Powermin seeks tax breaks for ongoing hydel projects

BUDGET DEMAND

from the estimated addition of 141GW of wind and solar power has been estimated by 2020-21. According to experts, on a bright sunny day in summer, the peak availability of wind and solar combined could go up to 90 GW. On the other hand, the total hydro capacity in the country, which is 42 GW now, is expected to be 52GW in 2021, according to CEA estimates. Out of this, around 40 GW would be generated round-the-clock in summer and monsoon, which offers a certain degree of flexibility to be ramped up and down to counter balance the solar and wind generation cycle.

Alongside conventional hydropower, the CEA estimates peg the max renewable energy power from wind, solar and hydro during summer-monsoon season at about 120 GW against a projected all-india intra-day demand of about 160-170 GW in 2021 (projection based on the historical growth trend in demand). Also, the 5 GW nuclear plant capacity always run at base load.

What this means is that the massive fleet of over 266 GW thermal plants in the country will have to ramp down to technical minimum and some of them may have to back down also when solar power peaks, and start ramping up in the afternoon from 3pm onwards to as the sun goes down and the net demand rises to its daily evening peak which may be of the order of 200 GW in 2021. The current coal capacity is about 182 GW and overall thermal capacity (coal plus gas) is 211GW. This is where the hydropower sector could prove vital in the country’s energy mix.