Lok Sabha Question No. 3494 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-24
Subject: Integration of Renewable Energy with Main Grid
Ministry: NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY
Asked by: Ganesh Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3494

ANSWERED ON 24.03.2022

## INTEGRATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY WITH MAIN GRID

## +3494. SHRI GANESH SINGH

Will the Minister of NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is a need to work on the integration of renewable energy with the main grid other than need for the resolution of issues like large scale power storage for growth in the renewable energy sector;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether renewable energy resources are a bit more expensive than traditional sources and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether sustenance and twenty four hour power supply are major challenges aside from storage system and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether too much power is consumed in the agriculture sector and if so, the details thereof;
- (f) whether there is a challenge to ensure proper power supply to every household as well as to agriculture sector; and
- (g) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND POWER (SHRI R.K. SINGH)

(a) & (b) The intermittency in Renewable Energy (RE) generation which is caused due to variability in availability  of  natural  resources  during  a  day  poses  a  challenge  in  its  integration  with  the  grid.  The Government in order to ensure smoother integration of RE generation with the grid has taken several measures including the following:

- i. Construction  of  Intra-State  and  Inter-State  transmission  systems  for  evacuation  of  Renewable power.
- ii. Setting  up  of  Renewable  Energy  Management  Centers  (REMCs)  for  accurate  forecasting  of renewable  power  and  for  assisting  grid  operators  to  manage  variability  and  intermittency  of renewable power.
- iii. Innovative products like solar-wind hybrid projects, RE projects with energy storage systems and supply of RE power balanced with power from non-RE sources started to reduce intermittency.
- iv. Implementation of Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) and Green Day Ahead Market (GDAM) for sale of renewable energy.
- v. Flexibility in Generation and Scheduling of Thermal/Hydro Power Stations through bundling with Renewable Energy and Storage Power.
6. (c) The country has seen record low RE tariffs of  Rs 1.99 per KWh for solar power  and Rs 2.43 per KWh for  wind  power  which  are  quite  favourable  as  compared  to  tariff  of  electricity  produced  from  nonrenewable energy sources.
7. (d) Solar energy, for example is available effectively for 6-8 hours only during the day (besides seasonal variation) and wind power can also have significant intra-day as well as inter-seasonal and inter-annual variations. Therefore, storage systems are critical for ensuring reliable supply of renewable energy in the country's  energy  mix,  especially  as  the  share  of  renewables  in  the  overall  energy  mix  of  the  country increases.
8. (e) The details of electricity consumption in agriculture sector  during the year 2015-16 to 2019-20 is given below:
9. (f) & (g): The responsibility of providing reliable and quality power supply to all consumers including every household and agriculture sector rests with the respective Distribution Utilities. To provide reliable power  supply  to  all  the  consumers,  the  distribution  utilities  have  to  maintain  adequate  distribution infrastructure alongwith availability of power for meeting the full demand.

| Year    |   Electricity consumption in Agriculture sector (in GWh) |
|---------|----------------------------------------------------------|
| 2015-16 |                                                   173185 |
| 2016-17 |                                                   191151 |
| 2017-18 |                                                   199247 |
| 2018-19 |                                                   213409 |
| 2019-20 |                                                   211295 |

Government of India supplements the efforts of States/UTs/Distribution Utilities by launching various schemes from time to time such as Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram  Jyoti  Yojana  (DDUGJY),  Saubhagya,  Revamped  Distribution  Sector  Scheme  (RDSS)  etc.  to improve the Distribution network.

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