



Green power reaches a choke point, and the search is on for a way out
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Centre has stepped in to resolve the green power quagmire of surplus production and insufficient transmission, following sweeping production cuts at solar and wind farms. The curtailment offers a temporary fix and keeps the grid stable, but results in steep losses for the developers, and threatens to derail India's ambitious green energy trajectory.
The new and renewable energy ministry has tasked the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and the Grid Controller of India Ltd (Grid India) to jointly explore a resolution to this vexed issue, two people aware of the development said. The CEA is India's apex power sector planning body, while Grid India is the national power grid operator. Both agencies would conduct a joint study to this effect following the ministry's direction.
The Centre's move comes after vast production cuts ordered in Rajasthan and Gujarat, two of India's green power engines. The curtailment, equivalent to 18% of the average monthly solar generation of 13 terawatt hours, resulted in a compensation payout of ₹575-690 crore to the developers, according to Ember, an energy transition think tank based in the UK. Developers often make losses despite receiving compensation from a reserve fund, as it doesn't make up for all the losses incurred.
"At a recent meeting of all stakeholders, the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) asked the CEA to look at the issue and conduct a study on ways to reduce oscillations in the power system, which would help bring in more stability to the transmission system. The CEA and Grid India will together carry out the study. The ministry is also constantly monitoring the issue," said one of the two people cited above, requesting
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