

http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v3/11th_vol3.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 166MNRE. “Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission: Towards Building SOLAR INDIA.” 

http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/mission-document-JNNSM.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 167 Mishra, R. “Solar Power: Govt Hopes to Seal Buy-Deals for 800 MW this Fiscal.” Hindu Business Line;

May 2010. http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/05/11/stories/2010051153030400.htm. Accessed August 

2010. 

168 CERC, New Delhi. Tariff Order. Petition No.53/2010. http://cercind.gov.in/2010/ORDER/February2010/53-

2010_Suo-Motu_RE_Tariff_Order_FY2010-11.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 
41 

required to purchase the expensive solar power from developers and bundle it with an 

equivalent amount of its much cheaper coal-based power before selling the mixed power to 

the various utilities at a marketable price.169

Three phases are identified under JNNSM. Grid-connected solar projects that signed PPAs 

prior to November 19, 2009, were eligible to migrate to JNNSM under certain conditions 

until February 29, 2010.170 At the end of each phase there will be a thorough reevaluation of 

the process.171

Phase 1: 2010–2013 

The focus during Phase 1 is to experiment with incentive structures and to create a market for 

solar power in India by bringing in investors, engineer-procure-construct (EPC) contractors, 

and equipment manufacturers. Both on- and off-grid projects will be promoted during this 

phase with the expectation that 500 MW of grid-connected and 200 MW of off-grid solar PV 

will be installed.172

The allocation of 500 MW of grid-connected PV projects will be decided in two batches. The 

first will be in financial year 2010–2011 and the second in financial year 2011–2012. The 

first batch will allocate 150 MW. Under migration guidelines, projects migrating from older 

incentive schemes to newer ones should be selected prior to new projects. If applications 

exceed 150 MW, projects will be chosen based on the discount offered by project developers 

on the CERC tariff. Under the second batch, additional projects will be selected up to 350 

MW of remaining capacity. Projects will feed into the grid at 33 kV or above. Individual 

projects will have a capacity maximum of 5 MW (± 5%), and each company can only apply 

for one PV project under Phase 1 (but can also apply for one CSP project).173

Applying for a project under Phase 1 of JNNSM requires a company to have an audited net 

worth of at least INR 30 million (USD 600,000) per MW of a project's installed capacity or 

INR 150 million (USD 3 million) for a 5 MW project in at least one of the last four financial 

years. A company must provide a “Bid Bond,” or third-party guarantee, per megawatt for any 

discount on the offered tariff. The higher the discount, the higher the amount of the bond, 

ranging between INR 10,000 (USD 200) and INR 50,000 (USD 1,000) per MW on a graded 

scale. Furthermore, the company must provide an earnest money deposit (EMD) in the form 

of a bank guarantee of INR 2 million (USD 40,000) per MW along with the initial request for 

selection and, later, a performance bank guarantee of INR 3 million (USD 60,000) per MW at 

the time of signing the PPA. A project shall achieve financial closure within 180 days before 

the signing and must be commissioned within 12 months after the signing of the PPA.174 To 

ensure PV module quality, modules proposed for the project must qualify to the latest edition 

of the following International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) PV module qualification 

 

169 MNRE. National Solar Mission, Guidelines for New Grid Connected Solar Power Projects, July 2010. 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/jnnsm-gridconnected-25072010.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 170 MNRE. “Guidelines for Migration of Existing Under Development Grid Connected 

Solar Projects from Existing Arrangements to the Jawaharlal Nehru National 

Solar Mission (JNNSM).” http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/migration-guidelines-jnnsm.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 171MNRE. “Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission: Towards Building SOLAR INDIA.” 

http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/mission-document-JNNSM.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 172 MNRE. National Solar Mission, Guidelines for New Grid Connected Solar Power Projects, July 2010. 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/jnnsm-gridconnected-25072010.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 173 MNRE. National Solar Mission, Guidelines for New Grid Connected Solar Power Projects, July 2010. 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/jnnsm-gridconnected-25072010.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 174 The net worth calculations: paid-up share capital plus reserves minus revaluation reserves minus intangible 

assets minus miscellaneous expenditures to the extent not written off or carry forward losses. 
42 

test or equivalent from the Bureau of Indian Standards: for crystalline silicon solar cell 

modules—IEC 61215; for thin-film modules—IEC 61646; and for concentrator PV 

modules—IEC 62108. For the first batch of Phase 1, it will be mandatory for projects using 

crystalline silicon technology to use modules manufactured in India.175 

Phase 2: 2013–2017 

During Phase 2, the goal is to build on the experience of Phase 1 to facilitate a substantial 

increase in capacity additions, significantly bring down the cost per kilowatt-hour, and 

achieve additional installations of 3,000–10,000 MW of combined PV and CSP capacity. 

JNNSM identifies the need for international support in the form of technology transfer and 

financial assistance in order to meet the higher goal. The central government will work to 

create a favorable environment for solar manufacturing, particularly for solar thermal 

technology manufacturing. By 2017, the goal is for the installation of 15 million m2 of solar 

thermal collector area and for off-grid solar capacity to reach 1,000 MW. For Phase 2, it will 

be mandatory to use cells and modules manufactured in India.176

Phase 3: 2017–2022 

Solar power is expected to achieve grid parity by 2022 through the final goals of the JNNSM: 

off-grid solar capacity installations will reach 2,000 MW, on-grid capacity will reach 

20,000 MW, 20 million m2 of solar thermal collector area will be installed, and 20 million 

solar lighting systems will be deployed in rural households. 

4.1.3.2 State Policies 

Independent of these national efforts, states are promoting solar power. Gujarat, for example, 

is promoting the installation of 350 MW solar PV by 2011. It offers a feed-in tariff of INR 15 

(USD 0.30) per kWh for the first 12 years and INR 5 (USD 0.10) per kWh for the following 

13 years. In addition, there is an accelerated depreciation option of 80% in the first year of 

operation. The program has some uncertainties, however. First, it is unclear if the accelerated 

depreciation falls under jurisdiction of the state or the central government. Second, Gujarat 

Urja Vikas Nigam Limited, the organization responsible for the bulk purchase and sale of 

electricity, will buy the power from the solar projects only based on its power demand. The 

policy process is still evolving.177 

Allocations for the Gujarat 350 MW PV program have been made to a number of interested 

promoters, but actual project execution has so far lagged behind. Narenda Modi, Chief 

Minister of Gujarat, is driving the policy by making use of the state’s land availability and 

excellent irradiation and is making Gujarat the Indian hub of solar technology. In addition to 

the state of Gujarat, other states such as Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and 

Karnataka are developing their own solar policies.178

4.1.4 Investment Flows and Industrial Trends 

As of May 2010, there were four major PV plants connected to the grid in India. The first was 

a 1 MW plant by West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Corporation. The second was 

a 1 MW plant by private developer Azure Power in Punjab. The most recent additions are a 

 

175 MNRE. National Solar Mission, Guidelines for New Grid Connected Solar Power Projects, July 2010. 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/jnnsm-gridconnected-25072010.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 176 MNRE. National Solar Mission, Guidelines for New Grid Connected Solar Power Projects, July 2010. 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/jnnsm-gridconnected-25072010.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 177 Kumar, S. “Indian Solar Market Update.” Solar Snippet. Credit Suisse. 23 June 2010. 178 Kumar, S. “Indian Solar Market Update.” Solar Snippet. Credit Suisse. 23 June 2010. 
43 

3 MW plant by Karnataka Power Trading Corporation and a 1 MW plant by Maharashtra 

Generation Corporation.179 

Several new PV power plants are in the pipeline, including 365 MW in Gujarat and 36 MW 

in Rajasthan.180 Titan Energy, a leading Indian module manufacturer and EPC contractor, and 

Enfinity, a global project developer, announced plans to install 1,000 MW of solar PV on 

3,000 acres in Andhra Pradesh.181

In the past couple of years, the number of PV module and cell suppliers in India has tripled to 

30.182 As of 2009, total module production rose from less than 60 MW to over 1,000 MW per 

annum. Thus far, it has catered primarily to the export market.183 Production is projected to 

grow at a rate of 20%–25%, reaching 2,575 MW by 2015.184 JNNSM targets 4,000–5,000 

MW in annual domestic module manufacturing capability by 2022.185

PLG Ltd., one of India’s largest module manufacturing companies, is in the process of 

upgrading its 50 MW facility to 100 MW.186 Tata BP Solar recently signed an agreement with 

Calyon Bank and BNP Paribas to raise INR 3,900 million (USD 78 million) to fund further 

development.187 It currently has a cell manufacturing capacity of 84 MW and a module 

manufacturing capacity of 125 MW with plans to expand to 300 MW.188

The creation of special economic zones, providing land, water, and power as well as financial 

incentives, has further spurred growth in the domestic manufacturing sector. A Special 

Incentive Package Scheme (SIPS), introduced in 2007, provides subsidies of 20%–25% for 

semi-conductor and eco-system (solar cells and PV) manufacturing units. These financial 

incentives enable vertically integrated manufacturing facilities to achieve economies of scale. 

As of the scheme deadline of March 31, 2010, there had been 26 applications for solar PV 

facilities with a cumulative investment of INR 2,290 billion (USD 45.8 billion).189 

A number of companies that have submitted proposals for new production capacities under 

SIPS have been approved in principal. Approved companies include Titan Energy Systems, 

Reliance Energies, TATA BP Solar, PV Technologies India, KSK Surya PV Ventures, Signet 

 

179 Dutta, A.P. “New Gold Rush.” Down to Earth Magazine; 1-5 June 2010. 180 Kumar, S. “Indian Solar Market Update.” Solar Snippet. Credit Suisse. 23 June 2010. 181 Titan Energy. “Titan Energy Systems and Enfinity To Develop, Finance And Construct 1 GWp of PV 

Installations In Andhra Pradesh, India.” 9 November 2009, 

http://www.titansolar.com/titan/press_9nov2009.html. Accessed August 2010. 182 Frost and Sullivan. “India Solar Photovoltaic Market Shines Bright as the Government Encourages Private 

Investments, finds Frost & Sullivan.” 9 February 2010, http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/pressrelease.pag?docid=192215618. Accessed October 2010. 183 Frost and Sullivan. “India Solar Photovoltaic Market Shines Bright as the Government Encourages Private 

Investments, finds Frost & Sullivan.” 9 February 2010, http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/pressrelease.pag?docid=192215618. Accessed August 2010. Accessed October 2010. 184 Frost and Sullivan. “Future of the Indian Solar PV Industry.” 25 January 2010. 

http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/market-insight-top.pag?docid=190682409. Accessed August 2010. 185 MNRE. “Guidelines for Migration of Existing Under Development Grid Connected 

Solar Projects from Existing Arrangements to the Jawaharlal Nehru National 

Solar Mission (JNNSM).” http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/migration-guidelines-jnnsm.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 186 PLG Ltd. http://www.plgpower.com/about-milestones.asp. Accessed August 2010. 187 TATA BP Solar. “Tata BP Solar Raises $78 Million for Further Investments in Solar Energy.” 

 17 March 2008. http://www.tatabpsolar.com/future_invest.html. Accessed August 2010. 188 TATA BP Solar. “Tata BP Solar Expands Solar Manufacturing Capacity by 62% to Serve Growing Solar 

Market in India.” 28 April 2010. http://www.tatabpsolar.com/solar-expands.html. Accessed October 2010. 189 Hindu Business Line. “Solar Power Scheme Draws Rs. 2.2-lakh cr Proposals.” 14 April 2010. 

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/04/15/stories/2010041556760100.htm. Accessed August 2010. 
44 

Solar, Indo-Solar, Solar Semiconductors, TF Solar Power, Lanco Solar, EPV Solar, and 

Bhaskar Solar.190 Companies undertaking projects without a SIPS incentive include Bharat 

Electronics and BHEL, who together are planning a joint 250 MW PV production facility, 

and ONGC, who is planning a 60 MW production facility.191

4.1.5 Technology Development and Transfer 

While production of PV modules is on the rise in India, module manufacturers are highly 

dependent on imports of the silicon wafers used in module manufacturing.192 For this reason, 

the government wants to promote the production of silicon material in India. The Eleventh 

Plan proposed funding of INR 1.2 billion (USD 24 million) from the National Energy Fund to 

promote the manufacturing of polysilicon.193 MNRE and MoP plan to make it mandatory for 

developers to supply crystalline silicon-based modules from domestic manufacturers. 

However, the import of solar cells to manufacture modules is still permitted.194

Thin-film modules are also manufactured in India. These are less expensive than crystalline 

modules but also less efficient.195 Signet Solar, a U.S. company, is planning a 300 MW 

production facility for thin-film modules in Tamil Nadu.196 The Indian company TF Solar 

Power wants to invest INR 23.5 billion (USD 470 million) in the production of thin-film 

modules.197 Poseidon Solar, an Indian-based silicon recycling company, recently announced 

their capability to recycle Cadmium-Telluride based thin-film modules, which will 

significantly reduce component costs for developers.198

Multi-junction cells are a promising technology on the horizon; however, there has not yet 

been much research and development on this in India.199

4.1.6 Local Case Studies 

In 2009, Azure Power set up the first private grid-connected solar PV plant in Punjab with a 

capacity of 1 MW and servicing 20,000 households.200 In line with its ambitious targets of 

establishing 100 MW solar power capacity, it is now developing a 15 MW plant in Gujarat in 

collaboration with U.S.-based company SunEdison. According to Azure, the cost of PV 

installation is already coming down; its first plant cost INR 190 million (USD 3.8 million) 

per MW; the new plant will cost 10% less at INR 170 million (USD 3.4 million) per MW. 

Future costs are expected to drop down by a further 10%–12%. Both plants are under the 

respective state GBI schemes. Both are 30-year contracts by which power will be sold at 

INR 15 (USD 0.30) for the first 10 years in Punjab and the first 12 years in Gujarat. For the 

 

190Hindu Business Line. “Solar Power Scheme Draws Rs. 2.2-lakh cr Proposals.” 14 April 2010. 

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/04/15/stories/2010041556760100.htm. Accessed August 2010. 191 New Energy. “End of the Solar Eclipse.” September 2009, Iss. 5; p. 82. 192 MNRE. “Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission: Towards Building SOLAR INDIA.” 

http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/mission-document-JNNSM.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 193 Government of India Planning Commission. “Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-12: Volume III Agriculture, 

Rural Development, Industry, Services, and Physical Infrastructure.” p. 417, 

http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v3/11th_vol3.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 194 The Hindu Business Line. TERI Newswire, Vol. 16., No. 10, 16-31 May 2010; p. 16. 195 Dutta A.P. “New Gold Rush.” Down to Earth Magazine 1-5 June 2010. 196 Signet Solar “Signet Solar Expands Manufacturing Capacity with India Plant.” 17 March 2008. 

http://www.signetsolar.com/pdf/Signet_Solar_Global_Press_Release_mar_17_08.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 197 TF Solar Power. http://www.tfsolarpower.com/. Accessed August 2010. 198 Poseidon Solar. “Poseidon Solar Announces its Capability to Reclaim CdTe Thinfilm Solar Cells.” 3 

December 2009. http://poseidonsolar.com/latest-news/8.html. Accessed August 2010. 199 Dutta A.P. “New Gold Rush.” Down to Earth Magazine 1-5 June 2010. 200 Azure. http://www.azurepower.com. Accessed August 2010. 
45 

remaining time periods, the tariff will reduce to INR 8.93 (USD 0.18) in Punjab and INR 5 

(USD 0.10) in Gujarat.201

RIL Solar Group—part of Reliance Industries—will provide solar power to the 

Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010.202 The company built the first 1 MW rooftop PV 

installation on the Thyagaraj stadium in New Delhi in less than 3 months. The plant is 

expected to generate 1.4 million kWh of electricity per year, and the surplus will be delivered 

to the distribution grid. 

Moser Baer PV, launched in 2005, is one of India’s leading cell and module manufacturers. 

The company is a subsidiary of Moser Baer, which was founded in 1983 and has since 

become the second largest producer of optical storage media.203 Moser Baer PV established 

itself across the value chain, offering end-to-end solutions for on- and off-grid solar PV 

installations. It has a production capacity of 90 MW crystalline cells, 90 MW crystalline 

modules, and 50 MW of thin film. The company also has solar PV power plants of 15 MW 

approved in Gujarat and 5 MW in Rajasthan and successfully commissioned 50 projects in 

India and Germany in 2009.204

4.1.7 Success Stories from the International Community and Potential 

Opportunities for India 

Germany has the largest solar PV power generation capacity, despite a significantly lower 

solar resource compared to India and many other countries. In 2009 alone, with 3,800 MW of 

added capacity, it accounted for more than half of the global market. Spain was the world 

leader in 2008 with 2,400 MW additional PV installations.205 The high rate of new 

installations in these two countries is due to highly favorable regulatory environments. Both 

countries offer attractive long-term feed-in tariffs (20 years in Germany and 25 years in 

Spain) and have provided an overall conducive investor environment. Although the tariffs are 

reduced every year and are about to be cut by double digits in 2010, the deployment of new 

solar capacity is still high. One result of this is that German cell production companies are 

among the most successful in the world. The German company Q-Cells was the world’s top 

cell producer in 2008 with 570 MW produced.206

International companies from all over the world are now lining up to get a share in India’s 

solar market, which is valued at INR 175 billion (USD 3.5 billion) through 2013 and INR 

3,500 billion (USD 70 billion) through the end of JNNSM in 2022.207 Solar PV companies 

 

201 Bondre, K. “Interview—India’s Azure Power Plans 100 MW Solar Projects” Reuters 19 May 2010. 

http://in.reuters.com/article/idINBMB01063720100519. Accessed August 2010. 202 RIL Solar Group. 7 April 2010, http://www.ril.com/downloads/pdf/PR07042010R.pdf. Accessed August 

2010. 

203 Moser Baer. http://www.moserbaerpv.in/about-overview.asp?links=ab1. Accessed August 2010. 204 Moser Baer. 24 June 2010. http://www.moserbaerpv.in/media-press-details-june20-10.asp?links=me2. 

Accessed August 2010. 

205 REN 21. “Renewables 2010: Global Status Report.” 

http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 206 Joint Research Center. “PV Status Report 2009.” http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/refsys/pdf/PV-Report2009.pdf. 

Accessed August 2010. 

207 Walet, L. “Foreign Companies Take a Shine to India’s $70 Billion Solar Programme.” Mint 18 June 2010. 

http://www.livemint.com/2010/06/17215210/Foreign-companies-take-shine-t.html?atype=tp. Accessed August 

2010. 
46 

that have cost-competitive products, such as China-based Suntech and U.S.-based First Solar, 

are pegged to have an advantage over others.208 

Gujarat has proved a popular destination for investment with 24 solar developers getting 

365 MW of PV capacity approved as of June 2010;209 the market is attracting both domestic 

and international investors. German companies Dreisatz GmbH and Mi GmbH, each have 

25 MW of approved projects in Gujarat.210 U.S.-based project developer Astonfield recently 

announced a partnership with Belectric for a 5 MW plant in Osiyan, Rajasthan, which is to be 

migrated to JNNSM.211 The required land is 30 acres, but Astonfield has secured an 

additional 185 acres for future expansion of the plant to 20 MW.212

4.2 Concentrating Solar Power 

JNNSM recognizes the potential of CSP as a highly effective energy source and is expecting 

a significant proportion of CSP in its solar goals even in Phase 1, with 500 MW of grid-tied 

CSP targeted for 2013 and 10 GW targeted by 2022. CSP is currently still at the research and 

development (R&D) stage in India. A feed-in tariff was announced by CERC in February 

2010 together with several other instruments to incentivize manufacturers for solar collector 

production. States such as Gujarat are introducing their own policies to stimulate CSP 

development, such as exempting the generated electricity from electricity duty. 

4.2.1 Resource/Technological Potential 

In its CSP roadmap, the IEA included northwestern India among its list of world regions 

showing the best solar resource for CSP projects.213 One of the benefits that CSP offers over 

PV is the ability to include thermal storage in system designs. This enables a continual supply 

of power that does not hamper grid stability and allows CSP facilities to operate as base load 

plants.214 CSP has so far been successfully implemented in only a few locations worldwide, 

such as the U.S. southwestern desert.215 India’s foray into CSP began in 1994 with a 

feasibility study for an INR 12.3 billion (USD 245 million), 35 MW CSP plant in Mathania, 

Rajasthan, to be co-financed by the government and KfW. However, the project was 

postponed indefinitely because no qualified contractors were able to submit a bid. 

There are several maps and data sources available that estimate the availability of direct 

normal irradiance (DNI) at locations across India. The NASA SSE dataset provides estimates 

 

208 Walet, L. “Foreign Companies Take a Shine to India’s $70 Billion Solar Programme.” Mint 18 June 2010. 

http://www.livemint.com/2010/06/17215210/Foreign-companies-take-shine-t.html?atype=tp. Accessed August 

2010. 

209 Kumar, S. “Indian Solar Market Update.” Solar Snippet. Credit Suisse. 23 June 2010. 210 Kumar, S. “Indian Solar Market Update.” Solar Snippet. Credit Suisse. 23 June 2010. 211 Astonfield. “Astonfield and Belectric Team up to Realize 5MW Solar Power Plant in Rajasthan, India.” 11 

May 2010. http://www.astonfield.com/press/pr/Astonfield-PR-Belectric-May2010-FINAL.pdf. Accessed 

August 2010. 

212 Astonfield. “Astonfield and Belectric Team up to Realize 5 MW Solar Power Plant in Rajasthan, India.” 11 

May 2010. http://www.astonfield.com/press/pr/Astonfield-PR-Belectric-May2010-FINAL.pdf. Accessed 

August 2010. 

213 IEA. “Technology Roadmap: Concentrating Solar Power.” 

http://www.iea.org/papers/2010/csp_roadmap.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 214 IEA. Solar Paces, http://www.solarpaces.org/News/Projects/India.htm. Accessed August 2010. 215 DESERTEC Foundation. “Red Paper” p. 7. http://www.desertec.org/fileadmin/downloads/desertecfoundation_redpaper_3rd-edition_english.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 
47 

of DNI at a 1° spatial resolution, and NREL’s Climatological Solar Radiation model provides 

estimates at 40-km resolution, both of which are available from SWERA.216 

NREL has recently released 10-km resolution solar resource maps for India based on the 

SUNY satellite to irradiance model.217 Figure 4-2 shows the annual average DNI across 

India, which illustrates that most areas of the country have greater than 5 kWh/m2/day of 

DNI. This image shows the areas of highest resource occurring in the northwest desert 

regions and the high-elevation Himalayan region. Figure 4-2 also shows large areas with 

annual average DNI greater than 5.5 kWh/m2

/day in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and 

smaller land areas with similar resources in several additional states. 

 

216 SWERA Renewable Energy Resource EXplorer. http://na.unep.net/swera_ims/map2/. Accessed August 

2010. 

217 NREL. http://www.nrel.gov/international/ra_india.html. Accessed September 2010. 
48 

Figure 4-2. India’s DNI resource at 10 km resolution 

A recent study by the German Aerospace Center218 estimated the potential for CSP in several 

countries including India. This analysis used the NASA SSE 6.0 DNI dataset, with a spatial 

resolution of 100 km and remote sensing data at 1 km spatial resolution, to exclude land areas 

unsuitable for CSP development, including land with resource levels below 

 

218 Trieb, F.; Shillings, C.; O’Sullivan, M.; Pregger, T.; Hoyer-Klick, C. “2009: Global Potential of 

Concentrating Solar Power.” SolarPaces Conference Berlin. 

http://www.dlr.de/tt/en/Portaldata/41/Resources/dokumente/institut/system/projects/reaccess/DNI-Atlas-SPBerlin_20090915-04-Final-Colour.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 
49 

2,000 kWh/m2

/year (5.48 kWh/m2/day), settlement areas, steeply sloping land, and 

agricultural areas. Table 4-1 shows estimated land area appropriate for CSP development and 

estimated generation potential on these lands assuming a parabolic trough system. This 

analysis estimates that CSP could generate almost 11,000 TWh per year in India. 

Table 4-1. India: Estimated Land Area Suitable for CSP Development and Generation Potential219 

DNI Class 

(kWh/m2/year) 

Land Area Suitable 

for CSP 

Development (km2) 

CSP Generating 

Potential (TWh/year) 

2,000–2,099 83,522 7,893 

2,100–2,199 11,510 1,140 

2,200–2,299 5,310 550 

2,300–2,399 7,169 774 

2,400–2,499 3,783 426 

2,500–2,599 107 13 

2,600–2,699 976 119 

2,700–2,800+ 120 15 

Total 112,497 10,930 

4.2.2 Concentrating Solar Power Projects in Planning Stages 

In the private sector, concentrating solar companies are beginning to develop a market 

presence in India. Areva Renewables, for example, a French company that offers CSP 

solutions, recently set up a partnership with the Indian companies L&T and Bharat Forge for 

engineering support and supply chain management.220 Bright Source Energy, a U.S.-based 

solar thermal company, partnered with the French conglomerate Alstom, bringing an 

investment of INR 2.78 billion (USD 55 million) to the solar thermal market in India. Indian 

company Cargo Power and Infrastructure, a part of Cargo Motors, claimed to be the first CSP 

developer with a PPA in hand.221

Indian company ACME has a licensing agreement with U.S.-based eSolar, a manufacturer of 

modular CSP systems. Their first project, a 10 MW plant in Bikaner, Rajasthan, is in the 

advanced stage of installation and is expected to generate power in late 2010.222

NTPC, India’s largest power generation company, has two CSP plants in development: a 15 

MW plant in Rajasthan and a 25 MW plant in Uttar Pradesh.223

Approved CSP projects in Gujarat224 and Rajasthan,225 shown in Table 4-2, total 351 MW 

and 30 MW, respectively. 

 

219 Adapted from Trieb, F.; Shillings, C.; O’Sullivan, M.; Pregger, T.; Hoyer-Klick, C. “2009: Global Potential 

of Concentrating Solar Power.” SolarPaces Conference Berlin. 

http://www.dlr.de/tt/en/Portaldata/41/Resources/dokumente/institut/system/projects/reaccess/DNI-Atlas-SPBerlin_20090915-04-Final-Colour.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 220 The Hindu Business Line. TERI Newswire, Vol. 16., No. 8, 16-31 April 2010; p. 8. 221 The Hindu Business Line. TERI Newswire, Vol. 16., No. 10, 16-31 May 2010. 222 ACME. ”Solar Thermal Technology.” http://www.acme.in/solar-thermal-technology.asp?links=l3a. 

Accessed August 2010. 

223 NTPC. “Foray into Renewable Energy.” 

https://www.ntpc.co.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=206&lang=en. Accessed August 

2010. 

224 Gujarat Energy Development Agency. http://www.geda.org.in/pdf/solar_allotment_webnote.pdf. Accessed 

September 2010. 
50 

Table 4-2. Approved CSP Projects in Gujarat and Rajasthan 

Company Approved CSP Project 

Capacity in Gujarat (MW)

Approved CSP Project 

Capacity in Rajasthan (MW)

Acme Telepower 46 10 

Adani Power 40 

Cargo Motors 25 

Electrotherm 40 

Abengoa 40 

IDFC 10 

KG Design Services 10 

Sun Borne Energy 50 

NTPC 50 

Welspun Urja 40 

Entegra 10 

Shri Rangam Brokers and 

Holdings 10 

Total 351 30 

4.2.3 Existing Policies, Measures, and Local Regulations 

In the past, there were several policy initiatives to establish CSP power generation in India, 

though to date there are no operational CSP plants. The failure of these initiatives is attributed 

to insufficient incentives and the historical absence of developers and EPC providers in the 

global CSP market. During the Tenth Plan, there was a goal to establish 140 MW of CSP;226

however, no grid-interactive projects were built in that time. Under the Eleventh Plan, India’s 

central government initially targeted 50 MW of solar power, which was to include both CSP 

and PV. CSP development was to be supported by a preferential tariff offered by MNRE of 

up to INR 10 (USD 0.20) per kWh for electricity from solar thermal power plants.227 The 

system capacity under this scheme was to be between 1 MW and 10 MW per state and 50 

MW total. The tariff was to be fixed for a period of 10 years.228 Now, however, the main push 

for the development of CSP is expected to come from JNNSM. 

4.2.3.1 National Solar Mission for Concentrating Solar Power 

With JNNSM, the government will work to create a favorable policy environment for solar 

thermal manufacturing. The target for Phase 1 (2010–2013) is to establish the technology and 

set up 500 MW of grid-connected CSP. Since CSP projects have a long gestation period, the 

entire allocation will be decided upon in financial year 2010–2011. Subsequent phases will 

attempt to ramp up capacity and achieve economies of scale by aiming for 10,000 MW of 

grid-connected CSP by 2022.229

In February 2010, the CERC announced a feed-in tariff for financial year 2010–2011 of INR 

15.3 (USD 0.31) for CSP, which will be revised annually, and declared that PPAs have a 

 

225 Rajastan Renewable Energy Corporation Ltd. “Note on Solar Energy Power Plants in Rajasthan.” 2010. 

www.rrecl.com/Note%20on%20Solar%20Energy.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 226 Government of India Planning Commission. “Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-12: Volume III Agriculture, 

Rural Development, Industry, Services, and Physical Infrastructure.” p. 414, 

http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v3/11th_vol3.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 227 REEEP. “Policy and Regulatory Review—Special Report on India and Indian States, 2010.” 

http://www.reeep.org/file_upload/296_tmpphpdxs0Zs.pdf. Accessed September 2010. 228 REEEP. “Policy and Regulatory Review—Special Report on India and Indian States, 2010.” 

http://www.reeep.org/file_upload/296_tmpphpdxs0Zs.pdf. Accessed September 2010. 229 MNRE. National Solar Mission. Guidelines for New Grid Connected Solar Power Projects, July 2010. 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/jnnsm-gridconnected-25072010.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 
51 

validity of 25 years.230 If total applications for projects (including PV and CSP) in Phase 1 

exceed the target of 500 MW, projects will be selected in a process of reverse bidding.231

In Phase 1, the minimum project size is 5 MW and the maximum size is 100 MW. A 

promoter can apply for several projects, but overall, the combined applications may not 

exceed 100 MW for each promoter. The promoter needs to demonstrate a net worth of INR 

30 million (USD 600,000) per MW for the first 20 MW and INR 20 million (USD 400,000) 

for each further MW.232 

Projects will be connected to the grid at 33 kV. Plants must use a technology that has been in 

operation for a period of at least one year or for which financial closure of a commercial plant 

has already been obtained. At least 30% of the value of the project components (excluding 

land) has to be obtained from India. Power evacuation will be provided by the state utility.233 

The promoter will have to pay a non-refundable processing fee of INR 100,000 (USD 2,000), 

a bid bond [on a graded scale between INR 10,000 (USD 200) and INR 50,000 (USD 1,000) 

per MW, which rises as the offered tariff lowers], an EMD in the form of a bank guarantee of 

INR 2 million (USD 40,000) per MW, and later, a performance bank guarantee of INR 3 

million (USD 60,000) per MW at the time of signing the PPA.234

A project shall achieve financial closure within 180 days from the date of signing a PPA, and 

all bank guarantees need to be valid for a period of 34 months from the date of signing a 

PPA.235 

4.2.3.2 State Policies 

In addition to JNNSM, the state of Gujarat has its own CSP policy. In accordance with the 

Gujarat Solar Power Policy of 2009, the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission set a 

levelized fixed tariff for solar thermal systems greater than 5 MW to be INR 11 (USD 0.22) 

per kWh for the first 12 years and INR 4 (USD 0.08) per kWh for the remaining 13 years.236

The scheme will provide these incentives for solar thermal systems installed and 

commissioned between 2009 and 2014, for a statewide maximum of 500 MW (of PV and 

solar thermal combined). There is a control period of two years, which means that eligible 

projects must be commissioned by March 2012. 

Power generated from CSP is exempt from electricity duty. The tariffs have already taken 

into account the 80% accelerated depreciation tax benefit and would be revised accordingly 

for those projects that are not availing the tax scheme. In the latter case, projects will be 

 

230 CERC. Tariff Order. Petition No.53/2010. 26 February 2010. 

http://cercind.gov.in/2010/ORDER/February2010/53-2010_Suo-Motu_RE_Tariff_Order_FY2010-11.pdf. 

Accessed August 2010. 

231 MNRE. National Solar Mission. Guidelines for New Grid Connected Solar Power Projects, July 2010. 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/jnnsm-gridconnected-25072010.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 232 MNRE. National Solar Mission. Guidelines for New Grid Connected Solar Power Projects, July 2010. 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/jnnsm-gridconnected-25072010.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 233 MNRE. National Solar Mission. Guidelines for New Grid Connected Solar Power Projects, July 2010. 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/jnnsm-gridconnected-25072010.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 234 MNRE. National Solar Mission. Guidelines for New Grid Connected Solar Power Projects, July 2010. 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/jnnsm-gridconnected-25072010.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 235 MNRE. National Solar Mission. Guidelines for New Grid Connected Solar Power Projects, July 2010. 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/jnnsm-gridconnected-25072010.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 236 Gujarat Energy Development Agency. Tariff Order, 29 January 2010, p. 29. 

http://www.gercin.org/docs/Orders/Nonconv%20orders/Year%202010/Order%202-2010.pdf. Accessed 

September 2010. 
52 

subject to a slightly higher state tariff but can avail the INR 0.50 (USD 0.01) per kWh GBI 

offered by MNRE. 

4.2.4 Technology Development 

There is no indigenous capacity for solar thermal power plants, although some manufacturing 

capacity exists for low-temperature solar collectors. JNNSM announced that incentive 

packages similar to SIPS (for PV) would be introduced for advanced collectors at low 

temperatures as well as for CSP collectors at medium and high temperatures.237 

Under JNNSM, it is envisaged that MNRE will set up demonstration plants for different solar 

thermal technologies: a 50–100 MW solar-thermal power plant with a storage capacity of 

4–6 hours; a 100 MW solar-thermal power plant with parabolic trough technology; a 

100–150 MW hybrid plant, which combines solar power with power from coal or biomass; 

and a 20–50 MW solar-thermal plant with molten salt or steam as a heating medium.238

4.2.5 Success Stories from the International Community and Potential 

Opportunities for India 

According to studies done by the German Aerospace Center, CSP on only 0.003 of the 

world’s deserts (i.e., 90,000 km2

) can provide 18,000 TWh/year, which is sufficient for 

global consumption.239 However, globally, the use of large-scale CSP for the generation of 

electricity is still a niche product. Although the technology has been around for a long time, 

there are currently very few commercially viable plants and capable project developers. 

The most famous CSP installation is the set of nine plants totaling 354 MW constructed by 

Solar Energy Generation Systems in the 1980s in the Mojave Desert in California, United 

States. Currently in the United States, there are two more CSP plants with a cumulative 

capacity of 65 MW in operation.240 In Spain, the Andasol 1 and 2 projects with a cumulative 

capacity of 100 MW were constructed in 2008 and 2009, respectively, by Solar 

Millennium.241 

The DESERTEC Foundation, an initiative of the Club of Rome, is aspiring to tap solar 

energy in the Sahara Desert to cater to the energy needs of Europe, the Middle East, and 

Africa.242 DESERTEC envisions widespread CSP deployment in North Africa and has 

investigated opportunities for high-voltage direct current transmission lines to carry power 

produced to southern Europe. 

Given the high irradiation data and the endemic power deficit in India, as well as the 

government’s dedication to developing CSP, the Indian market presents very attractive 

opportunities for strategic investors willing to develop the technology further and make it 

marketable in India. There is also a significant opportunity in producing equipment like 

concentrating mirrors or receiving tubes in India in order to bring down the cost of projects. 

 

237 MNRE. “Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission: Towards Building SOLAR INDIA.” p. 6. 

http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/mission-document-JNNSM.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 238 MNRE. “Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission: Towards Building SOLAR INDIA.” p. 6–7. 

http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/mission-document-JNNSM.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 239 DESERTEC Foundation. “Red Paper.” http://www.desertec.org/fileadmin/downloads/desertecfoundation_redpaper_3rd-edition_english.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 240 NREL. “U.S. Parabolic Trough Power Plant Data.” 

http://www.nrel.gov/csp/troughnet/power_plant_data.html. Accessed August 2010. 241 Solar Millennium. “The Construction of the Andasol Power Plants.” 

http://www.solarmillennium.de/front_content.php?idart=155&lang=2. Accessed August 2010. 242 DESERTEC Foundation. http://www.desertec.org/en/concept/technologies/. Accessed August 2010. 
53 

International companies such as Areva and eSolar, who have advanced thermal technology, 

are expected to be successful in the Indian market.243 Siemens, who acquired SOLEL, 

recently unveiled the latest CSP solar receiver, which will increase the output of parabolic 

trough solar thermal plants.244 The company plans to market this to India, among other 

countries, where there is a potentially high market for CSP.245

4.3 Solar Water Heating 

SWHs have widespread potential in India including in the residential, commercial and 

industrial sectors. MNRE has estimated the total SWH potential to be approximately 40 

million m2 of collector area, and as of June 2010, installations had reached just over 3.5 

million m2 of collector area. The targets for 2012 and 2022 are to reach collector area of 5 

million m2 and 20 million m2, respectively. Government support for SWH deployment is 

available as capital and interest subsidies. The Indian government is also supporting market 

development and awareness building through capacity building and outreach activities. 

4.3.1 Global Solar Water Heating Capacity 

In 2009, the worldwide existing cumulative solar hot water and heating capacity increased by 

21% to reach an estimated 180,000 thermal MW (figure excludes unglazed swimming pool 

heating).246 In 2008, approximately 70.5% of existing global SWH capacity (149,000 thermal 

MW) was in China, followed by European Union (EU) (12.3%), Turkey (5.0%), Japan 

(2.8%), and Israel (1.7%). The Indian share was 1.2%. 

 

243 Walet, L. “Foreign Companies Take a Shine to India’s $70 Billion Solar Programme.” Mint 18 June 2010. 

http://www.livemint.com/2010/06/17215210/Foreign-companies-take-shine-t.html?atype=tp. Accessed August 

2010. 

244 Siemens. “Siemens to Supply Solar Receivers for New Solar Power Plant in Spain.” 24 March 2010, 

http://www.siemens.com/press/en/pressrelease/?press=/en/pressrelease/2010/renewable_energy/ere201003049.h

tm. Accessed August 2010. 245 Siemens. “Siemens to Supply Solar Receivers for New Solar Power Plant in Spain.” 24 March 2010, 

http://www.siemens.com/press/en/pressrelease/?press=/en/pressrelease/2010/renewable_energy/ere201003049.h

tm. Accessed August 2010. 246 REN21. “Renewables 2010 Global Status Report.” Paris: REN21 Secretariat. 2010. 

http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 
54 

Table 4-3. SWH Existing Capacity, Top 10 Countries (2008)247

Country SWH Existing 

Capacity [MWth] 

SWH Existing 

Capacity 

China 105,045 70.5% 

EU 18,327 12.3% 

Turkey 7,450 5.0% 

Japan 4,172 2.8% 

Israel 2,533 1.7% 

Brazil 2,384 1.6% 

United States 1,937 1.3% 

India 1,788 1.2% 

Australia 1,341 0.9% 

South Korea 1,043 0.7% 

Others 2,980 2.0% 

Total 149,000 100% 

4.3.2 Solar Water Heating in India 

MNRE estimates that a 100-liter SWH, an appropriate size for domestic use, could save 

1,500 kWh of electricity per year. At an energy cost of INR 5 (USD 0.10) per kWh, the 

savings are INR 7,500 (USD 150). MNRE also estimates that each 1,000 100-liter SWHs 

deployed can shave 1 MW of peak power demand.248

As of 1989, the total collector area of installed SWH in India was approximately 119,000 m2.

249 Between 1995 and 2008, the annual growth rate in SWH installations was 16.8%. 250 At 

the end of 2002, India’s total installed collector area was 680,000 m2,251 and this reached 

2.7 million m2 by the end of 2008. 252 By the end of 2009, the total installed collector area had 

reached approximately 3.4 million m2

.

253 Approximately 0.5 million m2

 of this value is from 

sales between April and December 2009.254

 

247 REN21. “Renewables 2010 Global Status Report.” Paris: REN21 Secretariat. 2010. 

http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 248 MNRE. “A Brief on Solar Water Heating Systems.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/Solar-water-heaters/briefswhs.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 249 OPET-TERI & HECOPET. “Status of Solar Thermal Technologies and Markets in India and Europe—An 

OPET International Action ‘Enhancement Of Market Penetration Of Solar Thermal Technologies.’” p. 5. 

http://www.teriin.org/opet/reports/solarthermal.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 250 GKS. “Solar Water Heaters in India: Market Assessment Studies and Surveys for Different Sectors and 

Demand Segments.” 20 January 2010. http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/greentech-SWH-MarketAssessment-report.pdf. 

Accessed August 2010. 

251 MNRE. Annual Report 2002-03. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2002_2003_English/ch4_pg2.htm. 

Accessed October 2010. 252 MNRE. Annual Report 2008-09. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2008-09EN/renewable-energy-for-urbanIndustrial.htm. Accessed October 2010.

253 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. Table 1.1, No. 14. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-

10EN/Chapter1/chapter1_1.htm. Accessed August 2010. 254 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. Table 1.1, No. 14. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-

10EN/Chapter1/chapter1_1.htm. Accessed August 2010. 
55 

Figure 4-3. Cumulative installation of SWHs in India (1995–2009) 

At the end of June 2010, India’s cumulative SWH installations had reached over 

3.5 million m2 of collector area,255 less than 10% of the estimated techno-economic potential 

of approximately 40 million m2 of SWH collector area.256 India’s current installations work 

out to approximately 3 m2 of collector area per 1,000 people. In Israel where 80% of the 

households use SWH for heating their water, the SWH collector area is approximately 

500 m2 per 1,000 people.257

Present installations are concentrated (65%) in two states—Karnataka and Maharashtra—and 

more than 95% of households in India with SWH are located in urban areas. A 2010 SWH 

market assessment estimates that 85% of installed SWH are functioning.258 

As seen in Table 4-4, the SWH installations in India are distributed across the following 

market-segments: households (residential sector) in both urban and rural areas, commercial 

and institutional buildings (e.g., hotels, hospitals, hostels, and religious complexes), and 

industries. 

 

255 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-

10EN/Chapter%205/chapter%205_1.htm. Accessed October 2010. 256 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-

10EN/Chapter%205/chapter%205_1.htm. Accessed October 2010. 257REN21. “Renewables 2010 Global Status Report.” Paris: REN21 Secretariat. 2010. 

http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 258 GKS. “Solar Water Heaters in India: Market Assessment Studies and Surveys for Different Sectors and 

Demand Segments.” 20 January 2010. http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/greentech-SWH-MarketAssessment-report.pdf. 

Accessed August 2010. 
56 

Table 4-4. Estimated Breakdown: Functional SWH Installation Through December 31, 2009259 

Sector Percentage 

Distribution million m2

Residential 80% 2.108 

Hotels 6% 0.158 

Hospitals 3% 0.079 

Industries 6% 0.158 

Other (Railway, Defense, 

Hostels, Religious Places, 

Other) 5% 0.132 

Total 100% 2.635 

4.3.2.1 Households 

In households, hot water is required for bathing, cleaning utensils, washing clothes, cooking, 

and preparation of cattle feed. The majority of rural households in the country use traditional 

biomass fuels for most purposes, including heating water. Urban households tend to use 

liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and electricity for heating water with the percentage of 

households using electric water heaters being quite low. 

The main use of household SWH is for bathing. The demand of hot water varies significantly 

across different regions, from 4 months per year in warmer regions to 9 months in colder 

regions.260 The highest requirement of hot water in rural households is in the cold region of 

the country, mostly in the Himalayan states. However, most households with SWH are in 

non-rural and warmer areas. Only 5% of households with SWH are located in rural areas, and 

those are mostly in high-income rural households in parts of states including Himachal 

Pradesh and Kerala. The barriers to increased use of SWH systems in rural areas have been 

identified as: 

• High initial cost of the system. 

• Long payback period as the fuel replaced is low-cost biomass fuel. 

• Lack of piped water supply. 

• Absence of SWH supply chain. 

• Difficulty in installing conventional SWH systems on sloping roofs made of metal 

sheets or thatch.261

4.3.2.2 Commercial and Institutional Buildings 

In hotels, there is a year-round demand for hot water. The number of hotels with SWH 

systems installed has increased as a means to reduce the use of expensive petroleum fuels and 

 

259 GKS. “Solar Water Heaters in India: Market Assessment Studies and Surveys for Different Sectors and 

Demand Segments.” 20 January 2010. http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/greentech-SWH-MarketAssessment-report.pdf. 

Accessed August 2010. Note this report assumes 85% of installed collector area was functioning at the time of 

their investigation, which equates to a total functional installed collector area of 3.1 million m2

, which differs 

from the MNRE official estimate of total installed collector area through 2009 of 3.4 million m2

. 260 Greentech Knowledge Solutions Ltd. “Solar Water Heaters in India: Market Assessment Studies and Surveys 

for Different Sectors and Demand Segments.” 20 January 2010. http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/greentech-SWHMarketAssessment-report.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 261 Greentech Knowledge Solutions Ltd. “Solar Water Heaters in India: Market Assessment Studies and Surveys 

for Different Sectors and Demand Segments.” 20 January 2010. http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/greentech-SWHMarketAssessment-report.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 
57 

electricity. Use of SWH for supplying hot water in institutional buildings such as hospitals 

and hostels has lagged behind the technology adoption observed in the hotel industry. 

4.3.2.3 Industries 

Hot water and steam are used in a variety of industries including textile, dairy, and pulp and 

paper. The potential applications of SWH in the industries vary from pre-heating boiler feed 

water to a temperature of 60°–80° C, heating process hot water up to < 100° C, and canteen 

applications. 262

4.3.3 Existing Policies, Measures, and Local Regulations 

MNRE has implemented a SWH program to accelerate development and deployment of 

SWH in India through a combination of financial and promotional incentives. In addition to 

capital subsidies for SWH systems, this program provides interest subsidies.263 

MNRE is also implementing a UNDP/UNEP/GEF project titled “Global Solar Water Heating 

Market Transformation Strengthening Initiative” under UNDP’s India Country Program, 

which is designed to support SWH market development. The overarching objective of the 

UNDP/UNEP/GEF SWH project is to build on and strengthen the MNRE National 

Programme and create markets and widespread demand for SWH in different sectors, 

building awareness in sectors where SWH have application but have not experienced 

widespread adoption and raising capacity building to increase the quality of the end-use 

product. This project targets cumulative SWH installations of 10 million m2

 of collector area 

in India by 2012.264

SWHs are an integral part of JNNSM , which targets 20 million m2 of SWH collectors by 

2022. JNNSM targets 3.45 million m2 of new installations during Phase I to reach 

7 million m2

 of installed collector area by 2013, an additional 8 million m2 installed during 

Phase 2 ending 2017, and an additional 5 million m2 during Phase 3 to reach the 20 million 

m

2

 target by 2022. 

SWH systems have also been incorporated in the new national building code. SWH systems 

are included in GRIHA rating system265 for green buildings and energy conservation building 

codes. An energy labelling scheme similar to the star rating scheme for air conditioners and 

refrigerators is also planned to promote efficient SWHs. 

 

262 Greentech Knowledge Solutions Ltd. “Solar Water Heaters in India: Market Assessment Studies and Surveys 

for Different Sectors and Demand Segments.” 20 January 2010. http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/greentech-SWHMarketAssessment-report.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 263 Greentech Knowledge Solutions Ltd. “Solar Water Heaters in India: Market Assessment Studies and Surveys 

for Different Sectors and Demand Segments.” 20 January 2010. p. 35. http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/greentech-SWHMarketAssessment-report.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 264 UNDP. Global Solar Water Heating Market Transformation and Strengthening Initiative. 2009. 

http://www.undp.org.in/sites/default/files/Global-Solar-Water-Heating.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 265 GRIHA, an acronym for Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment, is the national rating system of 

India. This green building rating system has been developed by TERI, after a thorough study and understanding 

the current internationally accepted green building rating systems and the prevailing building practices in India. 

The GRIHA rating system consists of 34 criteria categorized under various sections such as Site Selection and 

Site Planning, Building Operation and Maintenance, and Innovation. For more information, see 

http://www.grihaindia.org/. Accessed August 2010. 
58 

5 Small Hydro 

Chapter Overview

The estimated potential for small hydro in India of 15,000 MW266 suggests that it can make a 

significant contribution to India’s power supply, especially in remote areas where alternative 

supply solutions face many challenges. For these reasons, the further development of small 

hydro is one of the focal areas of MNRE, who wants to concentrate on reducing the capital 

costs and enhancing the reliability, plant load factors, and average plant lifetimes. The Indian 

government aims to develop half of the identified potential in the next 10 years and is 

supporting small-hydro deployment through capital subsidies and preferential tariffs. As of 

March 2010, a total of 2,735 MW of grid-connected small hydropower has been installed, 

contributing about 16.2% to India’s total grid interactive renewable power.267

5.1 Resource/Technological Potential 

In India, small hydro plants have a capacity of 25 MW or less and are further subdivided into 

micro (100 kW or less), mini (between 100 kW and 2 MW), and small (between 2 MW and 

25 MW). Large hydropower is not covered in this paper. Small hydropower plants are 

generally run-of-river, with only small amounts of water stored, if any. These projects are 

considered environmentally benign, particularly when compared to large hydro plants with 

storage reservoirs, which can cause habitat destruction and community displacement.268

MNRE has estimated the potential for small hydro in India at 15,386 MW for 5,718 

prospective plant sites.269 Of this total potential, over 42% (6,592 MW) is in four northern 

mountainous states: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Arunachal 

Pradesh. The state-level potential estimates from MNRE are shown in Table 5-1 along with 

total installed capacity and projects in progress as of December 31, 2009.270 The current 

estimate of total small hydro potential increased from the 14,292 MW estimate published in 

MNRE’s 2008–2009 Annual Report,271 which notes that efforts to identify additional 

prospective sites are ongoing in both the public as well as the private sector. 

 

266 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed July 2010. 267 MNRE. "Achievements as of March 31, 2010." http://www.mnre.gov.in/achievements.htm. Accessed July 

2010. 

268 Palsh, O. “Small Hydro Power: Technology and Current Status.” Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev.; Vol. 

6, 2002; pp. 537-556. 

269 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed July 2010. 270 MNRE. "Achievements as of March 31, 2010." http://www.mnre.gov.in/achievements.htm. Accessed July 

2010. 

271 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed October 

2010. 
59 

Table 5-1. Small Hydro Potential by Indian State, Number of Sites, Installed Capacity, Installed Projects, 

and Capacity Under Development as of December 31, 2009272

5.2 Installed Capacity 

The Tenth Plan (2002–2007) targeted the installation of 600 MW of small hydropower. 

During that period, 520 MW was actually installed. This was significantly less than the 

1,438 MW installed during the Ninth Plan (2002–2006).273 The Eleventh Plan has established 

 

272 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed July 2010. 273 Government of India Planning Commission. “Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-12: Agriculture, Rural 

Development, Industry, Services, and Physical Infrastructure.” New Delhi, India: Oxford University Press, 

2008; p. 414. http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v3/11th_vol3.pdf. Accessed July 

2010. 

State 

Number of 

Prospective 

Sites 

Total 

Potential 

Capacity 

(MW) 

Projects 

Installed 

(MW) 

Projects in 

Progress 

(MW) 

Andaman & Nicobar Islands 7 7 5 - 

Andhra Pradesh 497 560 187 63 

Arunachal Pradesh 550 1,329 67 21 

Assam 119 239 27 15 

Bihar 95 213 55 3 

Chhattisgarh 184 993 19 - 

Goa 6 7 0 - 

Gujarat 292 197 7 5 

Haryana 33 110 69 5 

Himachal Pradesh 536 2,268 255 185 

Jammu & Kashmir 246 1,418 129 6 

Jharkhand 103 209 4 35 

Karnataka 138 748 588 107 

Kerala 245 704 134 24 

Madhya Pradesh 299 804 71 20 

Maharashtra 255 733 221 67 

Manipur 114 109 5 3 

Meghalaya 101 230 31 2 

Mizoram 75 167 28 9 

Nagaland 99 189 29 4 

Orissa 222 295 64 4 

Punjab 237 393 128 29 

Rajasthan 66 57 24 - 

Sikkim 91 266 47 5 

Tamil Nadu 197 660 90 13 

Tripura 13 47 16 - 

Uttar Pradesh 251 461 25 - 

Uttarakhand 444 1,577 133 234 

West Bengal 203 396 98 79 

Total 5,718 15,386 2,556 938 
60 

a target of 1,400 MW.274 The goal for the next 10 years is to harness half of the 15 GW of 

identified potential.275

Table 5-1 shows state-level installed capacity of small hydro plants and plants in progress. 

The state with the greatest amount of installed and in progress small hydro capacity in 2009 

was Karnataka, totaling 695 MW, which is 93% of the identified potential in the state. 

Himachal Pradesh has 440 MW of installed and in-progress small hydro plants, which is less 

than 20% of the estimated potential in this state. An additional 176.27 MW of small hydro 

capacity was added between January 1 and March 31, 2010, taking the total for financial year 

2009–2010 to 305.27 MW.276

5.3 Existing Policies, Measures, and Local Regulations 

Until 1989, all hydropower projects were under the administrative control of MoP and the 

CEA, while the responsibility for execution and maintenance was with the SEBs. Today MoP 

is involved only in hydropower projects larger than 25 MW, while MNRE is responsible for 

projects with station capacities of 25 MW or less.277

Both the central government and the state governments provide incentives for the 

construction of small hydropower plants. MNRE proposed a new small hydro scheme in 

2009–2010, which provides support in the form of capital subsidies to new plants between 

100 kW and 25 MW implemented by the state (see Table 5-2), new plants implemented by 

the private sector or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) (see Table 5-3), and R&M of 

existing plants (see Table 5-4).278 Capital subsidies are also available for watermills and 

micro hydro projects up to 100 kW. Watermill subsidies range between INR 35,000 

(USD 700) and INR 110,000 (USD 2,200). Micro-hydro subsidies range from INR 40,000 

(USD 800) to INR 100,000 (USD 2,000). In all cases, special category and northeastern 

states have a higher subsidy. The amounts are paid in installments, with the schedule of 

payments varying by the category of project. An additional financial incentive of INR 

200,000 (USD 4,000) is available to identify potential sites for projects below 1 MW and an 

additional INR 500,000 (USD 10,000) for projects between 1–25 MW. 

 

274 Government of India Planning Commission. “Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-12: Agriculture, Rural 

Development, Industry, Services, and Physical Infrastructure.” New Delhi, India: Oxford University Press, 

2008; p. 414. http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v3/11th_vol3.pdf. Accessed July 

2010. 

275 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed July 2010. 276 MNRE. "Achievements as of March 31, 2010." http://www.mnre.gov.in/achievements.htm. Accessed July 

2010. 

277 Kesharwani, M.K. “Overview of Small Hydro Power Development in Himalayan Region.” Himalayan Small 

Hydropower Summit; 12-13 October 2006 in Dehradun; p. 51. 

http://ahec.org.in/acads/HSHS/Presentations/Links/Technical%20Papers/Overview%20of%20SHP%20Develop

ment/Mr%20MK%20Kesharwani_Overview%20of%20SHP%20Development.pdf. Accessed September 2010. 278 MNRE. “Small Hydro Power Programme.” http://mnre.gov.in/adm-approvals/shp_scheme.pdf. Accessed 

July 2010. 
61 

Table 5-2. MNRE Support for New Small Hydro Projects Implemented by the State279

Category Projects 100–1,000 kW 1–25 MW

Special category and 

NE states

INR 50,000/kW 

(USD 1,000/kW)

INR 50 million (USD 1 million) 

for the first MW; INR 5 million 

(USD 100,000) for each 

additional MW

Other states INR 25,000/kW 

(USD 500/kW)

INR 25 million (USD 500,000) 

for the first MW; INR 4 million 

(USD 80,000) for each 

additional MW

Table 5-3. MNRE Support for New Small Hydro Projects Implemented by the Private Sector and 

NGOs280

Category Projects 100–1,000 kW 1 MW–25 MW

Special category and 

NE states

INR 20,000/kW 

(USD 400/kW)

INR 20 million (USD 400,000) 

for the first MW; INR 3 million 

(USD 60,000) for each 

additional MW

Other states INR 12,000/kW 

(USD 240/kW)

INR 12.5 million (USD 

250,000) for the first MW; INR 

2 million (USD 40,000) for 

each additional MW

Table 5-4. MNRE Scheme to Renovate and Modernize Existing Projects281

Category Projects 100–1,000 kW 1–25 MW

Special category and 

NE states

INR 25,000/kW 

(USD 500/kW)

INR 25 million (USD 500,000) 

for the first MW; INR 4 million 

(USD 80,000) for each 

additional MW

Other states INR 15,000/kW 

(USD 300/kW)

INR 15 million (USD 300,000) 

for the first MW; INR 3.5 

million (USD 70,000) for each 

additional MW

In several states, various additional supporting policies are available for private small hydro 

projects, including wheeling and banking, buy-back of power, and allowances for third-party 

sale. Direct subsidies for different project costs are available.282

For 2009–2010, CERC has established preferential levelized tariffs for different states and 

plant capacities (see Table 5-5). Projects below 5 MW often have higher capital and 

operating costs and cannot take advantage of economies of scale. Though projects in 

Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and the northeastern states have a higher capital cost, they 

also have higher capacity factors due to the hilly terrain and resource availability, so the 

 

279 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed July 2010. 280 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed July 2010. 281 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed July 2010. 282 MNRE. “Small Hydro Power Programme.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/prog-smallhydro.htm. Accessed October 

2010. 
62 

tariffs offered in these states are less than those offered for projects in other states.283 The 

tariff period for small hydro of less than 5 MW has been modified to run for 35 years in order 

to provide long-term certainty. The tariff period for small hydropower above 5 MW is 

13 years, which is the same as for all renewable energy other than solar power.284 Based on 

recommendations by CERC, 23 states have declared that they will create attractive 

investment possibilities for the private sector through incentive schemes. Ten states have 

already made concrete offers in this direction. Developers also have the option to negotiate 

special tariffs on a project basis. 

Table 5-5. CERC—Small Hydro Preferential Tariffs for FY 2009–2010285

Category Levelized Tariff 

INR (USD) per kWh

Net-levelized Tariff after 

Adjusting for Accelerated 

Benefit 

INR (USD) per kWh

Himachal Pradesh, 

Uttarakhand, NE states 

(below 5 MW)

3.90 (0.08) 

(Tariff period 35 years)

3.67 (0.07)

Himachal Pradesh, 

Uttarakhand, NE states 

(5–25 MW) 

3.35 (0.07) 

(Tariff period 13 years) 

3.14 (0.06) 

Other states 

(below 5 MW) 

4.62 (0.09) 

(Tariff period 35 years) 

4.35 (0.09) 

Other states 

(5–25 MW)

4.00 (0.08) 

(Tariff period 13 years)

3.75 (0.08)

In order to be eligible for governmental incentive schemes, a project developer must fulfill 

different standards of the IEC as well as the International Standards. These standards are:286

• For turbines and generators (rotating electrical machines): IEC 60034–1: 1983; 

IEC 61366–1: 1998; IEC 61116: 1992; IS 4722–2001; IS 12800 (part 3)–1991. 

• Field study for hydraulic power of the turbines: IEC 60041–1991. 

• Control system of the hydraulic turbines: IEC 60308. 

• Transformers: IS 3156–1992, IS 2705–1992, IS 2026–1983. 

• Inlet valves of power plants and systems: IS 7326–1902. 

5.4 Investment Flows and Industrial Trends 

Until the end of the 1990s, the Indian small hydropower market, similar to the entire power 

market, was dominated by public-sector companies. Most plants even today are operated by 

the various state power utilities with central government companies playing a smaller role. In 

 

283 CERC. “Regulations.” 

http://cercind.gov.in/Regulations/Final_SOR_RE_Tariff_Regulations_to_upload_7_oct_09.pdf. Accessed 

September 2010. 

284 CERC. “Regulations.” 

http://cercind.gov.in/Regulations/Final_SOR_RE_Tariff_Regulations_to_upload_7_oct_09.pdf. Accessed 

September 2010. 

285 CERC. “Tariff Order.” http://www.cercind.gov.in/2009/November09/284-2009_final_3rdDecember09.pdf. 

Accessed September 2010. 

286 MNRE. "Small Hydro Power Programme." http://mnre.gov.in/prog-smallhydro.htm. Accessed September 

2010. 
63 

recent years, private companies have also started to get involved. Investor interest is 

increasing due to new incentive systems. As of December 2009, the private sector has 

accomplished 192 projects with a total capacity of 1,005 MW.287 This corresponds to 39% of 

the total installed capacity. In addition, 296 private projects totaling approximately 936 MW 

are in various stages of implementation.288 The State of Karnataka leads with 66 private 

projects holding a capacity of 521 MW.289

Most project developers and plant operators are not hydropower specialists but come from 

the broader energy and infrastructure sector. Examples are HEG Limited and Bharat 

Petroleum Corporation Limited. 

India has a good network of local manufacturers and service providers who can provide 

complete systems as well as construction and spare parts such as turbines, regulators, and 

generators. 

5.5 Implication in Rural Electrification 

Small hydropower is well-suited for rural, remote, and hilly regions, such as the Himalayas, 

due to the high capacity factors of plants established in these areas. 

MNRE has developed a special financial incentives package for on- and off-grid small 

hydropower in northeast India. As of March 2010, 151 projects, totaling 241.27 MW, have 

been implemented and another 53 projects, totaling 58.05 MW, were under execution. 290

During financial year 2009–2010, three new projects totaling 10 MW were approved in 

Arunachal Pradesh and two projects at 3 MW have been approved for R&M. The ministry 

has also approved 13 micro hydro projects and 20 watermills in Sikkim.291 

Arunachal Pradesh Energy Development Agency is executing a program to electrify all 

border villages in the state through solar, hydro, and micro-hydro systems. This is under the 

Prime Minister’s Special Package worth INR 2.75 billion (USD 55 million) over 3 years. Out 

of 1,483 villages, 603 will be covered through 62 small hydro projects, 334 through 137 

micro-hydro projects, and the remaining 546 through solar PV.292

In 2002, Andhra Pradesh set up a governmental agency, Tribal Power Company, for 

implementing small hydro projects (1–3 MW each) in tribal areas, which are otherwise 

restricted for development. These projects should be developed in partnership with tribal 

women, and all profits from the projects are to go to the tribes.293 

 

287 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. p. 54. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-

10EN/Chapter%206/chapter%206_1.htm. Accessed July 2010. 288 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. p. 54. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-

10EN/Chapter%206/chapter%206_1.htm. Accessed July 2010. 289 MNRE. http://mnre.gov.in. Accessed July 2010. 290 MNRE. “Renewable Energy in North Eastern States.” p. 86. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-

10EN/Chapter%209/chapter%209_1.htm. Accessed July 2010. 291 MNRE. “Renewable Energy in North Eastern States.” p. 86. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-

10EN/Chapter%209/chapter%209_1.htm. Accessed July 2010. 292 Ashkay Urja. “National Workshop on Village Energy Security Program.” Vol. 2, Issue 16, June 2009; p. 43. 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/akshayurja/june09-e.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 293 TRIPCO. “Particulars of the Organization, Functions and Duties.” 

http://www.aptribes.gov.in/html/tripco/1.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 
64 

5.6 Technology Development and Transfer 

Small hydropower has a capital cost of about INR 50–60 million (USD 1–1.2 million) per 

MW, which is slightly higher than wind, and a levelized energy cost of about INR 1.50–2.50 

(USD 0.03–0.05) per kWh, which is the lowest among renewable energy technologies in 

India.294

Small hydropower equipment has been undergoing steady improvement in efficiency and 

reliability. This is primarily because of a shift from mechanical to automated electronic 

control systems and grid integration. Further improvements include remote operating projects 

and utilization of automatic data collection systems to allow remote monitoring of system 

performance. The technological trend is to continue to improve reliability and reduce capital 

cost while increasing efficiency. Logistical and civil construction processes need to be 

redesigned to reduce installation time. Advancements can also be made in sediment 

management to reduce silting of equipment.295

5.7 Local Case Studies 

The Indian industrial company BHEL is a key player in this sector with over 20% of the total 

installed capacity.296 BHEL has been involved in the design and manufacture of large 

hydropower equipment since 1966 (contributing 16,996 MW of capacity to India’s total) and 

with modern renewable technologies since the 1980s.297 The company has been pioneering 

the smallest rated bulb and Pelton turbines as well as the highest speed 1,500 RPM Francis 

turbines.298

There are also a number of medium-sized companies in this sector such as Boving Fouress, 

Escher Wyss Flovel, Jyoti, Steel Industrials Kerala, Kirloskar Bros, HPP Energy, Flovel 

Mecamidi Energy, Prakruti Hydro Labs, Indusree, Ushvin Hydro System, DRG Jalshakti 

Eng., Gita Flow Pumps, Pentaflo Hydro Engineers, Everest Energy, Plus Power System, 

Standard Electronics Instruments Corporation, and Vinci Aqua Systems. Most offer 

equipment as well as turnkey solutions and maintenance services. Pentaflo Hydro Engineers 

is an example of a small hydropower manufacturer based in Delhi. The company 

manufactures Pelton, Francis, Butterfly Valve, Kaplan, Micro, and Cross Flow turbines for 

projects from 1 MW to 5 MW.299 Flovel Mecamidi Energy specializes in complete hydro 

solutions and has over 20 projects under implementation. The company employs 220 people 

and had a sales turnover of over INR 900 million (USD 18 million) for financial year 2009–

2010.300

 

294 Government of India Planning Commission. “Integrated Energy Policy: Report of the Expert Committee.” 

2006; p. 90. http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/rep_intengy.pdf. Accessed July 2010. 295 MNRE. http://www.mnre.gov.in/shp-rand.htm. Accessed September 2010. Alternate Hydro Energy Centre 

IIT; Roorkee; MNRE. “Standards/Manuals/Guidelines for Small Hydro Development.” 

http://www.iitr.ac.in/PageUploads/files/1_12%2520Guidelines%2520for%2520modernization%2520and%2520

renovation%2520of%2520SHP%2520stations.pdf. Accessed September 2010. 296 Awasthi, S.R. “Development of Renewable Energy Technologies in India, The Role of BHEL” 

http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/BHEL.pdf June 2009. Accessed October 2010. 297 Awasthi, S.R. “Development of Renewable Energy Technologies in India, The Role of BHEL” 

http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/BHEL.pdf June 2009. Accessed October 2010. 298 Awasthi, S.R. “Development of Renewable Energy Technologies in India, The Role of BHEL” 

http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/BHEL.pdf June 2009. Accessed October 2010. 299 Pentaflo Hydro Engineers. http://www.pentaflo.com/about.html. Accessed October 2010. 300 Flovel Mecamidi. http://www.flovel.in/About-Us.html. Accessed October 2010. 
65 

5.8 Success Stories from the International Community and Potential 

Opportunities for India 

China has made extensive use of small hydro in rural electrification programs, and this sector 

continues to grow with approximately 33 GW of small-hydro plants (less than 10 MW) added 

in 2009.301 Several factors have contributed to the success of small hydro in China, including 

the low-interest loans provided by the Ministry of Water Resources,302 government subsidies 

for capital costs under the Chinese Township Electrification Program, and the effective 

mobilization of private capital.303

The Energy Management Centre in Kerala partnered with UNIDO to establish a regional 

center for small hydro. The aim of this center is to transfer practices from China’s successful 

small hydro program to the region.304 The center conducts capacity building events, analysis 

and design of small-hydro plants, and outreach and coordination regionally and 

internationally.305

International small-hydro companies are not yet very active but are increasingly interested in 

the Indian market. For example, the project developer Epuron invests in small hydropower in 

Karnataka. Companies like Alstom, ABB, and Voith Hydro are offering components and 

engineering services in India.306

The Indian market for small hydropower offers good business opportunities to international 

companies. The market development has been very positive and constant, and the 

applicability and economic viability of small hydro technology in India has been proven 

adequately. In order to develop hydropower projects, foreign companies prefer to work with 

an Indian partner who has a good local network in the relevant region and can take the lead 

on the purchase of land and the approval processes. 

 

301 REN21. “Global Status Report 2010.” http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/g2010.asp. Accessed October 

2010. 

302 NREL. “Renewable Energy Policy in China: Financial Incentives.” 

http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/36045.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 303Limin, H. “Financing Rural Renewable Energy: A Comparison Between China and India.” Renew. 

Sustainable Energy Rev.; Vol. 13, 2009; pp. 1096-1103. 304 UNIDO. http://www.unidorc.org/emc_shp.htm. Accessed October 2010. 305 UNIDO. http://www.unidorc.org/emc_act.htm. Accessed July 2010. 306 MNRE. “List of Equipment Manufacturers of Small Hydro Turbines.” http://mnre.gov.in/manufacurerssht.htm Accessed October 2010. 
66 

6 Bioenergy 

Chapter Overview 

Historically, traditional biomass has been a major source of household energy in India. 

Today, the total energy supply in India is composed of approximately 40% non-commercial 

energy sources such as wood and cow dung.307 Rural households in India predominantly use 

wood and cow dung as fuel for cooking and water heating due to lack of electricity.308

Modern biomass energy is derived from organic material and can be used in a variety of 

conversion processes to yield power, heat/steam, and fuel. In India, the use is focused on 

waste materials such as municipal, agricultural, or forest residues. Biomass is generally 

divided into three categories: biogas, solid biomass, and liquid biofuels. 

Biogas has been mostly used for small, rural, and off-grid applications, and the majority of 

gasifiers in India are providing for individual households. About 4 million family-size biogas 

plants were installed in India and MNRE estimates that the annual biogas generation potential 

is about 17,340 million m3, which could support the installation of up to about 12 million 

family-size biogas plants. Another 70 projects with aggregated capacity of 91 MW electricity 

equivalent were installed in India through larger scale biogas facilities use wastewater 

generated from beverage, meat processing, pulp and paper, food packaging, and other 

industrial sectors. Another 73 medium biogas plants with aggregated capacity of 461 kW 

have been installed under Distributed/Grid Power Generation Program of the Ministry. 

Existing incentives for encouraging biogas production include financial incentives for 

turnkey operations in rural areas, loans for developing biogas plants in agricultural priority 

areas, and automatic refinancing offered by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural 

Development (NABARD). 

Biomass resources in India are used for power generation through three general applications: 

grid-connected biomass power plants, off-grid distributed biomass power applications, and 

cogeneration via sugar mill and other industries. The amount of biomass resources in India is 

estimated about 565 million tonnes per year, including agricultural residues and forest 

residues. The surplus biomass resources (not used for animal feed, cooking, or other 

purposes) available for power generation annually is about 189 million tonnes, which could 

support roughly 25 GW of installed capacity. 

India’s biofuel strategy is currently focused on using non-food feedstock for the production 

of biofuels, mainly sugar molasses and non-edible oils, and development and application of 

advanced conversion technologies are being explored for the near future. The commercial 

production of biodiesel is very limited, and what is produced is mostly sold for experimental 

projects and to the unorganized rural sector. The existing biodiesel producers in India are 

using non-edible oilseeds, non-edible oil waste, animal fat, and used cooking oil as feedstock. 

6.1 Biogas 

Biogas is obtained via an anaerobic process of digesting organic material such as animal 

waste, crop residues, and waste from industrial and domestic activities to produce the 

combustible gas methane. In India, most biogas plants primarily use cattle manure and 

 

307 European Energy Forum. "Energy Policy in India Dinner Debate." 

http://www.europeanenergyforum.eu/archives/european-energy-forum/energy-management-and-policy/energypolicy-in-india. Accessed September 2010.

308 Karandikar, V.; Rana, A. “Future of Energy Options for India in an Independent World.” Reliance Industries 

Ltd.; p. 6. http://www.worldenergy.org/documents/p001145.pdf. Accessed September 2010. 
67 

operate at a household level to meet cooking and lighting needs in rural areas throughout the 

country. MNRE estimates that with the biogas generation potential, about 12 million familysize biogas plants could be supported. An additional 1,300 MW could be supported from 

biogas using industrial wastewater (primarily from distilleries and sugar and starch 

processing plants). 

6.1.1 Resource/Technological Potential 

Biogas can be combusted directly as a source of heat for cooking, used for space cooling and 

refrigeration, or used as fuel in gas lamps for lighting. It may also be used to fuel internal 

combustion engines for production of mechanical work or for electricity. The slurry produced 

after digestion can be used directly as a valuable fertilizer. 

In India, most biogas plants operate at a household level to meet cooking and lighting needs 

in rural areas. MNRE reports that there are about 4 million family-size biogas plants installed 

in the country and estimates that the annual biogas generation potential (based on available 

cattle manure) is about 17,340 million m3

, which could support the installation of up to about 

12 million family-size biogas plants. In addition, there are larger plants servicing clusters of 

houses and whole villages. As of 2006, the total number of community-level biogas plants 

was 3,902, which is a small number compared to India’s 600,000 villages.309 Given India’s 

large population and high density (Figure 6-1) of cattle, cattle manure has become the 

primary feedstock for biogas generation at a domestic and community level. With about 28% 

of the world’s total cattle population, India ranks first in the world. 

 

309 Ravindranath, N.H.; Balachandra, P. “Sustainable Bioenergy for India: Technical, Economic and Policy 

Analysis.” Energy J.; Iss. 34, 2009; pp. 1003–1013. 
68 

Figure 6-1. Cattle density in India 

The larger-scale biogas facilities use wastewater generated from beverage, meat processing, 

pulp and paper, food packaging, and other industries to produce electricity. MNRE reports 

that 70 projects with an aggregate capacity of 91 MW have been installed under the Energy 
69 

Recovery from Urban and Industrial Waste programs of the Ministry.310 The estimated 

potential from industrial effluent is about 1.3 GW, and potential is expected to reach 2 GW 

by 2017.311 MNRE is exploring opportunities for installing anaerobic digesters at sewage 

treatment plants to generate biogas for electricity production. The agency estimates that the 

liquid organic waste generated every year by the urban population in India could support over 

2.5 GW of installed capacity. 

Electricity is also produced by biogas plants installed under the Biogas Distributed/Grid 

Power Generation Program (BGPG) launched by MNRE in 2006. Under this program, the 

projects are developed at the village level by a community organization, institution, or private 

entrepreneurs, and the produced electricity is sold to individuals or communities or to the grid 

on mutually agreed terms. The unit capacity ranges from 3 kW to 250 kW. MNRE reports 

that, currently, there are 73 projects installed with a total capacity of 461 kW. 312

6.1.2 Capacity Growth 

MNRE reports that 101,529 family-size biogas plants (1–6 m3 capacity) were installed in 

India during financial year 2008–2009.313 This resulted in an estimated savings of about 

120,000 tonnes of fuel wood equivalent and generated about 3 million person-days of 

employment for skilled and unskilled workers in rural areas. Additionally, 51,732 family-size 

biogas plants were installed between April and December 2009 (out of the planned 150,000 

family-size biogas plants for the entire financial year 2009–2010). 

MNRE reported that 10 biogas projects using industrial waste, with a total capacity of 

approximately 10 MW, were completed during 2008–2009. These included 1.40 MW of 

installed capacity at a distillery in Tiruchirapally (Tamil Nadu), 3.66 MW using poultry litter 

in Dupalapudi (East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh), 0.69 kW at a distillery in 

Ahmedhnagar (Maharashtra), 1.00 MW using starch waste in Gujarat, and six projects in the 

states of Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu with a total 

capacity of 3.19 MW using liquid waste from the food industry and tanneries. Additionally, 

eight projects with an aggregate capacity of approximately 14 MW were completed in 2009. 

These included five projects totalling approximately 12 MW installed capacity at distilleries, 

two 1 MW projects using waste from starch factories, and one small project generating 

biogas from yeast waste. 

Under BGPG, 65 new projects with a total installed capacity of 0.353 MW were initiated in 

the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand during 

2008–2009. Approximately 14 additional projects were initiated during this time in Tamil 

Nadu and another 11 projects in Kerala. During 2009–2010, one new project was initiated in 

Haryana and several project proposals were received from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, 

Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and by Khadi and Village Industries Commission. 

 

310 Maithani, P.C. MNRE. Personal communication. October 2010. 311 MNRE. “Annual Report 2009-10.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-

10EN/Chapter%205/chapter%205_1.htm. Accessed October 2010. 312 Maithani, P.C. MNRE. Personal communication. October 2010. 313 MNRE. “Annual Report 2009-10.” http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed May 

2010. 
70 

6.1.3 Existing Policies, Measures, and Local Regulations 

Under the Eleventh Plan, the Government of India established a goal of deploying 2 million 

family-size biogas plants.314

Currently, incentives for biogas projects include:315

• Financial incentives for turnkey operations in rural areas. 

• Loans for developing biogas plants in agricultural priority areas. 

• Automatic refinancing offered by NABARD. 

The National Biogas and Manure Management Program (NBMMP), implemented in 1981, 

continues to support the deployment of biogas plants utilizing manure and other organic 

wastes.316 The financial support ranges from INR 2,100 (USD 42) to INR 11,700 (USD 234) 

per plant. This program focuses on family-size installations to meet the cooking and energy 

needs of households and the manufacturing of fertilizers in rural areas. Under the NBMMP, 

12 biogas training centers have been established throughout India to develop local technical 

capacity in this field. 

The BGPG focuses mainly on the promotion of small capacity biogas-based power 

generation. In 2008, MNRE established a demonstration program, the Demonstration of 

Integrated Technology Package on Biogas Generation Purification and Bottling, to determine 

the feasibility of integrating “generation, purification/enhancement, bottling and piped 

distribution of biogas” at medium-sized facilities.317 Under the first phase of this program, 

MNRE provided financial support up to 50% of the project costs. 

MNRE provides incentives for the recovery of energy from MSW and other urban waste 

streams under the Programme of Energy Recovery.318 In 2010, five MSW pilot projects are 

eligible to receive INR 20 million (USD 400,000) per MW installed, up to 20% of the project 

costs, or INR 100 million (USD 2 million) total, whichever is lower. MNRE also provides 

40% of the total project costs with a maximum incentive of INR 20 million (USD 400,000) 

per MW for the generation of electricity from biogas at sewage treatment plants. For power 

generation from biomethanation-based projects, MNRE will provide up to 30% of the project 

costs with a maximum incentive of INR 30 million (USD 600,000) per MW. Both private and 

public sector projects are eligible for these waste-to-energy incentives. 

For the industrial sector, MNRE provides support for the recovery of energy from wastes.319

Under the Programme on Energy from Industrial Wastes, MNRE provides financial 

assistance for resource assessment, R&D, technology improvements, performance evaluation, 

 

314 Government of India Planning Commission. “Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-12: Agriculture, Rural 

Development, Industry, Services, and Physical Infrastructure.” 

http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v3/11th_vol3.pdf. Accessed April 2010. 315 New Energy India. “RE Policy Overview.” http://www.newenergyindia.org/Policy%20Page.htm. Accessed 

May 2010. 

316 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed May 

2010. 

317 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed May 

2010. 

318 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed May 

2010. 

319 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed May 

2010. 
71 

and other associated components of waste-to-energy projects. Industrial sector waste-toenergy projects are eligible to receive incentives between INR 5–10 million (USD 100,000–

200,000) per MW. These incentives are available for both private and public sector projects. 

6.1.3.1 Local Policies 

The State of Haryana announced a program promoting the installation of 50,000 family-size 

biogas plants. The program is designed to take advantage of CDM funding by having a single 

financial institution undertake the project as a whole instead of focusing on individual project 

installations by separate entities.320

6.1.4 Investment Flows and Industrial Trends 

The demand for and number of small technical and thermal gasification plants is increasing in 

India. The wide ranges of manufacturers in this market are steadily improving their 

technology and products, which has lead to an establishment of Indian companies in the 

global market.321 Thus, foreign companies face strong competition from already established 

Indian companies in the Indian market who have knowledge of local conditions and 

requirements. 

For larger scale projects on the MW-scale level, biogas plants have not yet been widely 

commercialized. Given the significant potential for biogas from various sources of 

agricultural or industrial waste, companies able to develop reproducible and sustainable 

business models for larger projects have a great market opportunity in India. A further step of 

value creation can be added by upgrading biogas to natural gas equivalent and feeding it into 

the grid. This technology is not applied yet in India. 

Some international companies are now venturing into this field. In the scope of a publicprivate partnership, EnviTec, a German biogas specialist, and its Indian partner MPPL, with 

the support of GTZ, are planning a pilot project in Punjab. The project is to have a capacity of 

25 MW, later expanding to 750 MW.322

6.1.5 Technology Development and Transfer 

During 2008–2009, MNRE established a new initiative to demonstrate an integrated 

technology for biogas plants at a medium scale (200–1,000 m3

/day). This technology 

integrates biogas generation, purification/enrichment, bottling, and piped distribution. During 

2009–2010, eight integrated biogas plants at a medium scale, with an aggregate capacity of 

5,700 m3/day, were initiated in the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, 

Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Punjab.323

6.1.6 Local Case Studies 

There are some interesting cases of companies who develop biogas solutions on a mass scale. 

One example is the Indian company SKG Sangha, who develops small biogas plants for 

domestic use in Karnataka. Animal and household wastes are used as feedstock, thereby 

replacing firewood with sustainable and less-polluting sources and improving waste disposal. 

 

320 Financial Express. (2010). “Haryana Looks at Biogas Plants to Boost Green Energy Use.” 8 February 2010. 

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/haryana-looks-at-biogas-plants-to-boost-green-energy-use/576777/1. 

Accessed May 2010. 

321 “Länderprofil Indien.” Berlin: Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH, 2007 (update February 2010). 322 Developpp.de. http://www.developpp.de. Accessed July 16, 2010. 323 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed May 

2010. 
72 

By 2009, over 80,000 plants had been installed, each saving around 4 tons of CO2 per year. 

The plants were built and maintained by 2,000 employees.324 

Another successful case study comes from Kerala, where 16,000 plants were installed by the 

Indian company BIOTECH by 2009. Home, market, and municipal waste are used as 

feedstock, and the plants vary in size. The installation costs can be partly reduced through 

government subsidies, and an average family is able to finance a plant within 3 years.325

6.2 Solid Biomass 

Solid biomass includes agricultural and forest residues as well as organic household and 

industrial wastes for direct combustion or gasification to provide electricity or combined 

electricity and heat (cogeneration). MNRE estimates that the surplus biomass resources 

potentially available for power generation could support roughly 25 GW of installed 

capacity.326 Cogeneration plants are mainly found in the sugar industry where the heat can be 

used for the production process and the power surplus is typically sold to the grid. MNRE 

estimates that there is a potential of about 15 GW using cogeneration in various industries 

including sugar mills, breweries, textile mills, distilleries, fertilizer plants, pulp and paper 

mills, and rice mills. 

6.2.1 Resource/Technological Potential 

Biomass resources in India are used for power generation in three general applications: 

• Grid-connected biomass power plants (using combustion and gasification 

conversion technologies). 

• Off-grid/distributed biomass power applications (using primarily gasification 

conversion technology). 

• Cogeneration (simultaneous production of both heat energy and electricity from 

one energy source). 

o Bagasse cogeneration in sugar mills. 

o Non-bagasse cogeneration in other industries. 

6.2.1.1 Power Generation 

MNRE estimates the amount of biomass resources in India at about 565 million tonnes per 

year, including agricultural residues (resulting from crop harvesting and processing) and 

forest residues (resulting from logging and wood processing). The agricultural residues, 

which provide most of the biomass resources in the country, include rice husk, rice straw, 

bagasse, sugar cane tops and leaves, groundnut shells, cotton stalks, and mustard stalks. Some 

of the agricultural and forest residues are already in use as animal feed and fuel for domestic 

cooking, among other purposes. MNRE estimates that the amount of surplus biomass 

resources available for power generation annually is about 189 million tonnes, which could 

 

324 Ashden Awards. “Clean Cooking and Income Generation from Biogas Plants in

Karnataka.” http://www.ashdenawards.org/files/reports/SKG_Sangha_2007_Technical_report.pdf. Accessed 

July 2010. 

325 Ashden Awards. “Management of Domestic and Municipal Waste at Source Produces Biogas for Cooking 

and Electricity Generation.” 

http://www.ashdenawards.org/files/reports/Biotech_India_2007_Technical_report_.pdf. Accessed July 2010. 326 MNRE. “Biomass Resource Atlas of India.” v2.0; 2009. Biomass data by state 2002-04, 

http://lab.cgpl.iisc.ernet.in/Atlas/Tables/Tables.aspx. Accessed October 2010. 
73 

support roughly 25 GW of installed capacity.327 As illustrated in Figure 6-2, states with the 

highest potential include Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh. 

Total biomass power installed capacity in India is about 829 MW. 

Source: MNRE. Biomass Resource Atlas of India v2.0; includes agricultural and forest residues 

Figure 6-2. Biomass potential by state 

6.2.1.2 Cogeneration 

Cogeneration plants provide both heat energy, used in the mill, and electricity, which is 

typically sold to the grid. MNRE estimates that about 15 GW of electricity generating 

capacity could be achieved through adding cogeneration capabilities in various industries 

including sugar mills, breweries, textile mills, distilleries, fertilizer plants, pulp and paper 

mills, and rice mills. Alternatively, gasifier systems that convert biomass resources into a 

combustible gas for the generation of electricity and heat could be installed at these plants to 

meet their captive energy requirements. 

India is the world’s second largest sugar producer with production companies concentrated in 

the sugarcane-growing states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, 

and Andhra Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh accounts for 31% of the total sugar production in the 

nation and Maharashtra's contribution is close to 28%. The Indian government encourages 

sugar mills to invest in cogeneration plants using bagasse, the fibrous residue remaining after 

sugarcane stalks are crushed to extract their juice. MNRE reports that there are about 550 

sugar mills in the country with a potential for 5 GW installed capacity. 

6.2.2 Capacity Growth 

In 2008, the grid-connected capacity additions for biomass power and bagasse cogeneration 

were 97 MW and 248 MW, respectively.328 Between April and December 2009, biomass 

power and bagasse cogeneration contributed 384 MW of capacity additions bringing the total 

biomass power and cogeneration capacity to 2,136 MW.329 Biomass power projects 

contributed 125 MW and bagasse cogeneration contributed 259 MW during this period. The 

total installed grid-connected biomass power and bagasse cogeneration capacity was 

2,322 MW at the end of June 2010.330

 

327 MNRE. “Biomass Resource Atlas of India.” v2.0; 2009. Biomass data by state 2002-04, 

http://lab.cgpl.iisc.ernet.in/Atlas/Tables/Tables.aspx. Accessed October 2010. 328 MNRE. Annual Report 2008-2009. http://www.mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2008-09EN/power-forrenewables.htm. Accessed October 2010. 329 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-2010. http://www.mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-

10EN/Chapter%206/chapter%206_1.htm. Accessed October 2010. 330 MNRE. “Achievements.” http://mnre.gov.in/achievements.htm. Accessed October 2010. 
74 

MNRE reports that in the last 4 years, 63 non-bagasse cogeneration and 153 biomass 

gasifiers were brought online with total capacity of 211 MW and 45 MWe, respectively, to 

provide power to industrial facilities.331 The cumulative installed capacity as of June 30, 

2010, was 238 MW of biomass power and non-bagasse cogeneration and 125 MW of 

biomass gasifiers.332 

6.2.3 Existing Policies, Measures, and Local Regulations 

During the Eleventh Plan, the central government plans to add 2,100 MW of grid-connected 

biopower, representing an increase of about 37% in total capacity installed compared to 

2007.333 

Incentives for biomass power projects include capital subsidies, tax benefits, and preferential 

tariffs. 

6.2.3.1 Tariff for Electricity Generated from Biomass 

For 2009–2010, CERC has established a levelized preferential tariff for biomass energy 

projects ranging from INR 3.93/kWh (USD 0.079/kWh) to INR 5.52/kWh (USD 

0.11/kWh).334 The levelized tariff decreases to INR 3.35 (USD 0.064) to INR 4.62/kWh 

(USD 0.092/kWh) in 2010–2011 (including available depreciation benefits, the net levelized 

tariff is INR 3.16 [USD 0.063] to INR 4.43/kWh [USD 0.089/kWh]). 

Biomass projects may also qualify for 80% depreciation on specific equipment such as 

fluidized bed boilers and high efficiency boilers, a 10-year income tax holiday, and central 

excise duty exemptions.335 

6.2.3.2 Biomass Energy and Cogeneration Incentives 

Under the MNRE Biomass Energy and Cogeneration in Industries Programme, projects that 

utilize currently untapped resources to provide captive thermal energy and electricity can 

receive INR 200,000 (USD 4,000) to INR 1.5 million (USD 30,000) per 100 kW project for 

biomass gasifier systems and up to INR 2 million (USD 40,000) per MW for non-bagasse 

biomass cogeneration projects. The energy captured in these projects must be used onsite. 

Furthermore, financial incentives such as “accelerated depreciation, concessional custom 

duty, excise duty exemption, tax exemption, income tax exemption on projects for power 

generation for 10 years...are available to biomass power projects.”336

 

331 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-2010. http://www.mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-

10EN/Chapter%205/chapter%205_1.htm. Accessed October 2010. 332 MNRE. “Achievements.” http://mnre.gov.in/achievements.htm. Accessed October 2010. 333 Government of India Planning Commission. “Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-12: Agriculture, Rural 

Development, Industry, Services, and Physical Infrastructure.” 

http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v3/11th_vol3.pdf. Accessed April 2010. 334Shah, S.R. “Feed-in Tariff and Renewable Purchase Obligation for Distribution Companies.” Presentation to 

the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India at the Conference on Mainstreaming Green 

Energy—Wind, Biomass & Solar on April 29, 2010 in Chennai. 

http://www.assocham.org/events/recent/showevent.php?id=426. Accessed August 2010. 335 IREDA. “Incentives Available in the Sector (Biomass Power Generation).” 

http://www.ireda.gov.in/homepage1.asp?parent_category=2&sub_category=22&category=27. Accessed May 

2010. 

336 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed May 

2010. 
75 

6.2.3.3 Local Policies 

Local support for biomass power generation varies by state.337 Preferential tariffs for biomass 

projects are available in several states including Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, 

Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Karnataka, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, 

Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh ranging from INR 3.35/kWh (USD 

0.067/kWh) in Madhya Pradesh to INR 4.62/kWh (USD 0.092/kWh) in Haryana.338 Some 

states provide an exemption from the general sales tax, and some provide capital subsidies up 

to INR 2.5 million (USD 50,000) per MW.339

6.2.4 Investment Flows and Industrial Trends 

According to MNRE, combustion of biomass and cogeneration has been used in the sugar 

industry for over 20 years, mainly for waste disposal. Since the primary aim was not to 

produce energy, the efficiency of these plants is low. However, the possibility to generate an 

additional benefit through feeding the energy surplus in the grid leads to new dynamics and 

new opportunities. Large companies like Triveni or Simbhaoli Sugars are changing from 

being solely sugar producers to also providers of energy technology and power. 

Companies from other industries are realizing the business opportunities in biomass for largescale generation of electricity as well. A2Z Maintenance & Engineering Services, an Indian 

EPC company, is planning to set up a 500 MW power plant that uses municipal waste.340

As in the case of biogas, a proven market-entry strategy for foreign companies is in 

partnerships with local companies. The U.S.-based Indus Terra, for example, cooperates with 

Indian Emergent Ventures in the form of a special purpose vehicle: Green Indus Bio Energy 

Private Limited. The partnership is implementing a power project with a capacity of 5.6 MW, 

which will use poultry waste to generate electricity for the state power grid and slurry for 

fertilizer. A cluster of 150 poultry farms in Haryana, which can sell their waste to the plant, 

supports the initiative. Technology used will be designed in the UK, but the machines will be 

assembled in India.341

6.2.5 Local Case Studies 

To tackle the problem of power cuts in Bihar, the local energy company, Saran Renewable 

Energy, has built a power plant that runs on gasified biomass from a local type of bush that 

farmers can easily and profitably grow. The generator connects to transmission lines to 

supply small businesses with electricity, hence providing energy security. The prices for users 

 

337 New Energy India. “RE Policy Overview.” http://www.newenergyindia.org/Policy%20Page.htm. Accessed 

May 2010. 

338 Naik, S.Y.; Yadav, S.S. “Renewable Energy Policy and Regulation Focusing on RPS.” Presentation to the 

Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India at the Conference on Mainstreaming Green Energy – 

Wind, Biomass & Solar on Apr. 29, 2010, in Chennai. 

http://www.assocham.org/events/recent/showevent.php?id=426. Accessed August 2010. 339 IREDA. “Incentives Available in the Sector (Biomass Power Generation).” 

http://www.ireda.in/homepage1.asp?parent_category=2&sub_category=27&category=91. Accessed May 2010. 340 Jayakumar, K.B. “A2Z Plans 500-MW Power Plant from Municipal Waste.” Business Standard June 6, 

2010. http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/a2z-plans-500-mw-power-plantmunicipalwaste/09/23/397203/. Accessed July 2010. 341 Gera, K.A. “And Now, Power Generation from Poultry Litter!” Business Standard June 8, 2010. 

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/and-now-power-generationpoultry-litter/397347/. Accessed July 

2010. 
76 

are higher than the electricity from the grid, but the costs are still much less then for 

generating power by using diesel.342

Nishant Bioenergy developed a combined stove fuelled by crop waste and used in schools to 

cook meals for pupils. Local farmers that produce the waste sell it to local plants that 

compress it into briquettes for fuel use. Farmers are able to increase their income by an 

estimated 10%, and the schools save on fuel costs. Nishant provides credit for the purchase of 

the stove, installs the stove, provides a 3-day training, and offers an annual maintenance 

contract.343

Winrock International India started a remote village electrification initiative, which aims to 

promote alternative bioenergy in Chattisgarh. It uses Jatropha oil and is designed to be a 

replicable model for helping communities to be energy independent. Implemented in 2007, 

the initiative has served 107 households, or 553 people, with 3 hours per day of electricity 

generated for each household and 3.5 hours for streetlights.344

6.3 Liquid Biofuels 

Liquid biofuels, namely ethanol and biodiesel, are used to substitute petroleum-derived 

transportation fuels. India’s biofuel strategy is focused on using non-food sources for the 

production of biofuels: sugar molasses and non-edible oilseeds as well as second generation 

biofuels in the near future. Advanced conversion technologies for ethanol are under 

development, which will allow it to be made from forest and agricultural residues. Using onethird of the surplus, biomass could yield about 19 billion liters of ethanol, which could 

displace the country’s entire gasoline consumption once techno-economically viable. 

Advanced feedstock for biodiesel production includes microalgae, which is currently under 

research and has a very promising potential in India—it can provide double the yield of the 

highest producing crop (oil palm) per land unit. 

6.3.1 Resource/Technological Potential 

6.3.1.1 Ethanol 

In India, ethanol is produced by the fermentation of molasses, a by-product of the sugar 

industry. There are about 320 distilleries producing ethanol for industrial, beverage, and other 

purposes with a total production capacity of about 3.5 billion liters per year. More than 115 

distilleries have modified their facilities to produce fuel grade ethanol with a total capacity of 

1.5 billion liters per year.345 This production capacity is sufficient to meet the estimated 

ethanol demand of 800 million liters for a 5% blend with gasoline.346 However, for a 10% 

blend, the fuel grade ethanol production capacity from molasses needs to be expanded or the 

industry could consider direct production of ethanol from sugarcane juice, which offers 

 

342 Ashden Awards. “Replacing Diesel Generators with Biomass Gasification Systems.” 

http://www.ashdenawards.org/files/reports/Saran_case_study_2009_final_map.pdf. Accessed July 2010. 343 Ashden Awards. “School Cookstoves Running on Crop Waste in North India.” 

http://www.ashdenawards.org/files/reports/Nishant%202005%20Technical%20report.pdf. Accessed July 2010. 344 “India Jatropha Electrification Initiative of Winrock International India.” Good Practice Assessment Form. 

http://www.compete-bioafrica.net/bestpractice/COMPETE-032448-GoodPractice-CaseStudy1-India.pdf. 

Accessed July 2010. 

345 United States Department of Agriculture—Foreign Agricultural Service, Global Agricultural Information 

Network. “India Biofuels Annual 2009. 

http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/General%20Report_New%20Delhi_India_6-12-

2009.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 346 Jog, S. “Ethanol Price Fixed at Rs 27 Per Litre for Blended Fuel.” Business Standard. April 8, 2010. 

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/ethanol-price-fixed-at-rs-27-per-litre-for-blended-fuel/391159/. 

Accessed August 2010. 
77 

higher productivity but will require additional investments for technological modifications.347

The direct production of ethanol from sugarcane juice requires an increase in feedstock 

production, which in India means developing higher yields per land unit rather than an 

increase in area planted with sugarcane because this crop is very water intensive and the 

country’s irrigation water supplies are increasingly limited.348 

Efforts to produce ethanol from other feedstock such as sweet sorghum, sugar beet, and sweet 

potatoes are at an experimental stage in India.349 Additionally, various public and private 

institutions in India are conducting research in the area of cellulosic ethanol, which uses 

feedstock such as agricultural and forest residues. As mentioned previously, India has a large 

amount of this biomass material and is therefore a promising potential for the production of 

cellulosic ethanol. Using one-third of the 189 million tonnes surplus of biomass could yield 

approximately 19 billion liters of ethanol (assuming one tonne of lignocellulosic biomass = 

300 liters of ethanol), which could displace the country’s entire gasoline consumption 

(approximately 14 billion liters in 2008–2009).350

6.3.1.2 Biodiesel 

India’s commercial production of biodiesel is very small, and what is produced is mostly sold 

for experimental projects and to the unorganized rural sector. Although India’s biodiesel 

processing capacity is currently estimated at 200,000 tonnes per year, the majority of 

biodiesel units are not operational during most of the year. The existing biodiesel producers 

in India are using non-edible oilseeds, non-edible oil waste, animal fat, and used cooking oil 

as feedstock.351 

Biodiesel production efforts in India are focused on using non-edible oils since the demand 

for edible oils exceeds the domestic supply. It is estimated that the potential availability of 

non-edible oils in India amounts to about 1 million tonnes per year. The most abundant 

resources are sal oil (180,000 tonnes), mahua oil (180,000 tonnes), neem oil (100,000 

tonnes), and Karanja oil (55,000 tonnes). However, based on extensive research carried out 

by various institutions in the country, the government identified Jatropha Curcas oilseed as 

the major feedstock for biodiesel in India.352

Since early 2001, the Ministry of Rural Development and several state governments have 

carried out programs to encourage large-scale planting of Jatropha on wastelands. States with 

the largest potential include Madhya Pradesh/Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra 

Pradesh, and Gujarat (Figure 6-3). The Indian government’s Planning Commission set an 

 

347 Gonsalves, J. “An Assessment of the Biofuels Industry in India.” United Nations Conference on Trade and 

Development, October 18, 2006, Geneva. 

348 United States Department of Agriculture—Foreign Agricultural Service, Global Agricultural Information 

Network. “India Biofuels Annual 2009. 

http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/General%20Report_New%20Delhi_India_6-12-

2009.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 349 Gonsalves, J. “An Assessment of the Biofuels Industry in India.” United Nations Conference on Trade and 

Development, October 18, 2006, Geneva. 

350 MPNG. “Basic Statistics on Indian Petroleum and Natural Gas 2008-09.” September 2009, New Delhi, India. 

www.petroleum.nic.in/petstat.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 351 United States Department of Agriculture—Foreign Agricultural Service, Global Agricultural Information 

Network. “India Biofuels Annual 2009. 

http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/General%20Report_New%20Delhi_India_6-12-

2009.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 352 Gonsalves, J. “An Assessment of the Biofuels Industry in India.” United Nations Conference on Trade and 

Development, 18 October 2006, Geneva. 
78 

ambitious target of 11 million ha of Jatropha to be planted by 2012 in order to generate 

sufficient biodiesel to blend at 20% with petro-diesel. However, the total Jatropha plantation 

area in the country is currently estimated at approximately 450,000 ha, of which about 60%–

70% are new plantations (1–3 years old) and not yet into full production. The new Jatropha

plantations are expected to come into maturity in the next 3–4 years.353

Figure 6-3. Potential area for Jatropha cultivation by state354

There is no commercial production of biodiesel from other resources such as microalgae, 

another promising feedstock, except for some experimental trials by research organizations. 

6.3.2 Capacity Growth 

6.3.2.1 Ethanol 

The ethanol supply during 2008–2009 was severely impacted by the short supply of sugar 

molasses and continued strong demand for alcohol from other competing industries. 

Consequently, the ethanol available for blending with petrol was about 100 million liters, 

considerably short of the 600 million liter target. This trend has continued through 2010, and 

the supply of ethanol for fuel was even lower at 50 million liters.355

6.3.2.2 Biodiesel 

According to the Biodiesel Association of India, biodiesel production in the country during 

2009–2010 was approximately 80,000 tonnes, sold entirely to commercial establishments 

using diesel generators. 

6.3.3 Existing Policies, Measures, and Local Regulations 

In 2003, India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MPNG) mandated 5% ethanol 

blending with petrol in nine states and four union territories under Phase 1 of the ethanol 

 

353 United States Department of Agriculture—Foreign Agricultural Service, Global Agricultural Information 

Network. “India Biofuels Annual 2009.” 

http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/General%20Report_New%20Delhi_India_6-12-

2009.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 354 Punia, M.S. “Current Status of R&D on Jatropha for Sustainable Biofuels Production in India.” Ministry of 

Agriculture. USDA Global Conference on Agricultural Biofuels, Minneapolis, MN, 20-22 August 2007. 

355 United States Department of Agriculture—Foreign Agricultural Service, Global Agricultural Information 

Network. “India Biofuels Annual 2009.” 

http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/General%20Report_New%20Delhi_India_6-12-

2009.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 
79 

blended petrol (EBP) program.356 Under Phase 2, this mandate was expanded to include 20 

states and eight union territories in 2006. Due to supply shortages and extended negotiations 

between ethanol suppliers and state governments over state taxes and other fees, ethanol costs 

were too high to be commercially viable. As only domestically produced ethanol qualifies for 

the EBP program, and there continues to be a shortage of ethanol in India, the government 

has postponed implementation of Phase 3, which would raise the blended ethanol 

requirement to 10% in the participating states and require the remaining states to have at least 

a 5% ethanol blend ratio. The central government does not currently provide any direct 

financial or tax incentives for the production of ethanol but does offer subsidized loans for 

some sugar mills to set up ethanol production systems. The government does fund ethanol 

R&D programs. 

The Eleventh Plan set a goal to achieve at least a 5% blend of biofuels for petrol by the 

middle of the plan period and to potentially increase the blend to 10% by the end of the 

Eleventh Plan.357 The plan also suggested that a 5% blend of biodiesel might be possible by 

the end of the Eleventh Plan depending on availability. Proposed funding for biofuels R&D 

from the National Energy Fund is INR 2 billion (USD 40 million). The Planning Commission 

established the goal for 11.2–13.4 million ha to be cultivated with Jatropha to generate 

sufficient biodiesel to achieve a 20% blend with petro-diesel.358 The government’s initial 

demonstration phase brought 400,000 ha under production, and the plan is for production to 

be expanded in the coming years to meet the target by 2012. The MPNG established a 

program with 20 diesel procurement centers to purchase enough biodiesel to attain a 5% 

blend ratio with high-speed diesel. However, the high cost to produce biodiesel has resulted 

in no biodiesel sales at these centers. Like for ethanol, the central government does not 

provide direct financial incentives for biodiesel production. However, biodiesel is exempted 

from the central excise tax and some state governments provide similar exemptions. Further, 

the central government and multiple state governments provide financial incentives to 

promote the cultivation of Jatropha and other non-edible oilseeds that may be used to produce 

biodiesel. 

MNRE announced a National Policy on Biofuels in December 2009, which details targets, 

strategies and approaches, incentive levels, and policies for promoting the development and 

use of biofuels.359,360

• Target 20% blending of biofuels with petrol and diesel by 2017. 

• Promote domestic biofuel production. 

• Limit cultivation of biofuels to wastelands. 

• Establish minimum support prices and minimum purchase prices for biofuels. 

 

356 Singh, S. “India—Biofuels Annual.” United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. 

GAIN Report No. IN9080; 2009. 

357 Government of India Planning Commission. “Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-2012: Agriculture, Rural 

Development, Industry, Services, and Physical Infrastructure.” 

http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v3/11th_vol3.pdf. Accessed April 2010. 358 Singh, S. “India – Biofuels Annual.” United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. 

GAIN Report No. IN9080; 2009.

359 MNRE. “National Policy on Biofuels.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/policy/biofuel-policy.pdf. Accessed 

September 2010.

360 Singh, S. “India—Biofuels Annual.” United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. 

GAIN Report No. IN9080; 2009.
80 

• Establish a National Biofuel Coordination Committee and a Biofuel Steering 

Committee to provide high-level coordination and policy guidance on the topic of 

biofuels and to oversee implementation of the program. 

To support the national mission on Jatropha biodiesel, many states have announced extensive 

Jatropha cultivation programs such as Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, 

Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Haryana.361 

6.3.4 Investment Flows and Industrial Trends 

More than 20 companies are producing biodiesel in India with a combined capacity of 1 MT 

per year. A 2009 directive from MPNG banned the use of biodiesel for transportation, so 

biodiesel producers have been forced to look for new markets for their product as a fuel for 

electricity generation. The West Bengal Pollution Control Board issued a directive that all 

telecom towers should use a minimum of 30% biodiesel to power their operation. At least 

one company has made supply arrangements with one telecom tower operator and is in 

discussion with more.362

6.3.5 Technology Development and Transfer 

In India, efforts to develop advanced ethanol and biodiesel technologies are underway by 

various public and private research institutions, such as Praj Industries Ltd. (cellulosic 

ethanol and biodiesel), Indian Oil Corporation (cellulosic ethanol and algae), and the 

Department of Biotechnology (advanced feedstock development). These institutions work 

with research entities abroad to develop and transfer technologies. 

6.3.6 Local Case Studies 

Indian Railways is the largest consumer of diesel in the country with an annual expenditure 

on diesel fuel of INR 65 billion (USD 1.3 billion). Due to the high potential of cutting costs 

by using alternative sources, Indian Railways plans to use biodiesel (from Jatropha and other 

non-edible sources) for powering their locomotives. It will set up an integrated biodiesel plant 

in Chennai with a production capacity of 30 tonnes per day to gradually reduce dependence 

on high speed diesel, which is what is used now. Indian Railways would like to start with a 

5% biodiesel blend and increase this up to 20% in coming years. The project is to be executed 

under a public-private partnership model and completed over 2 years. While the main goal is 

to reduce costs, other priorities include reducing GHG emissions and qualifying for carbon 

credits.363

6.3.7 Success Stories from the International Community and Potential 

Opportunities for India 

Betim, Brazil (population 440,000), is one of Brazil's first “model communities” for 

renewable energy, as part of a six-cities network that also includes Belo Horizonte, Porto 

Alegre, Salvadore, São Paulo, and Volta Redonda. Betim has established a number of 

policies to promote biofuels use in transportation. The city mandates biofuels in public buses 

and taxis and also gives preference to flex-fuel vehicles for municipal vehicle fleet purchases. 

The city is also facilitating the addition of SWH systems to a low-income housing project 

being built under a national program. A number of demonstration projects on municipal 

buildings have been carried out. Betim has also established a Renewable Energy Reference 

 

361 Jatropha World. http://www.jatrophabiodiesel.org/indianScene.php. Accessed August 2010. 362Mint. “Biodiesel Producers Looking for Tie-ups with Telecom Tower Firms.” 22 April 2010. 

 http://www.livemint.com/2010/04/21233621/Biodiesel-producers-looking-fo.html. Accessed July 2010. 363 The Pioneer. “Rlys Looks at Bio-fuel to Cut Costs.” 5 July 2010. 

http://www.dailypioneer.com/267113/Rlys-looks-at-bio-fuel-to-cut-costs.html. Accessed July 2010. 
81 

Center that raises public awareness; provides information; brings together diverse 

stakeholders from local, state, and national levels; conducts training and workshops; and 

conducts outreach to other local communities in Brazil to share Betim's experience.”364 

 

364 REN21. http://www.ren21.net/pdf/REN21_LRE2009_Jun12.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 
82 

7 Decentralized Energy 

Chapter Overview 

Renewable technologies are ideally suited to distributed applications, and they have 

substantial potential to provide a reliable and secure energy supply as an alternative to grid 

extension or as a supplement to grid-provided power. According to IEA, in 2008, over 400 

million people in India, including 47.5% of those living in India’s rural areas, still had no 

access to electricity. Because of the remoteness of much of India’s un-electrified population, 

renewable energy can offer an economically viable means of providing connections to these 

groups. The Government of India has initiated several programs, policies, and acts to improve 

rural livelihood with the help of renewable energy. They support electricity provision 

programs and organizations aiming to meet the full power requirements of a village including 

motive power and cooking energy. These programs have resulted in electrification of more 

than 90,000 villages and hamlets and free electricity connections have been provided to more 

than 12 million below poverty line (BPL) households. Renewable technologies also present 

opportunities for industries looking to establish captive power plants at their facilities to 

supplement grid power. Currently, renewable technologies represent only 1.2% of the total 

captive power installed capacity in India. 

7.1 Renewable Energy—Implication in Rural Electrification 

The lack of available modern energy services is a primary limitation to development, and 

providing access to electricity in a country of over one billion people, of which the majority 

lives in rural areas, is a gigantic task. Currently, many potential customers live in areas that 

are either physically inaccessible for a centralized power grid connection or where a 

connection is economically unviable, so creating decentralized energy supply solutions will 

be essential for stimulating development in these areas. In India, locally available, renewable 

sources such as solar energy, wind, biomass, or hydro energy are playing an increasingly 

prominent role in extending access to energy. 

Sustainable electricity supply is mainly necessary for lighting, cooking, and comfort but also 

for watering agricultural fields. Growing demand due to the increase in population and more 

energy-intensive lifestyles has diminished the availability of dominantly used fuels in rural 

areas, such as wood, coal, and kerosene, which further underscores the need to shift to more 

sustainable energy supplies. Government initiatives to utilize locally available energy 

resources need private sector support and collaboration between various stakeholders to 

achieve the goals of energy security and energy sufficiency in rural areas of India. 

At present, access to and availability of reliable and assured energy in India’s rural areas is 

inadequate. According to IEA, in 2008, over 400 million people in India, including 47.5% of 

those living in India’s rural areas, still had no access to electricity.365 Even those with 

electricity connections may periodically be unable to use it due to shortages or poor quality of 

supply resulting from inadequate infrastructure or inability to pay. 

Households without access to electricity, whether in the electrified or un-electrified villages, 

continue to rely mostly on inefficient traditional biomass or kerosene. Fuel-wood, chips, and 

 

365 IEA. “The Electricity Access Database.” 

http://www.iea.org/weo/database_electricity/electricity_access_database.htm. Accessed October 2010. 
83 

dung cakes contribute approximately 30% of the commercial energy consumed. 366 To meet 

cooking energy needs, traditional biomass, heavily subsidized LPG, and kerosene are used by 

approximately 90.1%, 8.6%, and 1.3% of rural households, respectively. 367 Additionally, 

approximately 40%–60% of rural households use kerosene for lighting.368

Some of the renewable energy technologies that are used in villages and rural areas as 

decentralized systems are: 

• Family-size biogas plants. 

• Solar street lighting systems. 

• Solar lanterns and solar home lighting systems. 

• Solar water heating. 

• Solar cookers. 

• Standalone solar power generators. 

• Wind pumps. 

• Micro-hydro power systems. 

7.1.1 Existing Policies and Relevant Programs for Rural Electrification 

As per the Electricity (Supply) Act 1948,369 in force until 2003, rural electrification was the 

responsibility of the state governments and SEBs. Therefore, non-conventional and 

renewable energy sources for these purposes were also promoted by the SEBs. 

The Electricity Act 2003 made a specific provision of introducing national policies on 

standalone non-conventional energy systems in rural areas and electrification with local 

distribution to rural areas, and the pace of development of renewable energy sources has 

since increased substantially since this time. 

The National Electricity Policy (February 2005) recognizes electricity as an essential 

requirement for all facets of life and as a basic human need. It also states that electricity 

supply at a reasonable rate to rural India is essential for India’s overall development. 

Three nodal ministries in the Government of India are focusing on the development of the 

rural economy by tapping local resources and providing subsidies and grants to energize 

growth and economic development. 

• MoP: Promotes rural electrification. 

• MNRE: Promotes use of renewable energy. 

 

366 IRADe and ENERGIA. “Gender Analyses of Renewable Energy in Inida – Present Status, Issues, 

Approaches and New Initiatives.” 2009; p. 11. http://www.irade.org/Gender%20Cover.pdf. Accessed October 

2010. 

367 Government of India. “Report of the Expert Group on a Viable and Sustainable System of Pricing of 

Petroleum Products.” February 2010; p. 62. http://petroleum.nic.in/reportprice.pdf. Accessed October 2010 368 Government of India. “Report of the Expert Group on a Viable and Sustainable System of Pricing of 

Petroleum Products.” February 2010; p. 62. http://petroleum.nic.in/reportprice.pdf. Accessed October 2010 and 

http://www.bioenergylists.org/stovesdoc/Nariphaltan/housenergy.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 369 MoP. "Historical Background of Legislative Initiatives.” 

http://www.powermin.nic.in/indian_electricity_scenario/pdf/Historical%20Back%20Ground.pdf. Accessed 

September 2010. 
84 

• Ministry of Rural Development: Contributes to the living conditions, business, 

and economy in rural areas. 

In October 1997, the Government of India defined “A village will be deemed to be electrified 

if electricity is used in the inhabited locality within the revenue boundary of the village for 

any purpose whatsoever.”370 The Indian government revised this in February 2004 so that 

villages must meet each of the following criteria before it is considered electrified:

“a) Basic infrastructure such as Distribution Transformer and Distribution Lines are 

provided in the inhabited locality as well as a minimum of one Dalit Basti/hamlet 

where it exists; and 

 b) Electricity is provided to public places like Schools, Panchayat Office, Health Centers, 

Dispensaries, Community Centers etc.; and 

 c) The number of households electrified are at least 10% of the total number of 

households in the village.”371

This changed the electrification status of many villages who were previously deemed 

electrified.

The Government of India has initiated several programs, policies, and acts that focus on the 

development of rural energy, economy, and electrification to improve rural livelihood with 

the help of renewable energy. 

7.1.1.1 Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana —2005 

RGGVY is supported by MoP through the Rural Electrification Corporation. The targets of 

this program are to electrify 125,000 villages and to provide free electricity connections to 

23.4 million BPL households. 372 The program provides a 90% capital subsidy with the 

remainder of funds provided as a loan through the Rural Electrification Corporation.373

According to the International Energy Agency, the RGGVY is also designed to strengthen the 

existing network in 462,000 electrified villages until 2010374 by providing: 

• Rural electricity distribution backbone for a cluster of villages by providing 33/11 kV or 

66/11 kV substations of adequate capacity. 

• Creation of village electrification infrastructure in every village including adequate 

distribution transformers. 

• Decentralized distributed generation (DDG) and supply to provide electricity to villages 

from conventional or renewable sources on a standalone basis. 

As RGGVY is focused on the provision of electricity and not the generation source, 

renewable energy is not necessarily promoted under this program; however, the DDG 

provision includes the use of renewable technologies.375 As of September 30, 2010, 84,618 

 

370 RGGVY. "Definition of Electrified Village." http:// rggvy.gov.in/rggvy/rggvyportal/def_elect_vill.htm. 

Accessed September 2010. 

371 MoP. "Rural Electrification Policy." p. 6. http://www.powermin.nic.in/whats_new/pdf/RE%20Policy.pdf. 

Accessed August 2010. 

372 RGGVY. http://www.rggvy.gov.in/rggvy/rggvyportal/index.html. Accessed October 2010. 373 MoP. RGGVY brochure. http://recindia.gov.in/download/rggvy_brochure.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 374 IEA; Niez, A. “Comparative Study on Rural Electification Policies in Emerging Economies – Keys to 

Successful Policies. March 2010; p. 67. http://www.iea.org/papers/2010/rural_elect.pdf. Accessed October 

2010. 

375 MoP. “Guidelines for DDG.” http://www.recindia.nic.in/download/DDG_guidelines.pdf. Accessed October 

2010. 
85 

villages have been electrified and over 12 million BPL households have received electricity 

connections.376

7.1.1.2 Solar Mission 

JNNSM is supported by MNRE and MoP (see Chapter 4 for an overview of JNNSM). In 

addition to JNNSM’s goals of 20 GW of grid-tied solar by 2022, it aims to reach 2 GW of 

off-grid solar installed capacity in the same time period. Under JNNSM, the first 1,000 MW 

of off-grid solar is to be installed by 2017.377 The central government is providing capital 

subsidies and low-interest loans for off-grid PV projects up to 100 kW for an individual site 

and up to 250 kW for a solar mini-grid. Subsidies are also available for off-grid solar thermal 

applications.378 As of August 31, 2010, almost 20 MW of projects had been sanctioned by 

MNRE, more than half of which are in the state of Rajasthan.379 

7.1.1.3 Village Energy Security Programme 

The Village Energy Security Programme (VESP) is supported by MNRE and is designed to 

support all energy needs of villagers including domestic, commercial, agricultural, industrial, 

and motive power through test projects using locally available biomass. This program targets 

villages between 25–200 households and aims to support micro-enterprise development by 

providing energy for productive uses. To this end, it provides a 90% capital subsidy; 

operation and maintenance expenses are to be met through usage charges, and all remaining 

expenses are to be secured by the community, implementing agency, or state nodal agency.380

At the end of 2009, 80 test projects had been approved under VESP, and 54 of these had been 

commissioned. MNRE plans to complete the already approved test projects but currently has 

no plans to expand the program further. 381

7.1.1.4 Remote Village Electrification 

Remote Village Electrification (RVE) is supported by MNRE and aims to provide electricity 

to hamlets and villages with more than 300 inhabitants not covered under RGGVY and more 

than 3 km from the nearest point of grid access. The technology deployed under RVE is 

chosen by the state nodal agency after an assessment of renewable resource availability, and 

the Indian government provides a subsidy for installation up to 90% of actual costs.382 As of 

June 30, 2010, RVE activities had been completed for 6,867 hamlets and villages.383 

7.1.1.5 Programs of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development 

NABARD is set up as a development bank with the support of the Ministry of Finance with a 

mandate for facilitating credit flow for promotion and development of agriculture, small-scale 

industries, cottage and village industries, handicrafts, and other rural crafts (see Chapter 9). 

 

376 RGGVY. “Project Outlay, Coverage, and Progress So Far.” 

http://www.rggvy.gov.in/rggvy/rggvyportal/plgsheet_frame3.jsp. Accessed October 2010. 377 MNRE. “Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. Toward building SOLAR INDIA.” 

http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/mission-document-JNNSM.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 378 MNRE. “Guidelines for Off-grid and Decentralized Application.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/jnnsmg170610.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 379 MNRE. “Details of Projects Sanctioned Under Off-grid Solar Applications of JNNSM.” 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/jnnsm-offgrid-project-sanctioned-as-on-31082010.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 380 MNRE. “Test Pilots on Village Energy Security.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/adm-approvals/aa-vesp.pdf. 

Accessed October 2010. 

381 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. p. 36-37. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-

10EN/Chapter%204/chapter%204_1.htm. Accessed October 2010. 382 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-10. p. 32. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-

10EN/Chapter%204/chapter%204_1.htm. Accessed October 2010. 383 MNRE. “Achievements.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/achievements.htm. Accessed October 2010. 
86 

7.1.2 Business Models for Rural Electrification 

The Electricity Act 2003 gave private investors access to all power sector operations. As a 

consequence, state governments encouraged the private sector to invest in rural electrification 

projects. However, at present, the private sector is not independently active in village energybased commercial activities. 

Many business models for rural economy development through renewable energy sources 

operate with the support of government programs. Some of the government programs 

succeeded, yet several programs did not fulfill the desired objective as revenue generation 

from these projects did not yield any tangible benefits. 

Currently, a few of the business models are guiding progress towards desired objectives, such 

as SELCO (solar), NTPC (distributed generation), Appropriate Rural Technology Institute 

(ARTI) (biomass stoves), and ANKUR (scientific biomass). The following describes some of 

these business models. 

7.1.2.1 Biomass Gasifiers 

MNRE implements a program called “Biomass gasifier-based distributed/off-grid power 

programme for rural areas.”384 This program to deploy biomass gasifier systems for meeting 

unmet electricity demand in villages is implemented through state nodal agencies385 with the 

involvement of either energy service companies, cooperatives or Panchayats, NGOs, 

manufacturers or entrepreneurs, and central finance assistance (CFA). State nodal agencies 

are responsible for initiating, promoting, supporting, and coordinating all activities 

concerning new and renewable energy within each state. Some components, which are 

funded by the CFA, focus on human resource development and training (operation and 

maintenance; management) and support for gasifier manufacturers and suppliers to establish 

service centers in areas near the location that the biomass gasifiers are installed.386 

Sustainable funding models are also developed in the villages, although the capital costs for 

the biomass gasifiers are funded through Government of India grants. The payable electricity 

charge is collected from each household, and the operation and maintenance costs are met by 

the Village Energy Committee or the entrepreneur. Figure 7-1 depicts material and financial 

flows for a village-level biomass gasifier.

 

384 Ashkay Urja. “Biomass Gasifier-based Distributed/Off-grid Programme.” Vol. 3, Iss. 3, 2009; pp. 15-18. 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/akshayurja/dec09-e.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 385 State Nodal Agencies are agencies at the state level that act as implementing agencies for renewable energy 

programs in their areas. The list of MNRE’s state nodal agencies can be found at 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/list/snas.htm. 386 Ashkay Urja. “Biomass Gasifier-based Distributed/Off-grid Programme.” Vol. 3, Iss. 3, 2009; pp. 15-18. 

http://www.mnre.gov.in/akshayurja/dec09-e.pdf Accessed October 2010. 
87 

Figure 7-1. Rural energy through biomass gasifier: Business model 

Source: IRADe created this figure based on information from MNRE. 

7.1.2.2 Biomass Stoves 

ARTI developed a project to disseminate improved cook stoves and improved fuels while 

also building up a sustainable network of manufacturers and marketers of the technology. At 

the end of the pilot stage, 120 rural businesses across Maharashtra had sold improved stoves 

to approximately 75,000 households. ARTI plans to scale up the program to reach 1.5 million 

households in Maharashtra and 50,000 in Gujarat with engagement of self-help groups, rural 

entrepreneurs, and NGOs.387 

7.1.2.3 SELCO Business Model 

SELCO-India is a private business that supplies PV solar home systems to provide power for 

lighting and small appliances to low-income households and institutions in Karnataka and 

Gujarat. SELCO’s business model is based on the provision of product and service and 

providing access to financing through partnerships with banking institutions.388 

SELCO has supported a business model for PV-powered battery-charging, in which an 

entrepreneur takes out a loan to purchase a solar lantern charging system and then rents out 

the solar lanterns to street vendors. Savings realized from no longer needing to purchase 

kerosene for lanterns are more than the rental costs of the solar lantern (see Figure 7-2).389

 

387 ARTI. “Commercialisation of Improved Biomass Fuels and Cooking Devices in India: Scale Up PROJECT.” 

http://www.arti-india.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44&Itemid=92. Accessed October 

2010. 

388 Ashden Awards. “Solar Photovoltaics Enabling Small Businesses to Develop.” 

http://www.ashdenawards.org/files/reports/SELCO2007technicalreport.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 389 SELCO. “Access to Sustainable Energy Services via Innovative Financing. 7 Case Studies.” 

http://www.selco-india.com/pdfs/selco_booklet_web.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 
88 

Figure 7-2. SELCO business model390 

7.1.3 Micro-hydro Power Systems—A Success Story of Rural Electrification 

with Renewable Energy in Orissa 

Integrated Rural Development of Weaker Sections in India supported development of a 25 

kW micro-hydro project in the village of Putsil in the Koraput district of Orissa. This system 

is designed to supply electricity to surrounding households, the battery-charging station, the 

grinder/milling machine in the village, and the village community center. The project was 

commissioned in 1999 after 2 years of intensive interaction with the community. 

There is a committee overseeing plant operations, and each family in the community pays a 

fixed fee for use of the power generated. Members of neighboring communities also pay for 

use of the mill; half of this revenue stream goes into the community fund, which is to pay for 

the maintenance of the plant. Along with power generation, the micro-hydro project enhances 

income-generating activities in the region.391 

7.2 Captive Power for Industries 

According to the Electricity Act 2003, a captive power plant “... means a power plant set up 

by any person to generate electricity primarily for his own use and includes a power plant set 

up by any cooperative society or association of persons for generating electricity primarily 

for use of members of such cooperative society or association.” 392

The opportunities that emerged after the enforcement of the Electricity Act 2003, including 

de-licensing generation, implementing open access, and setting up a common trading 

platform, have made the captive power plants an attractive option for industries to meet their 

 

390 SELCO. “Financing Solar Photovoltaic Systems through Rural Finance Institutions.” 

http://enviroscope.iges.or.jp/contents/APEIS/RISPO/inventory/db/pdf/0002.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 391 WIDA. “Integrated Rural Development of Weaker Sections in India.” http://www.indg.in/pdffiles/IRDWSI_casestudy.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 

392 CEA. “The Electricity Act, 2003.” 

http://www.powermin.nic.in/acts_notification/electricity_act2003/pdf/The%20Electricity%20Act_2003.pdf. 

Accessed October 2010. 
89 

in-house requirement and sell surplus power from their captive plants to the grid, which helps 

the country in meeting power shortage conditions. Apart from the mentioned benefits, others 

include claiming incentives under CDM and earning RECs, which are going to be launched 

in India soon. 

7.2.1 Captive Power Plants in India 

At present, there are about 2,759 industrial units using captive generation power plants with a 

capacity of 1 MW and above. Most industries supplying their own power are producers of 

aluminum, cement, chemicals, fertilizers, iron and steel, paper, and sugar, and they use their 

captive power plants to supplement the electricity purchased from utilities or for emergency 

use in case of power cuts, restrictions, or failures. As of March 31, 2008, the installed 

capacity of 1 MW or greater captive power plants in the country was 24,986 MW, as seen in 

Table 7-1. 

Table 7-1. All India Captive Power Plants of Industry (1 MW and Above)393

Source Installed 

Capacity (MW) % share

Gross 

Generation 

(GWh) 

% share 

Hydro 60 0.24 202 0.22 

Thermal 24,621 98.54 89,892 99.36 

- Steam - 11,764 - 47.08 - 53,569 - 59.21 

- Diesel - 8,648 - 34.61 - 10,738 - 11.87 

- Gas - 4,209 - 16.85 - 25,585 - 28.28 

Renewable 

Energy 

305 1.22 383 0.42 

Total 24,986 100 90,477 100 

These plants generated 90,477 GWh during 2007–2008, which represents a growth of 

10.61% from the total 81,800 GWh generated in 2006–2007. Almost all of the generation is 

from thermal resources, and only very small contributions come from large hydro plants 

(0.22%) and renewable energy resources (0.42%). Out of a total generation of 90,477 GWh, 

the energy export to utilities was 7,456 GWh, or 8.2% of the total. 

The representation of renewable technologies in the total installed capacity of captive power 

plants is only 305 MW, or 1.22% of total installed captive power generation capacity. The 

current capacity is primarily provided by wind turbines located mainly in the southern and 

western regions of India. The details of captive power installed capacity and generation from 

wind power plants are given in Table 7-2.394

 

393 CEA. “All India Electricity Statistics: General Review 2009.” New Delhi: CEA, 2009. 394 CEA. “All India Electricity Statistics: General Review 2009.” New Delhi: CEA, 2009. 
90 

Table 7-2. Wind Power Plant Installed Capacity and Generation at Captive Power Facilities 

State Region Installed Capacity (MW) Gross Generation (GWh) 

Gujarat Western 75.19 84.82 

Maharashtra Western 16.00 14.16 

Chattisgarh 2.50 0 

Andhra Pradesh Southern 2.03 0 

Karnataka Southern 10.14 23.15 

Tamil Nadu Southern 198.89 261.3 

Total 304.75 383.43 

The wind-based captive power plants are owned by different industries, with the textile 

industry holding the largest share followed by the chemical, iron and steel, light engineering, 

and cement industries. Not included in these statistics is the bagasse cogeneration of the sugar 

industry, which is approximately 1,027 MW. Capacity and generation by industry is shown in 

Table 7-3.395

Table 7-3. Renewable Energy Installed Capacity and Generation by Industry 

Industry Installed Capacity (MW) Gross Generation (GWh) 

Textile 92.60 159.30 

Chemical 46.63 48.61 

Iron & Steel 41.0 25.91 

Light Engineering 29.59 36.49 

Cement 24.47 32.08 

Others (Balance) 70.46 81.04 

Total (Wind 

Power) 

304.75 383.43 

Sugar 1,027.17 3,317.4 

7.2.2 Expansion of Renewable Energy in Captive Power Plants 

Captive power generation remains an area of opportunity for several renewable technologies. 

7.2.2.1 Wind Power 

The industry may continue to set up large capacity wind farms in the states where potential is 

still available, feed the power into the grid, and utilize equal amounts of power through the 

 

395 CEA. “All India Electricity Statistics: General Review 2009.” New Delhi: CEA, 2009. 
91 

state grid at the location of their industry. Alternately, wind power plants can be sited on 

industry premises. These plants could be developed with suitable storage facilities to meet 

onsite electric requirements. 

7.2.2.2 Solar Power 

Industry captive power plants can use solar technologies on rooftops or in parks or other open 

spaces to meet factories’ lighting loads and pumping water requirements. 

Additionally, solar thermal power plants can be integrated in existing industries such as 

paper, dairy, or sugar, which have steam turbines set for cogeneration. Typically these 

cogeneration units have 5–250 MW capacity and can be coupled with solar thermal power 

plants. This approach will reduce the capital investment on steam turbines and associated 

power-house infrastructure, thus reducing the cost of generating solar electricity. The 

integration of a solar thermal power generation unit with existing coal thermal power plants 

could be profitable. Savings up to 24% are possible during periods of high insolation for feed 

water heating to 241° C.396 

SWHs can serve low-temperature (< 80°) needs for industrial facilities using current 

technology, but industrial process heat requires up to 250° for advanced technologies. MNRE 

is supporting R&D of high-temperature process heat powered by solar thermal devices to 

serve the needs of such industries.397

7.2.2.3 Biodiesel 

Another area that can increase renewable energy captive power is agricultural plantations of 

fuel crops, such as Jatropha, used for the production of biodiesel. The industry can use 

biodiesel to run oil-based diesel generator sets and earn RECs and CDM benefits. However, 

biodiesel does not yet play a decisive role in captive power generation. 

7.2.2.4 Other Sources 

Other renewable sources such as ocean waves, ocean thermal energy, and geothermal are 

site-specific and require a lot of expenditure on surveys, investigation, and R&D. Therefore, 

these renewable sources are currently not used for captive power plants. 

 

396 Kalogirou, S.A. “Solar Thermal Collectors and Applications.” Prog. Energy and Combust. Sci.; Vol. 30, No. 

3, 2004; pp. 231-295. 

397 MNRE. “Solar Thermal Energy. Thrust Areas for Research and Development.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/stthrust.htm. Accessed October 2010. 
92 

8 Technology Transfer 

Chapter Overview 

Technology transfer, or the application of internationally developed technologies, is 

considered to be an important element of a low carbon growth strategy for the Indian 

economy. Industrialized countries still have a technological lead in a number of renewable 

energy technologies and it would be desirable—from a global climate change mitigation 

perspective—to implement them as soon and as widely as possible in India. Transfer of low 

carbon technologies is considered a key element in combating climate change under the 

UNFCCC.398 

Most renewable technologies, perhaps with the exception of solar thermal, geothermal, and 

offshore wind technologies, already have a strong domestic technology base through Indian 

companies and international companies in India. India is no longer just a recipient of 

technologies but increasingly a developer of technologies itself and a strong international 

competitor in the renewable energy space, as shown in companies such as Suzlon or Moser 

Baer. Not all renewable technologies are well established in India, but all are being improved 

upon, and new technologies are continually being commercialized. Much of this research and 

innovation happens outside India, so there remains a continuous need for technology transfer 

into India. This can be supported in the public sector through effective capacity building. At 

the same time, technology transfer from the private sector can be facilitated through an 

understandable regulatory environment, access to finance, and strong intellectual property 

protection. 

8.1 The Role of the Private and Public Sector in Technology Transfer 

A technology transfer typically includes the transfer of the technology design as well as the 

transfer of the property rights necessary to reproduce the technology in a particular domestic 

context. A common form of property right included in a technology transfer is a patent 

license: a legal agreement granting permission to make or use a patented article for a limited 

period or in limited territory. While the discussion on technology transfer is often held at 

political levels, it is important to consider that most technologies are not owned by 

governments but by private corporations. The diffusion of advanced technologies is often 

driven by multinational companies that want to exploit market opportunities in new regions. 

From this perspective, technology transfer means the creation of attractive conditions in India 

for the execution and manufacturing of renewable energy components and applications. 

The public sector, which includes the Indian government as well as bilateral and multilateral 

institutions, plays an important role. Many renewable energy technologies are not yet 

commercially viable, and in order to thrive, they still depend on incentives given by the 

public sector.399 The public sector can also help reduce risks in the market by providing 

assurances to industries and investors venturing into new or risky technologies or by 

initiating demonstration projects. 

 

398 United Nations. Division for Sustainable Development. “Agenda 21: Transfer of Environmentally Sound 

Technology, Cooperation & Capacity-Building.” Section IV: Means of Implementation; Chapter 34. United 

Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro: Earth Summit, UN 1992. 

http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_34.shtml. Accessed August 2010. 399 Ockwell, D.; Watson, J.; MacKerron, G.; Pal, P.; Yamin, F.; Vasudevan, N.; Mohanty, P. “UK–India 

Collaboration to Identify the Barriers to the Transfer of Low Carbon Energy Technology.” March 2007. 

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/sussexenergygroup/documents/uk_india_full_pb12473.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 
93 

The Indian government, aided by private enterprises and international partners, is also 

playing an important role in creating relevant educational centers, research hubs, and 

technology clusters. Furthermore, in a country with such a significant gap in incomes, such as 

India, it seeks to support the spread of crucial technology to poorer segments of society. This 

could be called an “internal” technology transfer. 

Most importantly, however, the Indian government will decide on the long-term energy 

strategy and make far-reaching decisions on such issues as the desired mix of energy sources, 

distribution networks, and electricity pricing. 

International platforms such as the international climate change negotiations play an 

important role as well. They discuss the overall cost associated with climate change 

mitigation and adaptation and can propose solutions, best practice examples, and financial 

support or compensation across countries. Moreover, issues such as import tariffs or property 

rights may be discussed on the international level. 

8.2 Technology Transfer Through the Private Sector: Opportunities and 

Barriers 

As pointed out in the chapters before, India is an attractive and growing market and is rapidly 

becoming a key market for renewable energy technologies. The country offers opportunities 

to investors across the different technologies—wind, small hydro, biomass, solar, and, 

perhaps soon, emerging technologies such as geothermal and tidal energy—and along the 

value chain—from component manufacturing to investment, project development, power 

production, service and maintenance, and training and education. 

8.2.1 Market Opportunities per Technology 

In general, achieving a low price-level is a crucial factor for success of almost all offerings in 

the Indian market. For the international business community, that will often require 

localization: setting up a local office or manufacturing unit to become price competitive and 

understanding the market. Localization could lead to entering into some form of partnership 

with an Indian company, adapting products and business practices to Indian requirements, 

and, in the longer term, developing new products in India. India offers great opportunities to 

international companies to invest in India and bring their technologies to the market. 

8.2.1.1 Wind 

India has a strong wind market with consistently high growth rates and a long track record, 

and most wind technologies are locally available. Given a very competitive environment with 

low and falling costs, the technology may soon reach grid parity. 

Being a mature market, the overall growth rate has declined in recent years.400 There is a shift 

towards new markets (e.g., new states and offshore) and a need for replacement of older 

windmills by new and bigger ones.401

The growth in the wind market is mainly driven by the still untapped potential and 

improvements in technology, which lead to increasing capacity factors and turbine sizes 

combined with decreasing installation cost. Given the current trend towards GBIs, achieving 

the maximum possible electricity generation becomes crucial. This, in turn, increases the 

 

400 GWEC. “Global Wind Report 2008.” 

http://www.gwec.net/fileadmin/documents/Global%20Wind%202008%20Report.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 401 GWEC. “Indian Wind Energy Outlook 2009.” 

http://www.indianwindpower.com/pdf/GWEO_A4_2008_India_LowRes.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 
94 

demand for professional project developers. On the manufacturing side, more and more Asian 

companies are entering the market and thus increasing competition for established players. 

However, the competitive pressure will be different in various parts of the value chain. 

Offshore wind power potential has not been assessed systematically yet. Given India’s long 

coastline and the wind energy potential there, it could play an important role in the future.402

A transfer of technologies from other countries that already use offshore wind power on a 

large scale (e.g., Germany) could be possible. 

8.2.1.2 Solar 

The PV sector is still in the early stages, with an installed grid-connected power capacity of 

10.28 MW in March 2010.403 The long-term potential of solar power in India, given climatic 

conditions and the rapidly growing electricity requirements, is very attractive. The market is 

now set to grow significantly and is being driven by JNNSM. As the market begins to pick up 

speed, there is a particular need for professional EPC contracting and ample supply of silicon 

wafers and balance-of-system components.404

In terms of solar thermal power, there is a clearly discernible market gap in professional EPC 

services for setting up and running solar thermal power plants. India has very ambitious 

targets for the development of the technology, yet there are few companies globally who can 

execute on it. 

8.2.1.3 Small Hydro 

The development of small hydro (the total potential is estimated at around 15 GW)405 can 

contribute to both the national power supply and electrification of remote areas. MNRE’s 

small hydro program currently focuses on reducing capital costs as well as improving 

reliability and average utilization of facilities.406

Small hydro is a well-established technology offering investors projects with a low 

technology risk and potentially a very attractive return. It currently has on average the lowest 

generation costs among all renewable energy technologies in India.407 

8.2.1.4 Biomass 

Solid biomass-based power generation (mainly captive cogeneration in the sugar industry) is 

well established in India. While Indian companies have a lot of experience in combustion of 

biomass, there still is a significant scope for improving the efficiency of many existing 

cogeneration plants and technologies. 

Biogas has so far been used mainly for small, off-grid applications, but there is a trend 

towards large-scale applications. New and adaptable technologies are needed as well as 

 

402 Energy Alternatives India. “India Offshore Wind—Status, Trends, Potential.” 

http://eai.in/blog/2010/04/india-offshore-wind-status-trends-potential.html. Accessed October 2010. 403 MNRE. “National Solar Mission Document.” http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/mission-document-JNNSM.pdf. 

Accessed October 2010. 

404 MNRE. “Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission: Towards Building SOLAR INDIA.” 

http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/mission-document-JNNSM.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 405 MNRE. Annual Report 2009-2010. http://mnre.gov.in/annualreport/2009-10EN/index.htm. Accessed October 

2010. 

406 MNRE. “Small Hydro Power Programme.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/prog-smallhydro.htm. Accessed October 

2010. 

407 Government of India Planning Commission. “Integrated Energy Policy: Report of the Expert Committee.” 

2006; p. 90. http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/rep_intengy.pdf. Accessed July 2010. 
95 

logistical, biological, and agricultural expertise. Some Indian and international companies are 

exploring the technology of upgrading biogas to natural gas equivalent and feeding it into the 

gas grid. 

A great opportunity exists for companies that are able to develop reproducible and 

sustainable business models and technologies that are applicable in a rural setting. This 

requires strong distribution channels and a service and maintenance network. Technologies 

need to be inexpensive, robust, and operational with various locally available feedstock. 

8.2.2 Barriers 

While being a very promising market for international investors, success in India requires 

good market knowledge, patience, and adaptability. The regulatory environment is complex 

and in flux. Products and business models may have to be changed to suit the Indian 

customer. 

8.2.2.1 Product-related Barriers 

Many technologies that are well established in developed countries may not be directly 

transferable to developing nations.408 Products from outside India may be too expensive due 

to high production costs in industrialized countries, and product design may not meet the 

needs of the Indian market or import tariffs. Products often have to be adapted to match 

market requirements regarding, for example, level of quality, robustness, and climatic 

conditions. Adaptation may also be needed in business models. To reach competitive price 

levels, localization of manufacturing, sourcing, or services may be required.409

The needs for product adaptation will likely be significantly lower if the technology 

originates in a country with a market comparable to India’s. The Asia Clean Energy Forum, 

for example, held in Manila in June 2010, sought further cooperation in the renewable energy 

field from developing nations.410

8.2.2.2 Market Information 

For foreign companies, a market entry into India is often made difficult by a lack of 

information about the legal, political, and market environment. The market for renewable 

energy is very dynamic and, in many sectors, not very transparent. This is partly due to the 

rapidly changing regulatory environment (such as in the field of solar energy). The federal 

setup of the Indian state, where individual states formulate policies to complement the 

Government of India, also plays a role. Especially in technologies such as biomass-based 

power generation, where local knowledge about land-ownership or agricultural production is 

essential, information is difficult to obtain. 

8.2.2.3 Infrastructure Availability 

Another important barrier in many places is the infrastructure.411 Limited road and grid 

availability may hamper plans for setting up new plants in remote regions. The hilly areas of 

 

408 Kathuria, V. “Technology Transfer for GHG Reduction: A Framework with Application to India.” Tech. 

Forecasting & Soc. Change, Vol. 69, 2002; pp. 405–430. 409 Bridge to India Pvt. Ltd. and Technical University of Munich. “Research Project on Market Barriers for 

International Renewable Energy Companies in the Indian Market” Research report to be published in 2011. 410 For detailed information, see http://www.cleanenergyasia.net/. Accessed August 2010. 411 Ockwell, D.; Watson, J.; MacKerron, G.; Pal, P.; Yamin, F.; Vasudevan, N.; Mohanty, P. “UK–India 

Collaboration to Identify the Barriers to the Transfer of Low Carbon Energy Technology.” March 2007. 

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/sussexenergygroup/documents/uk_india_full_pb12473.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 
96 

the Himalaya, for example, offer huge potential for small hydropower, which is only partially 

harnessed because of the limited availability of supporting infrastructure. 

8.2.2.4 Finance 

Financing is a problem in many infrastructure projects where there are high initial costs and a 

long-term planning horizon. In India, the availability of debt financing is limited due to the 

perceived risks in the market. These risks relate mostly to PPAs with state power utilities. 

These have a weak financial position, which raises questions about payment default on longterm PPAs. Also, there is only limited funding—equity and debt—available for new 

technologies. On the demand side, many Indian consumers may not have access to the capital 

needed for the higher initial costs of purchasing technologies such as home PV systems.412

8.3 The Role of the Public Sector in Improving Technology Transfer 

In many sectors, the market for renewable energy is still a politically enabled market with 

many pre-commercial and supported-commercial technologies, such as solar PV.413

Therefore, support by the government and bilateral and multilateral institutions and initiatives 

is needed to enable further development and wider adoption of these technologies. In addition 

to governmental efforts, bilateral support is provided by industrial nations’ development 

agencies, such as the UK Department for International Development, the German GTZ and 

KfW, or USAID. Different United Nations organizations (e.g., UNFCCC, World Bank, GEF, 

and IEA) offer multilateral support and provide international frameworks. 

Public sector technology transfer activities will range from needs and resource assessments to 

selection and adaptation of the appropriate technology to the institutional strengthening 

required to support technology deployment (see Figure 8-1). 

 

412 U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment. “Fueling Development: Energy Technologies for 

Developing Countries.” OTA-E-516. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, April 1992. 

413 Ockwell, D.; Watson, J.; MacKerron, G.; Pal, P.; Yamin, F.; Vasudevan, N.; Mohanty, P. “UK–India 

Collaboration to Identify the Barriers to the Transfer of Low Carbon Energy Technology.” March 2007. 

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/sussexenergygroup/documents/uk_india_full_pb12473.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 
97 

Figure 8-1. Steps in technology transfer414 

8.3.1 Creating Markets and Providing Incentives 

The most important factor limiting the faster spread of clean energy technologies is the 

relatively higher cost of power generation compared to subsidized alternatives such as fossil 

fuels.415 Through a variety of instruments including income tax incentives, preferential tariffs, 

demand-side measures, and the reduction of support given to fossil fuels,416 governments can 

influence the economics in favor of renewable energy.

Another important lever at the government’s disposal is import duties and sales taxes. If 

renewable energy technologies are considered desirable and are supported by public funds, it 

may be counterproductive to levy high import duties or sales taxes on key components. For 

example, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced that the Indian government will 

exempt renewable machinery, such as solar equipment, parts for rotor blades used in wind 

turbines, and electric vehicles, from a tax on the production of goods.417

In the off-grid market, which is crucial in India, renewable energy solutions do not compete 

directly with cheap grid power. The government fosters not only international but also innerIndian technology transfer through creating viable local markets. This requires finding 

innovative ways to overcome the low purchasing power of consumers relative to the high 

costs of renewable energy technologies. 

 

414 Adapted by NREL from Parikh, J.; Kathuria, V. “Technology Transfer for GHG Reduction: A Framework 

and Case Studies for India.” Presented at STAP Workshop; January 19-20, 1997, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 415 Copenhagen Economics A/S and The IPR Company ApS. “Are IPR a Barrier to the Transfer of Climate 

Change Technology?” January 19, 2009; p. 32. 

http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2009/february/tradoc_142371.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 416 Recently the Government of India deregulated energy prices by linking local and international fuel prices. 

See “Fuel Price Deregulation is Here to Stay.” The Hindu. 27 June 2010. 417 India’s Cleantech Economy. http://www.indianenergytech.com/2010/03/14/india-increases-national-actionon-climate-change. Accessed August 2010. 
98 

The Indian 2010–2011 budget specified some key measures to increase the flow of renewable 

energy technology into the Indian market. The main points are:418

• Establish a National Clean Energy Fund for funding research and innovative 

projects in clean energy technologies. 

• Levy a clean energy tax on coal produced in India (and imported into India) at a 

rate of INR 50 (USD 1) per ton to build the corpus of a National Clean Energy 

Fund. 

• Increase the weighted deduction on expenditure incurred for in-house R&D from 

150%–200% to further encourage R&D efforts. Enhance weighted deductions on 

payments made to national laboratories, research associations, colleges, 

universities, and other institutions for scientific research from 125% to 175%. 

• Require concessional customs duty provisions of 5% to machinery, instruments, 

equipment, and appliances for initial set up of PV and solar thermal power 

generating units and exempt from central excise duty. Exempt ground-source heat 

pumps used to tap geothermal energy from basic customs duty and special 

additional duty. 

• Complete liberalization of pricing and payment of technology transfer fees and 

trademark, brand name, and royalty payments. 

8.3.2 Support for Financial Markets 

The Indian government is looking at improving the financing frameworks of renewable 

energy projects. It can raise awareness among equity investors and banks regarding the 

profitability of renewable energy projects. Some investors lack experience and technical 

understanding. The government assists by providing information and developing standards as 

well as best practice guides to alleviate the appraisal for developers. For example, MNRE 

announced guidelines for wind power projects requiring the certification of wind turbines, 

which reduces the risks for investors.419 

One of the key levers for improving international investor confidence in the Indian market is 

through provision of secure, long-term PPAs by the government. Key issues here are the 

credit status of the contract partners (often the SEBs) and the long-term outlook on feed-in 

tariffs and electricity prices in India. 

Financial support by international donors and innovative financing options are still required 

in order to scale up investments in renewable energy technologies in India. For example, a 

renewable energy development project in cooperation by World Bank, GEF, and the 

Government of India was set up to improve commercial markets and the financing of 

renewable energy in India. The project promoted and financed various investments of the 

private sector through IREDA. IREDA carried out market campaigns and business trainings 

and provided subsidies and financial incentives.420

 

418 Union Budget. “Key Features of Budget 2010-2011.” http://indiabudget.nic.in/ub2010-11/bh/bh1.pdf. 

Accessed August 2010. 

419 C-Wet. http://www.cwet.tn.nic.in/html/departments_sc.html. Accessed September 2010. 420 Martinot, E. “Methodological and Technological Issues in Technology Transfer,” Chapter 16. Case Study 22.

http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc/tectran/350.htm. Accessed August 2010. 
99 

8.3.3 Research and Development and Capacity Building 

India wants to become an international leader not only in the use of renewable energy but 

also in the development and commercialization of new technologies. National policies, such 

as JNNSM have recognized that in order to achieve more rapid technology development, 

there is a need for financial assistance for research in India. Funds for research into the 

manufacturing of polysilicon, for example, are to be provided by the National Energy 

Fund.421 The Indian government also plans to set up a Solar Research Council, which would 

coordinate research activities in India according to the R&D strategy of JNNSM. The strategy 

includes training, pilot demonstration projects, and National Centres of Excellence as 

research hubs and “incubators” for innovations and improvement of existing technologies.422

There is a clear need for bilateral and multilateral collaboration on R&D of clean energy 

technologies. Sharing knowledge and experiences can reduce the costs and risks involved in a 

project. Examples of such cooperation are the Indo-U.S. Science & Technology Forum, 

which catalyzes the bilateral collaborations in science, technology, and research with the 

funding vehicle for collaborative research provided under the EU’s Framework Program. 

Capacity building on the effective use of renewable energy technologies is also required. As a 

crucial aspect of capacity building, training must be imparted locally. Skills need to be 

improved to evaluate technological feasibility, cost benefit, applications, and local 

manufacturing capabilities. 

An important example of such work in India is the Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s (BEE) 

Energy Manager Training,423 which was developed in cooperation with GTZ. BEE publishes 

a list of certified energy managers and energy auditors on its Web site,424 and it is clear that 

this program has successfully created a pool of professionals working towards energy 

conservation and efficiency. 

Support for capacity building is promoted internationally by the Expert Group on Technology 

Transfer and the UNFCCC,425 and the United Nations provides direct financial support (e.g., 

GEF, UNDP, and the World Bank) for trainings, seminars, and workshops. 

8.3.4 Legal and Institutional Issues 

An important barrier to the introduction of more international technologies in India is the 

limited enforceability of law. This is particularly relevant with regard to Intellectual Property 

Rights. Improvements in patent protection could also stimulate domestic innovation. There is 

a significant increase in resident patent holders for clean technologies in emerging market 

economies (33% over 1998–2008).In China, approximately 40% of technology patents are 

locally owned compared to 14% in India. Moreover, climate change technology is not yet as 

heavily patented as biotechnology, agriculture, and information technology.426 

 

421 Government of India Planning Commission. “Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-12: Volume III Agriculture, 

Rural Development, Industry, Services, and Physical Infrastructure.” p. 417. 

http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v3/11th_vol3.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 422 MNRE. http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/mission-document-JNNSM.pdf. Accessed September 11, 2010. 423 Energy Manager Training. http://www.energymanagertraining.com. Accessed September 2010. 424 BEE. http://www.bee-india.nic.in/. Accessed August 2010. 425 UNIDO. “Technology Development and Transfer for Climate Change.” Working Paper, March 2010, p. 31. 426 Copenhagen Economics A/S and The IPR Company ApS. “Are IPR a Barrier to the Transfer of Climate 

Change Technology?” 19 January 2009; p. 5. 

http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2009/february/tradoc_142371.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 
100 

8.3.5 Clustering 

Through provision of land and tax incentives, the government can encourage the formation of 

clusters. These could in turn become centers of innovation and business development by 

concentrating technology specific resources, companies, and market knowledge. Thus, 

MNRE announced the development of 60 solar cities nationwide, with Nagpur in 

Maharashtra being the first one. MNRE funds half the costs of the project and requires a 10% 

reduction of energy consumption through combining improved energy efficiency with greater 

use of renewable energy sources.427

8.3.6 Communication and Information Dissemination 

To improve the transfer of renewable energy technologies, an exchange of knowledge and 

information is required—not only about technical details, but also on the conditions under 

which a technology is applicable.428 One example of information dissemination is the special 

advisory service facilitating technology transfer in clean energy provided by the Asia Pacific 

Centre for the Transfer of Technology (APCTT).429 Under their program, “Supporting the 

Development of an Institutional Cooperation Mechanism to Promote Renewable Energy,” 

APCTT facilitates the collection and dissemination of information on renewable energy 

technologies, shares best practices on promotion policies and utilization, and promotes R&D 

collaboration.430

Another example is the Indo-German Energy Forum. One of its main objectives is to improve 

the development of clean energy technologies in the Indian market by promoting transfer of 

know-how and technology. Topics in the field of renewable energy include support for a 

solar center at a leading Indian university, piloting solar-energy-based water desalination 

technology, and developing bankable business models for the use of renewable energy in 

rural areas. Several other countries are also committed to an exchange of knowledge and 

technology. 

 

427 MNRE. “Development of Solar Cities.” http://www.mnre.gov.in/pdf/city-guidelines.pdf. Accessed 

September 11, 2010. 

428 UNIDO. “Technology Development and Transfer for Climate Change.” Working Paper, March 2010, p. 28. 429 For detailed information, see http://technology4sme.net/home.aspx. Accessed August 2010. 430 APCTT. “Renewable Energy Cooperation-Network for the Asia Pacific.” 

http://apctt.net.previewdns.com/solutioncentre/ResAssess.aspx. Accessed October 2010. 
101 

9 Financing Renewable Energy in India 

Chapter Overview 

Clean energy investment worldwide reached INR 8,100 billion (USD 162 billion) in 2009. 

This number was down from INR 8,650 billion (USD 173 billion) in 2008 but was still the 

second highest annual figure ever and nearly four times the total investment in 2004 (INR 

2,140 billion/USD 46 billion). The reduction between 2008 and 2009 can be mainly 

attributed to the recent economic crisis.431 

Since 1990, India has been part of this boom in investment in renewable energy. According 

to a recent publication by the United Nations Environment Programme's Sustainable Energy 

Finance Initiative (SEFI) and Bloomberg New Energy Finance, total financial investment in 

clean energy in India was at INR 135 billion (USD 2.7 billion) in 2009, ranking it eighth in 

the world.432 With an increasingly favorable regulatory and policy environment and a 

growing number of entrepreneurs and project developers, India has been ranked by Ernst and 

Young as the fourth most attractive country for renewable energy investment in the world, 

only behind the United States, China, and Germany.433

Asset finance (renewable energy finance projects) and the public market are still the 

dominant forms of renewable energy financing in India; venture capital and private equity 

transactions are still limited in India due to the risks associated with renewable energy 

technologies. The confidence of domestic commercial banks providing loans to renewable 

projects is still limited; however, this is changing thanks to growing awareness and more and 

more favorable government policies and targets. Governments and bilateral and multilateral 

organizations are offering grants at favorable rates to promote renewable energy and project 

development, which is supporting deployment at all scales. India is also one of the most 

active participants in the CDM using revenues of carbon credits to finance renewable energy 

projects.

9.1 Investment by Asset Class 

The majority of renewable energy financing in India over the past 5 years has been in asset 

financing through internal company balance sheets, debt finance, and equity finance. 

Although the total value of asset financing has fallen from INR 155 billion (USD 3.1 billion) 

in 2008 to INR 95 billion (USD 1.9 billion) in 2009, it still accounts for 70% of domestic 

renewable energy investments. Public market activity, money invested in the equity of 

publicly quoted companies developing renewable energy technology, efficiency, and clean 

power generation, was around INR 35 billion (USD 700 million) in 2009.434 The Indian stateowned hydropower company NHPC Limited, raised INR 65 billion (USD 1.3 billion) via an 

initial public offering on the Indian National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange 

during the year. Indian companies began to explore foreign stock exchanges as an additional 

source of funds in 2007 and raised INR 37.8 billion (USD 756 million) on the Singapore 

Stock Exchange and London’s AIM in that year, compared to INR 32.3 billion (USD 646 

 

431 UNEP SEFI and Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2010 – 

Analysis of Trends and Issues in the Financing of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.” 2010; p. 8. 

432 UNEP SEFI and Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2010 – 

Analysis of Trends and Issues in the Financing of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.” 2010; p. 8. 

433 Ernst & Young. “Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices.” p 10. 

http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/Renewable_energy_country_attractiveness_indices_Issue_25/$FIL

E/Renewable_Energy_Issue_25.pdf. Accessed September 2010. 434 UNEP SEFI and Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2010 – 

Analysis of Trends and Issues in the Financing of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.” 2010; p. 48. 
102 

million) on domestic exchanges.435 However, due to financial turmoil in 2008, those funding 

avenues dried up with no money raised internationally in 2008 and only INR 3.7 billion 

(USD 74 million) raised on Indian exchanges.436 Venture capital and private equity activity in 

India marked a very small proportion of all investments in 2009 at just 4% of the clean 

energy total of INR 5 billion (USD 100 million), down from INR 20 billion (USD 400 

million) in 2008.437 

Table 9-1. New Financial Investment in India by Sector and Asset Class, 2009438

Sector/Asset 

Class Asset Finance Public Markets Venture Capital/ Private Equity Total 

 billion 

INR 

million 

USD 

billion 

INR 

million 

USD 

billion 

INR 

million 

USD 

billion 

INR 

million 

USD 

Solar 2.5 50 1 20 1.5 30 5 100 

Biofuels 5 100 5 100 0 0 10 200 

Small Hydro 10 200 0 0 0 0 10 200 

Biomass and 

Waste-to-energy 

25 500 0 0 5 100 30 600 

Wind 50 1,000 30 600 0 0 80 1,600 

From a technology perspective, the largest portion of new investment went to the wind sector 

at INR 80 billion (USD 1.6 billion), which represented 59% of the national total and was 11% 

higher than the investment in wind in 2008. Biomass (including waste-to-energy) received 

the second largest sector portion of new investment at INR 30 billion (USD 0.6 billion), 

followed by small hydro and biofuel investments, each at INR 10 billion (USD 0.2 billion).439

With the release of JNNSM targeting 22 GW of installed solar capacity by 2022 at an 

estimated cost of approximately INR 27.96 billion (USD 932 million), a substantial increase 

in investments into solar power is expected.440 Approval of the 2009 National Biofuels 

Policy, targeting 20% biodiesel and ethanol blends in fuels by 2017, will also likely trigger an 

increase in investment.441 

9.2 Various Types of Financing 

Traditionally, the government and NGOs have provided most of the funding for 

environmental or sustainable development projects in India. The main government funding 

 

435 UNEP. “Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2009. Analysis of Trends and Issues in the 

Financing of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.” 2009; p. 49. 

http://www.unep.org/pdf/Global_trends_report_2009.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 436 UNEP. “Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2009. Analysis of Trends and Issues in the 

Financing of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.” 2009; p. 49. 

http://www.unep.org/pdf/Global_trends_report_2009.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 437 UNEP. “Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2010 – Analysis of Trends and Issues in the 

Financing of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.” 2010; p. 48. 

http://bnef.com/DownloadDt3/download/UserFiles/File/WhitePapers/sefi_unep_global_trends_2010.pdf. 

Accessed October 2010. 

438 UNEP. “Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2010 – Analysis of Trends and Issues in the 

Financing of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.” 2010; p. 48. 

http://bnef.com/DownloadDt3/download/UserFiles/File/WhitePapers/sefi_unep_global_trends_2010.pdf. 

Accessed October 2010. 

439 UNEP. “Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2010 – Analysis of Trends and Issues in the 

Financing of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.” 2010; p. 48. 

http://bnef.com/DownloadDt3/download/UserFiles/File/WhitePapers/sefi_unep_global_trends_2010.pdf. 

Accessed October 2010. 

440 MNRE. “Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission Towards Building SOLAR INDIA.” 

http://mnre.gov.in/pdf/mission-document-JNNSM.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 441 Commodity Online. http://www.commodityonline.com/news/India-approves-National-Policy-on-bio-fuels24194-3-1.html. Accessed August 2010. 
103 

body has been IREDA, who offers standard loans to renewable energy projects at rates 

slightly more favorable than general commercial lending rates (see Chapter 2 for more an 

overview of IREDA’s activities).442,443,444 

As of December 31, 2009, IREDA financed 1,921 projects with IREDA loan commitment 

amounts totaling over INR 121.8 billion (USD 2.4 billion). Between 1987 and 2009, actual 

IREDA disbursements are at INR 66 billion (USD 1.41 billion). Such funding has supported 

the installation of 4.38 GW of power generation capacity. IREDA’s loan commitments during 

2008 were over INR 14.9 billion (USD 300 million) for 47 projects totaling 403 MW of 

power generation; 2008 loan disbursements were over INR 7.7 billion (USD 154 million).445

Other government agencies that actively fund renewable energy projects are the PFC, the 

Rural Electrification Corporation, and NABARD.446 Some typical financial products and 

services are summarized in Table 9-2. 

 

442 Cleantech Group LLC. “Cleantech Venture Capital and Private Equity Investments in India.” 2008; p. 15. 443 IREDA, http://www.ireda.gov.in/. Accessed August 2010. 444 Cleantech Group LLC. “Cleantech Venture Capital and Private Equity Investments in India.” 2008; p. 15. 445 IREDA. “22nd Annual Report 2008-09.” http://www.ireda.gov.in/pdf/IREDA_ANNUAL_REPORT_2008-

09.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 446 The table used extracted information from the official Web sites of PFC http://www.pfc.gov.in/, Rural 

Electrification Corporation Limited http://www.recindia.nic.in/, and NABARD http://www.nabard.org/. 

Accessed August 2010. 
104 

Table 9-2. Financial Institutions and Services 

Name of Institution Type of Financing 

IREDA Finances up to 70% of project cost with interest rates between 1.75% and 

10.50% in the following sectors: 

1) Hydro power projects 

2) Wind energy: Rebate at 0.25% for a period of 2 years for projects 

eligible for GBI 

3) Biomass cogeneration and industrial cogeneration 

4) Solar PV/solar thermal grid-connected power projects 

5) Energy conservation/efficiency projects (including DSM) and 

projects implemented in ESCO mode 

Finances electrification of remote village projects implemented using ESCO 

model: 12.75% with term loan up to 80% of project cost 

New instrument: Loan against securitization of future cash flow of 

renewable energy projects 

Implementation agency for finance scheme for off-grid projects under 

JNNSM 

PFC Provides term loans to all entities (government and IPPs) for power 

generation (from conventional and renewable energy projects), 

transmission, and distribution 

Rural Electrification 

Corporation Ltd 

Provides loans for all entities (government and independent power 

producers) for the purpose of rural electrification, irrespective of nature, 

size, or source of energy 

Provides short-term loans and debt refinancing to state power utilities in 

need of financial assistance to cover rural electrification 

NABARD Rural innovation fund for all innovations and related activities in the farm, 

rural non-farm, and micro-finance sectors that provide technology, skill 

upgrade, inputs supply, and market support for rural entrepreneurs; 

assistance is given in the form of loans, grants, or incubation funds 

Environmental Promotional Assistance: scheme for eco-friendly 

technologies including biogas, solar, and biofuels 

Scheme for home lighting through solar energy 

The different types of businesses, stages of technology or project development, and degrees 

of risk associated with investments in renewable energy require different types of investors. 

At the early stage, when there is no track record and no revenues are generated, the most 

common form of financing is the entrepreneur’s private capital. This normally involves 

borrowing from friends and family. However, there are also funds available through research 

and academic institutions, government initiatives, grants and foundations, and within 
105 

corporate R&D departments.447 Some identified early stage financiers that are actively 

supporting renewable energy R&D in India are: 

• ICICI Technology Finance Group. 

• Techno-Entrepreneurship Promotion Program. 

• Indian Institutes of Technology and other universities. 

• Corporate R&D departments. 

• Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship. 

• The Indian Angel Network. 

In addition to providing financial support, these financiers may undertake mentoring and 

capacity building, upgrading and expanding facilities, or bringing in collaborative partners 

for R&D and business development. 

Venture capital is focused on “early stage” or “growth stage” technology companies, while 

private equity firms tend to look at more mature technologies or projects. They generally 

expect to exit their investment and make their returns in a 3- to 5-year timeframe.448 Although 

Indian venture capital activity is increasing, there are still only a few venture capital investors 

in India who are actively looking to invest in renewable energy companies. One of the latest 

deals was from the first quarter of 2010; Azure Power, a solar power plant developer, raised 

INR 500 million (USD 10 million) in equity funding from IFC, Helion Advisors, and 

Foundation Capital.449 Other companies such as Climate Change Capital, Infrastructure 

Development Finance Company, and FE Clean Energy have created separate funds for clean 

energy. On the private equity side, with lower cash flows expected in the initial years of 

renewable energy projects, there is great need for equity funding for construction and 

expansion. Thus, there appears to be significant scope to attract private equity funds, 

provided that investment packages are suitably structured and the market offers high, 

expected returns. Suzlon Energy is an example of a successful private equity investment in 

renewable energy in India. In 2004, the company attracted private equity investment for 

funding its expansion plans. Today it is a publicly listed company, having made its initial 

public offering in 2005.450 

Corporate financing involves the use of internal company capital to finance a project directly 

or the use of internal company assets as collateral to obtain a loan from a bank or other 

lenders. Corporate financiers of renewable energy projects in India are primarily concentrated 

on large wind and hydropower projects, where captive power generation and the application 

of accelerated depreciation benefits play a significant role.451 Project financing is a method of 

 

447 Cleantech AustralAsia. Pursuing Clean Energy Business in India 2008; pp. 23-24. 

http://www.asiapacificpartnership.org/pdf/REDGTF/RDG-06-10_Report.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 448 Justice, S.; Hamilton, K. “Private Financing of Renewable Energy—A Guide for Policymakers.” 

http://www.energy-base.org/fileadmin/media/sefi/docs/publications/Finance_guide_FINAL-.pdf. Accessed 

October 2010. 

449 International Finance Corporation. 

http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/media.nsf/content/SelectedPressRelease?OpenDocument&UNID=DDE16356C70731

57852576EE004C8047. Accessed August 2010. 450 Ernst & Young. “Renewable Energy in India—Charting Rapid Growth.” 2007. https://eyo-iispd.ey.com/drivinggrowth/unprotected/downloads/Renewable_Energy_in_India_Charting_Rapid_Growth.pdf. 

Accessed October 2010. 

451 New Energy India. http://www.newenergyindia.org/Finance%20Page.htm. Accessed August 2010. 
106 

financing a project through debt and equity that are repaid by the revenues and assets of a 

specific project rather than through the balance sheet of a company. The primary debt 

providers in renewable energy project financing are commercial banks. For a long time, 

Indian domestic banks were shy to lend to the sector. There were perceived technological 

risks, risks related to PPAs, and risks associated with escalating project costs. However, as 

the market matured and more favorable government policies passed, banks have become 

increasingly more comfortable funding renewable energy projects at attractive interest rates. 

Prominent domestic banks that currently fund renewable projects are: Industrial Development 

Bank of India (IDBI), Export-Import Bank of India, ICICI Bank, the Industrial Finance 

Corporation of India (IFCI), State Bank of India, Yes Bank, and PNB. ICICI Bank, India’s 

largest private sector lender, has been funding renewable energy projects for years. Currently, 

ICICI provides a 50% waiver on loan processing for green vehicles and green homes.452 Yes 

Bank, another example, has set aside nearly 20% of its infrastructure to lend to fund clean 

technology projects; it recently approved a loan of INR 1 billion (USD 20 million) for wind 

farm equipment supplied by Enercon, which operates under the independent power producer 

model.453 

In the so-called “bottom of the pyramid” market, a number of microfinance institutions 

(MFIs) provide credit to individual borrowers or to local NGOs to give them access to 

responsive and timely financial services at market rates, to repay their loans, and to use the 

proceeds to increase their income and assets. MFIs facilitate the purchase of renewable 

energy systems like solar cookers, solar lanterns, or small biogas plants in off-grid areas of 

the country. The Self Employed Women’s Association is perhaps the most well-known 

example of an MFI in India. Also, a number of government organizations and private banks 

provide financial assistance to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The various 

financial services and products provided in the field of microfinance and SME finance are 

summarized in Tables 9-3 and 9-4. 

 

452 ICICI Bank. http://www.icicibank.com/pfsuser/webnews/go-green/Index.html. Accessed August 2010. 453 Singh, M. “Investors, Banks Willing to Go Green Again.” The Times of India. 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/biz/india-business/Investors-banks-willing-to-go-greenagain/articleshow/5861547.cms. Accessed August 2010. 
107 

Table 9-3. Commercial Banks and their Services 

Indian Commercial Banks Type of Financing 

Bank of Baroda Infrastructure financing 

Bank of Maharashtra Infrastructure financing 

Energy equipment financing (solar energy, bioenergy, and clean 

energy programs) 

Canara Bank SME financing 

Infrastructure financing 

End-user financing 

Corporation Bank Infrastructure financing 

Export - Import Bank of India Technology financing 

Infrastructure financing 

ICICI Bank Infrastructure financing (green homes) 

Transport financing (green cars) 

IDBI Bank Carbon credit business 

SME financing 

Infrastructure financing 

IFCI Venture Capital (acquired stake in Luminous Teleinfra Limited) 

Indian Overseas Bank Infrastructure financing 

ING Vysya Bank Ltd. Infrastructure financing 

Laxmi Vilas Bank Infrastructure financing 

Punjab National Bank Infrastructure financing 

State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur Infrastructure financing 

State Bank of India Infrastructure financing 

Axis Bank Infrastructure financing 

Private equity (acquired a minority stake in a south India clean 

energy firm) 
108 

Table 9-4. Microfinance Institutions and Initiatives 

Institution Name Type of Microfinance 

Aryavart Gramin Bank Approved loans for the installation of 8,000 solar-home systems in 

Uttar Pradesh 

Grameen Surya Bijlee Foundation Helps fund solar lamps and home and street lighting systems for 

villages in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh 

Green Microfinance and 

MicroEnergy International launch 

Energizing India, with the help of 

the Evangelical Social Action 

Forum 

Provides micro-energy products for its clients (micro-businesses and 

families) in four provinces in south India through micro-loans 

HSBC and Micro Energy Credits Provides clean energy alternatives to clients of Spandana (enables 

them to access the global carbon credit market) 

Renewable Energy and Energy 

Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), 

TERI, and Clinton Climate 

Initiative454

Replaces kerosene and paraffin lanterns with solar devices 

REEEP455 Developing 10 renewable energy projects with microfinancing 

Self Employed Women's 

Association 

Provides affordable renewable energy sources to poor people, e.g., 

solar-powered batteries 

SKS Microfinance Offers solar lamps (to women) 

9.3 International Support 

The Indian renewable energy sector has received significant support from the international 

community in the form of grants and low-interest loans. Several international financial 

institutions and bilateral financial institutions are engaged in renewable energy financing in 

India, such as World Bank/IFC, KfW, Nordic Investment Bank, United Nations Environment 

Programme (UNEP), ADB, USAID, and Danish International Development Agency 

(DANIDA). Their activities are summarized in Table 9-5, some of which are discussed more 

in detail below. 

9.3.1 World Bank/International Finance Corporation 

The World Bank’s annual lending to India’s power sector is approximately INR 50 billion 

(USD 1 billion). The World Bank is supporting the efficient transmission and distribution of 

power to consumers; in September 2009, they extended a loan of INR 50 billion (USD 

1 billion) to Powergrid to strengthen and expand five transmission systems in the northern, 

western, and southern regions of the country, and they are also supporting transmission and 

distribution improvements in Haryana and Maharashtra. Through the Bank’s private sector 

arm, the IFC, a loan of INR 312 million (USD 6.25 million) was approved for renewable 

energy company Auro Mira Energy Company Private Limited to build an 18 MW biomassbased power plant.456 In 2010, IFC also provided a INR 3.8 billion (USD 75 million) loan to 

 

454 More information on this microfinance initiative, 

http://southasia.oneworld.net/fromthegrassroots/microfinance-for-solar-power. Accessed October 2010, 455 More information on this microfinance initiative, 

http://southasia.oneworld.net/fromthegrassroots/microfinance-for-solar-power. Accessed October 2010. 456 International Finance Corporation. 

http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/spiwebsite1.nsf/1ca07340e47a35cd85256efb00700cee/72FBCEFEF801C2D7852576C

E0058DB18. Accessed August 2010. 
109 

Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) for investments in renewable 

energy, cleaner production, and energy efficiency projects.457

9.3.2 KfW 

Since the 1950s, more than EUR 8 billion (INR 480 billion/USD 9.6 billion) have been 

channeled by KfW on behalf of the German government, mainly for the fields of energy, 

finance sector development, health, and protection of the environment and natural resources. 

Currently, 12 energy sector projects, with KfW loan commitments of more than EUR 1.2 

billion (INR 70 billion/USD 1.4 billion), are being implemented in India. In 2009, KfW 

signed an agreement with IREDA to provide financial assistance of EUR 19.97 million (INR 

1.20 billion/USD 24.00 million) for the promotion of biomass power generation in India. The 

loan aims to accelerate the adoption of environmentally sustainable biomass power and 

cogeneration technologies in India and promotes innovative biomass projects of combustion, 

gasification, methanation, and cogeneration technologies for electricity generation.458 

9.3.3 United Nations Environment Programme 

The 4-year, INR 380 million (USD 7.6 million) India Solar Loan Program was launched in 

2003 through a partnership between UNEP, the UNEP Risø Centre on Energy, Climate and 

Sustainable Development, and two of India’s largest banking groups, with support from the 

UN Foundation and Shell Foundation. It aimed to establish a consumer credit market for 

financing solar home systems in southern India. The innovative financing arrangement 

involved an interest rate reduction, market development support, and a process to qualify 

solar suppliers. The interest rate reduction was phased out during the program and after 

project completion. Further financing of solar home systems is on purely commercial terms. 

While the solar home sector was a small, cash-only business in 2003, today the market is 

growing with more than 50% of sales financed by banks. There are now more than 20 banks 

with networks of more than 2,000 branches offering solar financing.459 

9.3.4 Asian Development Bank 

ADB's energy sector program includes support for enhancing the impact of the Government 

of India's initiatives in the renewable energy sector. There are many ongoing ADB lending 

programs targeting various renewable energy activities in different states in India. For 

instance, ADB is providing almost INR 7.5 billion (USD 150 million) in loans to support five 

wind power projects totaling over 260 MW in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka. In line 

with its Asian Solar Energy Initiative, ADB is presently supporting MNRE in implementation 

of JNNSM, and planned activities include support for the development of large-scale (1–

3 GW) solar power parks in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan. ADB's private sector 

operations is also preparing an INR 7.5 billion (USD 150 million) guarantee facility to 

mobilize commercial financing for an aggregate 100 MW of small grid-connected solar 

projects and is also evaluating direct lending for larger solar PV and solar thermal projects in 

India.460

 

457 International Finance Corporation. 

http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/spiwebsite1.nsf/f451ebbe34a9a8ca85256a550073ff10/90a9316abecfa8448525770700

62fca0?opendocument. Accessed August 2010. 458 For more information, please visit http://www.german-info.com/press_shownews.php?pid=1725. 459 For more information on the UNEP Solar Loan Programme, please visit 

http://www.unep.fr/energy/activities/islp/overview.htm. 460 Tan, V. ADB. Personal Communication. September 29, 2010. 
110 

Table 9-5. Bilateral and Multilateral Institutions and Services 

Name of Institution Type of Financing 

ADB • Private sector financing—equity, loans, and guarantees 

• Technical Assistance Special Fund 

World Bank and IFC • Infrastructure financing (IFC)—first commercial utility solar 

project in India to Azure Power Private 

• Microfinancing—INR 453 million (USD 9.05 million) grant to 

Small Industries Development Bank of India 

• Private sector funding 

• Renewable energy financing and commercial market 

improvements (with Global Environment Facility); the project 

allowed IREDA to promote and finance private-sector renewable 

investments 

• World Bank and USAID loan disbursement by ICICI Bank 

Global Environment Facility 

(GEF) 

• Private equity 

• Private sector funding 

• Renewable energy financing and commercial market 

improvements (with GEF); the project allowed IREDA to promote 

and finance private-sector renewable investments 

• Special fund to promote PV market transformation 

KfW • Lines of credit to Indian finance institutions—IREDA, PFC, REC 

• Technology financing 

• Microfinancing 

• SME financing 

DANIDA • Infrastructure financing—wind power 

• Soft loans 

• Technology financing 

USAID • Venture capital fund—initiated by Indian financial institutions to 

support clean technology activities in the private marketplace 

• Infrastructure financing 

• World Bank and USAID loan disbursement by ICICI Bank 

Nordic Investment Bank • Line of credit of INR 2.5 billion (USD 50 million) for financing of 

renewable energy projects 

9.4 Clean Development Mechanism461

The first phase of Kyoto Protocol aims at bringing the GHG levels in the atmosphere to 5.4% 

below the 1990 level by the year 2012. UNFCCC has identified three mechanisms under the 

Kyoto Protocol to enable the reduction of GHG emissions in a cost-effective approach. CDM 

is one of the flexible mechanisms by which this can be achieved through GHG emissions 

trading between the Annex I countries (mainly industrialized countries) and Non-Annex I 

countries under the climate change convention.462 Financing is one of the major hurdles faced 

by emission reduction projects and the primary goal of the CDM is making financing 

available to such projects to encourage sustainable development. With the provision of the 

CDM principle, India could sell achieved emission reductions credits to developed countries. 

India began participation in the CDM in 2003, and as an early entrant has been an active and 

significant participant using revenues of carbon credits to finance renewable energy projects. 

India has the second largest market share of CDM projects after China; the CDM executive 

board had registered 506 projects in India as of June 2010, which amounted to more than 

 

461 India’s participation in CDM is also discussed in Chapter 1. 462 For a description of Annex I and Non-Annex I countries, see the UNFCCC’s parties and observers: 

http://unfccc.int/parties_and_observers/items/2704.php. 
111 

20% of all the registered projects.463 In the initial stage of CDM development in India, 

biomass utilization projects, waste gas/heat utilization projects, and other renewable energy 

technology projects (largely wind and hydropower) were mainly being implemented, though 

India also has registered CDM projects for other sectors including energy efficiency, 

afforestation and reforestation, and transportation. Figure 9-1 shows the contributions of 

various project categories to India’s CDM portfolio. 

Figure 9-1. Types of registered CDM projects in India464

There are also a large number of unilateral CDM projects, approximately 422 projects as of 

June 2010,465 which are being developed by Indian stakeholders without the technological or 

financial engagement of Annex I industrialized countries. Indian project developers 

implement the project by the bearing transaction costs of CDM and taking on the project 

risks. 

In the past few years, a large number of renewable energy projects have benefited from the 

CDM process. With the development of programmatic and sectoral CDM, it is expected that 

more small-scale renewable energy projects will be bundled together to tap the revenue from 

international emission trading. 

 

463 Institute for Global Environmental Strategies. 

http://enviroscope.iges.or.jp/modules/envirolib/upload/984/attach/india_final.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 464 Institute for Global Environmental Strategies. 

http://enviroscope.iges.or.jp/modules/envirolib/upload/984/attach/india_final.pdf. Accessed August 2010. Chart 

is produced from its original figure. 

465 Institute for Global Environmental Strategies. 

http://enviroscope.iges.or.jp/modules/envirolib/upload/984/attach/india_final.pdf. Accessed August 2010. 
112 

10 Enabling Environment 

Chapter Overview 

Future success in achieving ambitious renewable energy goals will require supportive 

policies, innovative financing availability, and technology growth. The International 

Renewable Energy Conference (IREC) series brings together stakeholders to discuss the 

conditions that have supported successful renewable energy deployment, the challenges still 

being faced, and creative solutions. An increasing number of countries are setting targets for 

renewable generation at the national and sub-national levels. In addition and as an alternative, 

countries are setting preferential tariffs to deploy technologies that cannot yet compete on 

costs with traditional fossil technologies. Governments are increasing their fiscal support for 

renewable energy in a variety of ways including funds for demonstration projects and loan 

guarantees. Public sector international financial institutions are playing a larger role in 

supporting clean energy projects relative to private financial institutions, though the latter are 

still active participants and may increase their role again as global financial markets recover. 

At the same time that renewable energy is receiving this policy and fiscal support, the 

technologies themselves are continually improving and the costs coming down. So as India 

and other nations gather for DIREC 2010 and look ahead to the next gathering in the series, 

there are many opportunities to share experiences that have contributed to renewable energy 

growth to-date and prospects for more rapid growth in the coming years. 

10.1 History of the International Renewable Energy Conference Process 

Since the initiation of the first IREC in Bonn, Germany, in 2004, this conference series has 

achieved high-level, international participation of stakeholders from policy, business, science, 

and civil society. The Bonn “Renewables 2004” and the subsequent Beijing International 

Renewable Energy Conference (BIREC 2005) and Washington International Renewable 

Energy Conference (WIREC 2008) provided important inputs for the international discourse 

on renewable energy. 

Renewables 2004 charted the way towards an expansion of renewable energy technologies 

worldwide, responding to the call of the Johannesburg summit for the global development of 

renewable energy in 2002. It also kept up the momentum generated by a group of likeminded countries for promotion of renewable energy. Renewables 2004 addressed the issue 

of how the proportion of renewable energy can be substantially increased and how its 

advantages and potential can be better used. 

The conference concentrated in particular on the following themes: 

• Formation of enabling political framework conditions, allowing the market 

development of renewable energy. 

• Increase in private and public financing in order to secure reliable demand for 

renewable energy. 

• Human and institutional capacity building and coordination and intensification of 

R&D. 

BIREC in November 2005 called on the world to consider renewable alternatives in the era of 

high oil prices. The political commitment to encourage the use of fossil fuel alternatives was 

strengthened by the messages from the Chinese President and the General Secretary of the 

United Nations to the 1,200 representatives from more than 80 countries and regions. 
113 

WIREC was held March 4–6, 2008, in Washington, D.C. WIREC was a collective effort, 

involving public and private partners, both domestic and international. Building on the two 

preceding conferences, WIREC again brought together the world's leaders in the field of 

renewable energy to reconfirm the commitment to a cleaner energy future. In partnership 

with REN21, WIREC gathered 145 specific, policy-oriented initiatives that will significantly 

increase the presence of renewable energy worldwide. 

DIREC 2010, with special focus on “Upscaling and Mainstreaming Renewables for Energy 

Security, Climate Change, and Economic Development,” is the fourth in the series of the 

global ministerial-level conferences on renewable energy. The Government of India hosts this 

international platform for government, private sector, and civil society leaders to jointly 

address the goal of advancing renewable energy. It will build upon the success and outcomes 

of the previous events in Bonn, Beijing, and Washington, D.C. 

10.2 International Policy Landscape 

Currently, 83 countries promote the use of renewable energy resources through national and 

regional policies, and this number continues to increase. These policies include feed-in 

tariffs, renewable obligations or quotas, capital subsidies or grants, investment tax credits, 

sales tax or value added tax exemptions, green certificate trading, direct energy production 

payments or tax credits, net metering, direct public investment or financing, and public 

competitive bidding. Apart from the national level, local governments and even cities play a 

role.466

The effectiveness of the policies depends on the governments’ abilities to commit towards 

renewable energy in the long term, to install legally binding targets, and to improve while 

continually building on past experiences. To enhance the impact, most countries use a 

combination of different policies at the national, state, and regional levels. 

As Asian countries improve their policies on and commitment for renewable energy, the 

leadership in this market is shifting from West to East, especially to China who added the 

largest renewable energy capacity of 37 GW in 2009 and to India.467

10.2.1 Policy Targets 

National policies can set targets for the share of renewable energy in total electricity, primary 

or final energy mix. The first period for targets ends in 2012, but new policies aim at a longterm commitment until 2020 and beyond.468

An example for such a policy is the agreement of the 27 countries of the EU to follow an EUwide target. The EU stated that by 2020, 20% of their final energy mix should be produced 

 

466 REN21. “Renewables 2010 Global Status Report.” Paris: REN21 Secretariat. 2010. 

http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 467 Goldman Sachs Global Market Institute. “Alternative Energy: Prospects for Policy, Finance and 

Technology.” June 2009. http://www2.goldmansachs.com/ideas/global-markets-institute/past-research-andconferences/past-research/alt-energy-doc.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 468 REN21. “Renewables 2010 Global Status Report.” Paris: REN21 Secretariat. 2010. 

http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 
114 

by renewable energy resources.469 In some countries, such as in the United States and 

Canada, targets are set on a state or regional level.470

In the case of countries such as India who have double-digit growth rates in energy 

demand,471 setting percent targets is ambitious. Nonetheless, both countries have set 

themselves targets. India’s Eleventh Plan sets a renewable energy capacity target of 25 GW 

by 2012, and JNNSM aims for installed on-grid solar alone to reach 20 GW by 2022.472

The policy targets are communicated and discussed on an international level during global 

conferences such as DIREC. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will 

support the efforts of different countries to achieve their stated targets.473

10.2.2 Renewable Energy Promotion Policies 

The most common promotional policies are preferential feed-in tariffs. They are implemented 

in 50 countries and have been effective at speeding up the deployment of renewable energy 

technologies, particularly in the wind sector.474

In recent years, many countries have modified their tariffs based on prior experience and 

changes in the market. China, for example, based its new tariffs for wind power on 

competitive bidding and project development experience. Furthermore, it developed a system 

of different tariffs for different regions of the country based on the availability of renewable 

energy resources.475 In some countries, such as Spain, the reduction of technology costs and 

growing global competition led to the announcement of lower tariffs.476

National policies for quotas on renewable energy or renewable portfolio standards exist only 

in 10 countries (Australia, Chile, China, Italy, Japan, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, 

Sweden, and the United Kingdom), but these are more common on the state/provincial level, 

especially in the United States and India. Most of these policies target a share of renewable 

energy power in the range of 5%–20%.477

Direct capital investment subsidies or grants are offered either for a broad range of renewable 

energy technologies, as in Indonesia and the Philippines, or are technology specific, as in 

India’s income tax exemption for wind projects. Recently, the import duties were reduced in 

 

469 Europa press release. “Memo on the Renewable Energy and Climate Change Package.” 

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/33. Accessed September 11, 2010. 470 REN21. “Renewables 2010 Global Status Report.” Paris: REN21 Secretariat. 2010. 

http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 471 Liming, H. “Financing Rural Renewable Energy: A Comparison between China and India.” Institute of South 

Asian Studies Working Paper. 23 May 2008. 

http://www.frankhaugwitz.info/doks/general/2008_05_23_China_RE_Finance_Comparison_India.pdf. 

Accessed October 2010. 

472 See Chapters 2 and 4 of this report. 473 IRENA. http://www.irena.org/ourMission/index.aspx?mnu=mis. Accessed September 11, 2010. 474 REN21. “Renewables 2010 Global Status Report.” Paris: REN21 Secretariat. 2010. 

http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 475 Mendonca, M. “Feed-In Tariffs: Accelerating the Deployment of Renewable Energy.” 2007. 476 Hughes, E. “Spain Feed-in Tariff Cuts: New Photovoltaic Solar Power Plants to be Chopped by up to 45%.” 

PV-Tech. http://www.pv-tech.org/news/_a/spain_feedin_tariff_cuts_new_phot35654654_plants_to_be_chopped_by_up_to_45/. Accessed September 11, 2010. 477 REN21. “Renewables 2010 Global Status Report” Paris: REN21 Secretariat. 2010. 

http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 
115 

many countries to remove this barrier to the growth of renewable energy. An example is 

South Korea, where duties have been reduced by 50%.478

The solar PV market, especially PV rooftop programs, is often supported by capital subsidies, 

which usually cover 30%–50% of the installation costs. In South Korea, as much as 70% of 

the cost is subsidized and a goal of 300 MW from rooftop PV by 2011 was announced. In 

China, half of the capital costs of building-based solar PV larger than 50 kW and on-grid 

projects of more than 300 kW are subsidized.479

Tradable RECs are well established in the EU and in some U.S. states. The European Energy 

Certificate System consists of 18 countries and provides a platform for the issue and transfer 

of voluntary RECs as well as guarantee-of-origin certificates.480

Public investment, low-interest loans or financing is considered to be an important aspect for 

growth in the renewable energy sector. Therefore, many countries have established renewable 

energy funds. One of these is the Canadian CAD 1 billion clean energy fund (INR 45 

billion/USD 987 million) that supports the demonstration of projects as well as R&D.481 New 

funds have come up in China, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Jordan. In India, the 

establishment of a National Clean Energy Fund is part of the Indian Budget 2010–2011.482

Public competitive bidding policies involve bidding for fixed quantities of renewable energy 

capacity. One of the oldest examples of this policy, China’s bidding policy for wind projects, 

is being replaced by feed-in tariffs. American countries, such as Brazil, Uruguay, and 

Argentina, launched competitive bidding programs in 2008–2009.483

10.3 New Financing Methods 

The total investment in renewable energy capacity in 2009 was INR 7,500 billion (USD 150 

billion). Venture capital and private equity investment went down mainly as a result of the 

global financial crisis. At the same time, governments increased the investment in research, 

development, and deployment. Germany and China were the investment leaders in 2009, 

each spending around INR 1,250-1,500 billion (USD 25–30 billion). Wind power received 

62% of the total investment in utility-scale power plants. Investments in PV declined, mainly 

due to falling module prices.484

An interesting model to meet the demand for risk-mitigation is the insurance for CDM 

projects. The insurers guarantee that CERs will be delivered on agreed terms and conditions 

to the client or they will provide financial compensation. This reduces the risk for project 

 

478 Chan, Y. “South Korea Slashes Import Tariffs on Renewable Energy Equipment.” Business Green. 

http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2249866/south-korea-slashing-import. Accessed September 

11, 2010. 

479 Renewable Power News. “Ways to Encourage Governmental Support for Solar Power.” 

http://www.renewablepowernews.com/archives/1610. Accessed September 11, 2010. 480 REN21. “Renewables 2010 Global Status Report.” Paris: REN21 Secretariat. 2010. 

http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 481 Natural Resources Canada. http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/media/newcom/2009/200943-eng.php. Accessed 

September 11, 2010. 

482 Key Features of Budget 2010-2011. http://indiabudget.nic.in/ub2010-11/bh/bh1.pdf. Accessed September 

2010. 

483 REN21. “Renewables 2010 Global Status Report.” Paris: REN21 Secretariat. 2010. 

http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 484REN21. “Renewables 2010 Global Status Report.” Paris: REN21 Secretariat. 2010. 

http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 
116 

developers, investors, and buyers of CERs. Institutions offering this service are the Austrian 

Garant Insurance, the French Global Sustainable Development Project, and Swiss Re 

Greenhouse Gas Risk Solutions. The first insurance was implemented in South America and 

covers a carbon delivery guarantee, political risk insurance, and business interruption.485

The last years have seen significant “green stimulus packages” that include grants, loans, loan 

guarantees, tax credits, tax deduction, and other supporting schemes. With INR 3,345 billion 

(USD 68.7 billion), China leads the investments, followed by the United States with INR 

3,330 billion (USD 66.6) billion and EU with INR 565 billion (USD 11.3 billion). The green 

stimulus funding has so far suffered from delays in the administrative processes. To bring the 

funds to bear more quickly, they can be injected by development banks. The Japan Bank of 

International Cooperation, for example, has set up an INR 250 billion (USD 5 billion) fund 

for environmental projects in Asia. The French development bank, Agence Française de 

Dévellopement, plans to invest INR 520 billion (USD 10.4 billion) in infrastructure 

projects.486

While public sector banks and development banks expanded their roles, the commercial 

banks reduced their exposure. The most important players include the European Investment 

Bank, the Brazilian National Bank of Economic and Social Development, the World Bank 

Group, the German KfW, the Inter-American Development Bank, and ADB.487

10.4 Renewable Technology Costs 

Costs for many renewable energy technologies have been falling significantly over the last 

years, making them more competitive. A good example is solar PV; in the last 12 years, the 

module costs, which account for about 50% of total costs, declined due to economies of scale 

in production. At the same time, non-module costs such as inverters, other hardware, labor, 

permitting, and shipping also came down.488

A main component in the production of PV crystalline cells is polysilicon. The supply of 

material was constrained and prices doubled from 2004 until 2008. This is not considered a 

problem, as improvements in utilization and new production capacities lead to the assumption 

of falling future costs. Regarding thin-film PV, a potential constraint and cost driver could be 

the supply of some rare metals used for this technology.489

10.5 New Technology Development 

In the coming years, we cannot only expect the drops in renewable technologies discussed 

above, but we can also expect substantial progress with some of the less mature renewable 

technologies. Some of these technologies are ready to see significant gains, and some may 

see their utilization rates accelerated by ambitious initiatives of governments and the private 

sector. 

 

485 UNEPFI. “The Materiality of Social, Environmental and Corporate Governance Issues to Equity Pricing,” 

Asset Management Working Group, Geneva: UNEPFI; June 2004. 

486 UNEP. “Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2009.” 

http://www.unep.org/pdf/Global_trends_report_2009.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 487 REN21. “Renewables 2010 Global Status Report.” Paris: REN21 Secretariat. 2010. 

http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 488 Price, S.; Margolis, R. “2008 Solar Technologies Market Report.” U.S. Department of Energy. 

http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy10osti/46025.pdf. Accessed April 9, 2010 489 Price, S.; Margolis, R. “2008 Solar Technologies Market Report.” U.S. Department of Energy. 

http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy10osti/46025.pdf. Accessed April 9, 2010 
117 

10.5.1 Geothermal Power 

Geothermal power plants provide direct heat and electricity. Twenty-four countries currently 

have geothermal power plants with a total capacity of 10.7 GW, but 88% of it is generated in 

just seven countries: the United States, the Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico, Italy, New 

Zealand, and Iceland. The most significant capacity increases since 2004 were seen in Iceland 

and Turkey. Both countries doubled their capacity. Iceland has the largest share of 

geothermal power contributing to electricity supply (25%), followed by the Philippines 

(18%).490 The development of advanced technologies is expected in the near future, as well 

as a rise in the number of installations. Currently, there are many new projects under 

construction.491

10.5.2 Ocean Energy 

To date, ocean energy is mostly used in pilots and demonstration projects. While tidal and 

wave technologies are already implemented commercially in a few projects, ocean thermal 

energy conversion is still in exploration status. The governments of some European states, 

Australia, South Korea, Canada, and the United States support the growth of the market by 

grants. Ireland has the largest and most established market with preferential feed-in tariffs for 

ocean energy.492

10.5.3 Large Grid Networks 

The concept of large grid networks is being promoted by the DESERTEC initiative, which 

promotes deployment of CSP in desert regions and transport the electricity generated using 

high-voltage direct current transmission networks. They are supporting CSP development in 

North Africa with an aim to provide most of the power needs for the Middle East and North 

Africa and up to 15% of the power needs of Europe by 2050. The initiative supports use of a 

large network of medium transmission lines to move power from North Africa to Europe 

instead of a few large transmission lines (analogous to the transmission networks for oil and 

natural gas) to increase security of supply.493

10.5.4 Solar Cooling 

Use of solar thermal systems to supply energy to absorption chillers is being explored as part 

of several ambitious renewable energy initiatives. The Masdar City project in the United 

Arab Emirates and the Hawaii Renewable Energy Deployment venture in the United States 

have both announced plans to utilize the technology to cool buildings.494,495 Solar cooling 

 

490 REN21. “Renewables 2010 Global Status Report.” Paris: REN21 Secretariat. 2010. 

http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 491 Geothermal Energy Association. “Geothermal Energy: International Market Update.” http://www.geoenergy.org/pdf/reports/GEA_International_Market_Report_Final_May_2010.pdf. Accessed September 12, 

2010. 

492 REN21. “Renewables 2010 Global Status Report.” Paris: REN21 Secretariat. 2010. 

http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 493 DESERTEC. http://www.desertec.org/en/. Accessed September 12, 2010. 494 MASDAR. “Masdar Turns to Sun’s Heat to Cool Buildings.” 

http://www.masdar.ae/en/mediaCenter/newsDesc.aspx?News_ID=150&MenuID=55&CatID=44. Accessed 

October 14, 2010. 

495 Hawaii Renewable Energy Development Venture. “Five Clean Energy Companies Receive Funding to 

Demonstrate Innovative Technologies in Hawaii.” http://www.hawaiirenewable.com/wpcontent/uploads/2010/09/HREDV-News-release-Sept-2010.pdf. Accessed October 2010. 
118 

technology presents opportunities for many warm climates, including India, where a solar 

thermal cooling system has already been deployed at the Muni Seva Ashram in Gujarat.496

10.6 Looking Ahead 

As policymakers and renewable energy professionals convene at DIREC, they will be 

looking at successes since the last IREC in Washington, D.C., and forward to what can be 

achieved before the next meeting in 2012. Country- and state-level adoption of targets for 

renewable capacity and generation has increased rapidly in recent years, renewable 

technologies continue to improve, and deployment of these technologies is continuing in a 

way that their contribution to the global energy system continues to increase in significance. 

Policy action in countries like India has resulted in the contribution of increasing renewable 

energy market growth in developing countries. At the next IREC, India will be poised to 

present on lessons learned from the first phase of JNNSM and plans for Phase 2, and there 

may be changes to the Indian manufacturing sector to reflect the industry growth objectives 

of the mission. If current trends continue, the next IREC will take place amidst a rapid 

expansion of installed renewable capacity with delivered energy costs continuing their trend 

toward parity with fossil technologies. 

 

496 Epp, B. “Solar Thermal Based Air-conditioning System Proves Itself in India.” 

http://www.solarthermalworld.org/node/1028. Accessed October 2010. 
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Indian Renewable Energy Status Report: Background Report for 

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India has great potential to accelerate use of endowed renewable resources in powering its growing economy with a 

secure and affordable energy supply. The Government of India recognizes that development of local, renewable 

resources will be critical to ensure that India is able to meet both economic and environmental objectives and has 

supported the development of renewable energy through several policy actions. This paper describes the status of 

renewable energy in India as of DIREC 2010. It begins by describing the institutional framework guiding energy 

development in India, the main policy drivers impacting energy, and the major policy actions India has taken that 

impact renewable energy deployment. The paper presents estimates of potential for wind, solar, small hydro, and 

bioenergy and the deployment of each of these technologies to date in India. The potential for India to meet both 

large-scale generation needs and provide access to remote, unelectrified populations are covered. Finally, the 

enabling environment required to facilitate rapid scale of renewables is discussed, including issues of technology 

transfer and the status of financing in India.

15. SUBJECT TERMS

India; renewable energy; wind; solar photovoltaics; PV; bioenergy; biogas; biofuels; biomass; hydropower; solar 

water heating; concentrating solar power; climate change; finance

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Integrated Research and Action for Development - IRADe

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New Delhi - 110017

http://www.irade.org

Bridge to India Pvt. Ltd. - Environment Technology, Indian Market

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110017 New Delhi/India

Tel: +91 11 46 08 15 79

E-Mail: info@bridgetoindia.com

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National Renewable Energy Laboratory

1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, Colorado 80401

303-275-3000 • www.nrel.gov

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 

Operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC

NREL/TP-6A20-48948 • October 2010

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Cover Photo Credits: ©Enrico Fabian