Centre to reach out to states to resolve RE issues, boost flagship solar schemes: Joshi

Gandhinagar: With the state committing to install 540GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, Union minister for new and renewable energy Pralhad Joshi said on Tuesday the Centre would reach out to states to iron out problems they may face in implementing their commitments and to boost the rollout of the PM Surya Ghar-Muft Bijli Yojana and PM Kusum' schemes.

At the RE-Invest 2024 conclave, states have pledged to install 540GW renewable energy capacity by the end of this decade, with Gujarat making the highest commitment of 128 .6 GW by the end of the decade followed by Andhra Pradesh with 72.6 GW.

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"Talks are underway. I will personally be going to states for green energy open access and also to talk on the PM Surya Ghar and PM Kusum schemes. In terms of these schemes and the total target they have set through their 'Shapath Patras' (commitment letters), we would discuss what issues are to be addressed, what Centre has to do and what they would do," he said.

States' role key

Although green transition and renewable energy have witnessed significant policy focus and private investments, issues such as land acquisition and transmission, where states play a key role, have been among the key concerns for the growth of the sector.

Green energy open access norms were introduced in 2022, which allows consumers with a connected load of 1 MW or more to directly purchase green power from the generator or the open market.

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PM Surya Ghar is a flagship scheme of the Union government launched earlier this year to provide rooftop solar installations to 10 million households with an allocation of ₹75,000 crore. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-Kusum) was launched in 2019 to provide green power to farmers.

On the issue of lag in development of solar power projects even after signing of power purchase agreements (PPA), he said that it needs to be addressed by states. "States need to talk to us and resolve these issues. We are trying to pursue with the states," he said.

Stakeholders involved

Talking to Mint, the minister said that during deliberations of the industry with the government, industry noted that evacuation, transmission and financing are some of the key challenges for the green power sector. He said that ministry has talked to all stakeholders including the union finance ministry to address the issue of financing.

On the inaugural day of the fourth edition of RE-Invest on Monday, banks and financial companies had committed to finanace up to ₹24.8 trillion for energy transition by 2030.

Citing the latest investments commitments, he said that the pledges show that the country is set to cross the targeted 500 GW target by 2030.

On the supply chain for the renewable energy ecosystem, Joshi said that the plans to set up 338 GW of module manufacturing capacity, and 239 GW of cell capacity by 2030 along with wafers and ingots would be adequate to take care of the domestic demand and make India a hub for solar equipment manufacturing.

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"We are also thinking about ways to boost manufacturing of other components like ingots," he said.

Speaking on the demand scenario for green hydrogen, the minister said that as of now about half of the capacity awarded under the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (Sight) scheme of the National Green Hydrogen Mission, has been tied up.

Under the Sight programme, with a financial outlay of ₹17,490 crore, government incentivized domestic manufacturing of electrolyzers and production of green hydrogen. The target is to develop a capacity of 5 million tonne green hydrogen per annum by 2030.