Question : Renewable Energy Sector

(a): whether the Government proposes to promote new technologies in the renewable energy sector such as smart grids, smart homes, battery storage and concentrated solar heat and power and if so, the details thereof;
(b): whether the Government also proposes to create new institutions, organizations and funding mechanisms for promoting the renewable technologies and innovations to render renewable energy sources affordable and accessible to the people and if so, the details thereof;
(c): whether the Government has introduced new initiatives and policies for propagation and adoption of new and renewable energy sources in the country and if so, the details thereof;
(d): whether the Government has up-scaled the target of renewable energy production capacity in the country and if so, the details thereof; and
(e): the subsidies and incentives being offered by the Government in the form of financial assistance for the implementation of various renewable energy programmes?

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR POWER AND NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY (I/C) (SHRI R. K. SINGH)
(a) to (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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Statement
Statement referred to in Reply to parts (a) to (e) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 156 to be answered on 28 December 2017 regarding Renewable Energy Sector

The requisite information in reply to the Question, part-wise, is as under:

(a): The Government of India is promoting use of new technologies in renewable energy sector. These include Concentrated Solar Technologies for cooking, process heat, cooling and power generation, research and development in hydrogen and fuel cell for both transportation and stationary power generation; energy storage projects for smoothening the intermittencies in renewable power output; and National Smart Grid Mission including for integration of renewables in the grid.

(b), (c) and (d): Major policy initiatives for increasing the share of renewable energy undertaken after June 2014, inter alia, are as under:-

i. Announced a cumulative target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by the year 2022 that includes up scaled target of 100 GW solar power installed capacity;
ii. Issued guidelines for procurement of solar and wind power through tariff based competitive bidding process;
iii. Declared Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) up to the year 2018-19;
iv. Declare Renewable Generation Obligation on new coal/lignite based thermal plants;
v. Notified National Offshore Wind Energy Policy;
vi. Notified policy for Repowering of Wind Power Projects;
vii. Notified standards for deployment of solar photovoltaic systems/devices;
viii. Issued order for waiving the Inter State Transmission System charges and losses for inter-state sale of solar and wind power for projects to be commissioned by March 2019; and
ix. Launched Atal Jyoti Yojna for Solar LED Street Lights in five States.

(e): The Government of India provides a number of incentives for promotion of new and renewable energy. Some of them are as follows:

(i) Central Financial Assistance under various schemes such as solar rooftop, solar pump, small hydro power, biomass based projects, concentrated solar projects, off-grid application etc;
(ii) Viably Gap Funding for major solar power projects;
(iii) Concessional GST rates and custom duties;
(iv) FDI upto 100% under automatic route; and
(v) Waiver of Inter State Transmission System charges and losses for inter-state sale of solar and wind power.